The Great Importance of Appearance

Paper Summary:

An analysis of the importance of appearance during the J.F.K./Nixon debates, with a focus on the "Great Debate" of 1960 between them. Argues that the importance of appearance on television forever changed with that debate, and now there are "constructed images" in people's minds.

From the Paper:

"The first televised presidential debate occurred on September 26, 1960, between Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard Nixon. This debate was the first of a series of four "great debates" between Kennedy and Nixon; it brought about interesting results that varied drastically between those who viewed it on television and those who heard it on the radio. In fact, the election of 1960 was so close that many commentators, including Robert Kennedy, stated that the television debates were responsible for Kennedy's victory (Wheeler 14). A Philadelphia commercial research firm found that television viewers thought Kennedy had won the debate, while radio listeners assessed Nixon as the winner (Journal). Analysts explain this to be the result of Kennedy's charismatic presence on television that overwhelmed Nixon's sickly, nervous look. Many view the Kennedy-Nixon debate as a paradigmatic example of television images triumphing over political substance (Power). Undoubtedly, the 1960 presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon was not only a turning point for television, but it deeply affected the future of American politics and the importance of appearance."

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