FORCED CREDIBILITY

DailyPost 2335
FORCED CREDIBILITY

You cannot demand respect; you should command respect. How many of us seriously and sincerely follow this I have absolutely no answer? The way it is being practiced; it seems to be tilting in favor of the former. Trust is built over a long period of time, yet is can be destroyed in no time. How many of us are really in the trade of building trust? Hardly any. Who has the time, energy and inclination to get into that long-drawn act, short cuts are the lifeline of today? What is important to accept that such individuals, professionals, leaders, organizations, business enterprises and institutions, who have the ability to command respect and have built trust over long periods to time have a different DNA, psyche and attitude.

Moving a little further we come to the oft repeated question of credibility. Though connected it is a different ball game. Before we get into that, it would opportune to think of Noam Chomsky’s concept and treatise of manufacturing consent. He has termed it as the political economy of the mass media. Respect and trust earned in bits and pieces, or even a little inconsistently, does not qualify you to make it to the credibility cut. Credibility is what establishes you once and for all. You have passed the litmus tests, have a proven track and in all logical and rational thinking would continue to do the same and preferably keep improving upon it.

You can take Noam Chomsky himself as one of the finest examples of credibility, the modern world has seen in an individual. There are good number of individuals and organizations the world over who have made it to the mark and believe it or not might be with one odd exception, they have performed and outperformed in a manner elaborated earlier. That credibility is the human gold standard for everything, the lesser mortals; individuals and organizations have got into the act of manufacturing credibility. They are not ready to accept that fact that credibility cannot be manufactured.

The formula goes even a step further, they don’t leave at manufacturing and leaving the people to decide. Having created an ecosystem for manufacturing credibility, they feel that if can pushed down the throat of the gullible masses. This is what is called as forced credibility. The beauty of this exercise is that the person being subjected to this exercise would never feel it in this manner. But if you watch from a distance, you can very easily make out. Cajoling into credibility is also a form of forced credibility. Sometimes, it is done in a crude manner, and more often by selective facts and figures, oratory, and the same narrative being oft repeated. There can also be an aggressive brigade to take care of voices which raise doubts on forced credibility.

FORCED CREDIBILITY IS AN ANTITHESIS TO ANYTHING MODERN AND WORTHWHILE.
Sanjay Sahay

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