[Opinion] The Problem with Politicians' Misstatements Lies in the Context, Not Just the Profanity

Published 25 Apr.2023 13:42(KST)

The People Power Party is experiencing internal strife due to controversies involving its Supreme Council members. Controversies over politicians' offensive remarks are nothing new. They occur repeatedly and can even influence the outcome of major elections. This article aims to shed some light on the questions: "Why do politicians fall into the trap of offensive remarks?" and "What criteria distinguish offensive remarks?"

Many politicians believe that avoiding swear words, slang like "saengjiral pledge," or colloquial expressions used casually in private settings such as "once you get used to government money" or "all for nothing" is sufficient. This is a mistaken belief. In my research, among 220 university students' perceptions of politicians' offensive remarks, 95.9% were composed of ordinary language. The controversial remarks made by the People Power Party’s Supreme Council members?such as "Opposition to including May 18 in the Constitution," "Jeon Gwang-hoon’s right-wing unification," "Jeju 4.3 Memorial Day is a lower-grade memorial day than a national holiday," "The 4.3 Incident was directed by the Kim Il-sung family," "Kim Gu was outmaneuvered by Kim Il-sung’s unification front strategy," "JMS Democratic Party," and "Instead of revising the Grain Management Act, an all-empty rice bowl campaign"?are all composed of ordinary words. The simplistic logic of "just avoid low-class words" cannot prevent controversies; attention must be paid to the "context of the words."

The context that determines whether a remark is a gaffe is simple. If a politician’s words reject "matters agreed upon by society," the public perceives them as "going too far." Regarding the issue of identifying "agreed matters," matters on which both conservatives and progressives?who often clash?agree are considered agreed matters.

Applying this criterion, including May 18 in the Constitution is a matter agreed upon by both conservatives and progressives, as even conservative-leaning presidential candidate Yoon Seok-yeol has promised. The absence of evidence that the 4.3 Incident was directed by Kim Il-sung and that Kim Gu was not exploited by Kim Il-sung are also recognized facts in conservative and progressive textbooks. Attempts to overturn this agreed-upon area without evidence are perceived as controversies. The notion of Jeon Gwang-hoon’s right-wing unification is rejected by the majority of society and conservatives alike. The term "JMS Democratic Party" goes beyond criticizing specific actions of the Democratic Party of Korea; it labels the party itself as junk, denying the human rights of its members. Politicians must check whether their unique claims deviate from social consensus.

Gaffes can be divided into "remarks deviating from agreed cultural matters" and "remarks deviating from agreed physical matters." The controversies involving May 18, Jeon Gwang-hoon, 4.3, Kim Gu, and JMS fall into the former category. In contrast, the rice controversy falls into the latter. Even if people who used to leave some rice now finish a bowl completely, the increased rice consumption cannot possibly replace the amount of rice purchases intended by the Grain Management Act amendment. In terms of the negative nature of gaffes, remarks deviating from cultural matters are much more serious than those deviating from physical matters.

Gaffes cause disappointment, cynicism, and hatred in public forums such as social networking services (SNS), leading to a decline in support. Why does the public respond to gaffes with collective emotions? Politicians use strong expressions to win over their fervent supporters and emotionally isolate those who do not vote for them in society, which leads to gaffes. The public instinctively perceives this hidden intention behind gaffes, resulting in disappointment, cynicism, and hatred. Understanding the standards, intentions, and effects of political gaffes can help reduce their occurrence.

Heo Man-seop, Professor, Department of Liberal Education, Gangneung-Wonju National University