HOW IMPORTANT ARE “OPTICS” TO YOU?

HOW IMPORTANT ARE “OPTICS” TO YOU?

One of the new buzz words making the rounds these days is “optics”. Primarily a physics term to describe the behavior of light, it has become a very important new political expression. In politics, optics refers to how an event appears, not anything to do with the essence of the issue or event, but simply how the public perceives the news. For example, it is bad optics if after an increase in taxes a government office is found to have overspent its budget. It looks bad, even if there is a logical rationale or a long term benefit. Sometimes optics can generate positive reactions and sometimes more negative responses. Let me explain.

Australian PM Scott Morrison was on a long-planned holiday in Hawaii when the Australia bushfire crisis worsened during a heatwave that has been scorching the country. Morrison indicated that he would return from his holiday immediately after two volunteer firefighters died battling wildfires. Morrison has been heavily criticized for taking a pre-Christmas break in Hawaii, as more than 2,500 firefighters across New South Wales worked to contain raging fires. He said Friday that he apologized and would "happily" return to deal with the crisis. A firefighters' union leader said Australia was "seeing an absolute lack of leadership from this government and it is a disgrace”.

I should like to come to the defense of the beleaguered PM. In my opinion, he didn’t have anything to apologize for and there was no need for him to rush home. Morrison’s presence or absence from Australia during this time of natural disaster is irrelevant in any real sense. He was not going to be directing a hose at a burning bush or stomping on a grass fire. That is not his job. But the “optics” were bad. His absence implied that he did not care about the devastation and loss of human lives by not appearing on local TV wringing his hands in anguish. I am sure that although his absence “looked” bad, it really was not a matter of him not caring or poor leadership or apathy. He probably felt that his presence would not alter the wildfire crisis in any significant way. And he was correct.

We regularly see politicians at every level trying to take advantage of the optics of a situation. Kissing babies, making themselves available for selfies, two-handed handshakes, and cutting ribbons are all meaningless activities that are only political photo ops. A Prime Minister standing on the shore of the flooded Ottawa River while wearing rubber boots should not be interpreted as a willing volunteer to fill sandbags. He was there for the photos and the cameras. No bags were filled and the boots came off right after the photoshoot.

Sometimes trying to take advantage of the optics can backfire as well. I am sure we all recall President Trump casually tossing rolls of paper towels to displaced Puerto Ricans whose homes and lives were ravaged by Hurricane Maria. Those optics certainly did nothing to improve his image.

The one person who has converted an optic moment into an extension of his career is Rudy Giuliani. Everyone will remember the somber photos of Mayor Rudy wearing an NYPD baseball hat sternly overlooking the site of the 911 disaster as if he was going to grab a shovel and get to work. In fact, Giuliani grabbed the opportunity to construct the persona of the single driving force behind the cleaning up and rebuilding of the Twin Towers site. He used that optical illusion to worm his way into Trump’s back pocket and become his personal lawyer. Although some optics can backfire, Giuliani hit the jackpot! Or did he?

Regardless, I thing PM Morrison should return to Hawaii to finish his holiday with his family and return when he can actually do something that will help, like establishing a wildfire disaster relief fund for the victims. Forget about optics and focus on action!