Posted August 20, 2024
New Human Rights Commissioner Dr Stephen Rainbow made a common media interview mistake yesterday and is probably not even aware of it.
When asked if he was Transphobic, he started his answer with, “No, I’m not Transphobic.” At face value, that looks like a good answer, but there is a problem.
When we say we are not some negative thing, people automatically put us and that thing together. Remember Richard Nixon’s famous quote, “I’m not a crook,” or Bill Clinton’s line, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”
Our brains process people telling us they are not something negative in the same way they process us telling people not to do something. Here’s an example. “Don’t think of a Giraffe.” Did you obey my wish or did you think of a Giraffe. I rest my case.
The best way to answer a question like the one Dr Rainbow got is to just say, “No.” Media will not quote you saying ‘no.’ You can then follow that up with a positive statement about something you want to focus on.
But if you say “No. I’m not Transphobic,” you’ve given the media a great quote to use and people will question its validity. To make things worse, that quote may also end up as the story headline or as clickbait to encourage people to read the story. That’s exactly what happened on Stuff yesterday (See picture).