The Character Assassination Project
Martijn Icks and I began our cooperation not long ago by almost accidentally coming
across each other’s publications. We seemed an odd research team
simply because we were studying apparently unrelated subjects. Defamation
campaigns against Roman emperors, smear tactics of European monarchs and revolutionaries,
and character attacks against the US presidential candidates—what do all these occurrences
have in common? But something—thanks to the Internet, Skype, and our mutual
curiosities—has clicked. We both realized that we shared a passion for studying
human behavior across history and borders. We both were fascinated with the
opportunities that the creative interactions between history and social
sciences were giving us. When we asked our international colleagues to join us
and discuss character assassination from a closer range, their response was enthusiastic.
We gathered the first international seminar on character assassination in
Heidelberg, Germany. Twenty-five scholars from eleven countries debated the
“art of smear and defamation in history and today” and the result of the
discussion has exceeded our expectations. Several academic publications are in
the works.
What is character assassination?
What is character assassination?
Character assassination is a deliberate damage of an individual’s reputation.
Most notable victims of character assassination are political leaders, officials,
celebrities, scientists, athletes and other public figures. “Character
assassins” target private lives, behavior, values, and identity of other people.
Their biographical details are altered or fabricated. Intimate features become
public. Achievements are questioned. Good intentions are doubted. Using
exaggerations, mockery, allegations, lies, insinuations, and slander, the
attackers try to hurt their victims morally and emotionally in the eyes of
public opinion. To give some examples from recent American history, political
opponents of U.S. President Richard Nixon commonly and deliberately portrayed
him as a reclusive, paranoid, and aloof conspirator.
Ronald Reagan was an ignorant cowboy,
warmonger, or absent-minded old man. Bill Clinton’s opponents
scorned him as a slick Willy, womanizer and liar. George W. Bush was stupid.
Barack Obama repeatedly appeared in sarcastic attacks as a messiah or a lecturing
professor unable to govern. Character
assassination is as old as human civilization. Throughout history, people of
all ranks, occupations, and persuasions employ character attacks against their
opponents. Numerous historical examples show that character assassination has
often been a very effective weapon to win political battles, discredit
unwelcome religious views, or settle personal scores. On the one hand, time,
individuals, and circumstances change but the key methods of character
assassination remain amazingly consistent. On the other hand, attacks are
constantly refined and enhanced. Their speed and scope grow. Due to the rise of
modern democracies and mass media, character attacks now reach a global
audience in minutes.
The 2011 seminar, Character Assassination: the Art of Defamation throughout the Ages, took place in Heidelberg, Germany, July 21-23, 2011.
Learn more about the seminar and future events planned by The International Society for the Study of Character Assassination (ISSCA):
http://characterattack.wordpress.com/
Look up for us on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Character-Assassination/228910893798951