Chapter 4
 Assertiveness Through the Ages

Throughout history people have asserted themselves at critical junctures and become immortalized for it:

• Moses told the Egyptian pharaoh, “Let my people go.”
  
• Jesus told an unruly crowd, “Let he that lives without sin cast the first stone.”
  
• Martin Luther nailed his 99 reforms to the door of the Catholic church knowing this would set off a landslide of controversy.
  
• George Washington confessed to his father that he did in fact chop down the cherry tree, saying, “I cannot tell a lie,” (or at least that’s how the story goes).
  
• Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech but, of equal note, endured many years in jail and discrimination for what he believed in.

We tend to admire those who are assertive, especially in support of broad sweeping causes such as freedom, truth, and human rights. It seems as if bold and assertive statements and bold and decisive action have been the rallying points for followers to take up the lead.

They are certainly turning points that historians dutifully record. In this chapter we’ll look at a specific instance where one person’s assertiveness had dramatic impact.

I Came, I Saw, I Made My Wishes Known

Even people who are assertive for less than noble reasons tend to stand out in history. Indeed, the Latin phrase veni, vidi, vici (“I came, I saw, I conquered”) lingers in memory for its sheer audacity, if nothing else.

The German philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, “Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” In an overly communicative society, assertiveness, in the form of boldness and brashness, is often the key to notoriety, wealth, and even acclaim. For example, while there might be eight, 12, 15, or several dozen female singers with the range, voice quality, and talent equal to or exceeding that of Madonna, she has captured the most headlines in the 1980s and early 1990s, sold the most albums, and has consistently sold-out concert tours.

Andre Agassi may not be the most talented player on the pro tennis circuit, but he’s the one who most people remember. He has starred in camera commercials saying, “Image is everything,” and for many years has flashed a rather sporty image himself.

Name that Person

I’m going to describe two inventors. The first still owns the record for holding the largest number of U.S. patents. He is the widely celebrated inventor of the phonograph. He is commonly regarded as the inventor of the light bulb, although he merely improved on it. He also made dozens of improvements to other existing products. Can you name him? Undoubtedly you can, since he’s Thomas Edison.

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 Just the Facts
Thomas Edison was not the original inventor of the light bulb. He improved on a principle that others had already discovered. For example, in 1802, Sir Humphrey Davy produced an arch light, a crude, carbon-based method of illumination. He was followed in 1844 by Jean Foucault, who made an arch light strong enough to light up the Plaza de la Concorde in Paris.

 

By 1860, Sir Joseph William Swan had devised a crude light bulb, and 18 years later he demonstrated a successful carbon filament lamp at Newcastle, England. This was ten months before Edison “invented the light bulb.”

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An inventor of equal brilliance and contribution to society revolutionized the automobile industry. He’s credited with having ushered in a new era of ignition systems, vehicle performance, and vehicle safety. He patented a painting process that prolonged the life of cars by reducing the incidents of rust.

With four hundred million vehicles in America alone and more than a billion throughout the world, surely you can name this hallowed inventor. He also became a philanthropist, and to this day his name is part of one of the foremost cancer research and treatment facilities in the world, which he helped found. Who is he? Give up? He is Thomas Kettering, for whom the Sloan-Kettering Institute is partially named.

Why does virtually everyone know the name of Edison, and nearly no one knows the name of Kettering? Okay, perhaps Edison’s inventions were more consumer-oriented or impacted more people more quickly then. After all, 100 years ago, everyone was likely to turn on a light switch, but not everyone owned a car.

Edison, as it turns out, relentlessly promoted himself. He constantly talked to the press and gave interviews. He always issued pithy quotes. He went out of his way to grandstand. He often bragged that he got by on very little sleep per night, a claim later proven to be untrue. Edison was socially assertive, always looking for opportunities in which to get into the news.

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 Make It So
Two performers, alike in all major respects, with a similar array of accomplishments, may have vastly different experiences in terms of what they earn, how they are perceived, and how they are remembered, based on their levels of assertiveness.

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Kettering was not a meek or mild lab scientist. He was a strong leader within the organizations he formed. He also gained a reputation as someone with a quick wit who could both give and take a joke. Yet, unless there is some dramatic, Oscar-winning movie about Kettering in the future, it’s not likely his name will ever be known on the magnitude of that of Edison.

So it is in many arenas of life.

Assertiveness in Recent History

Prior to the modern era, in which reporters cover virtually every corner of the globe, it was hard to know the specifics of when one leader stared down another and, hence, avoided war, disaster, or what have you.

In recent American history, particularly in regard to the affairs of presidents, there are several instances we can draw on in which an individual’s assertiveness resulted in an outcome not otherwise predictable.

And We’re Keeping the Dog

When Richard Nixon ran for vice president in 1952, he was accused of irregularities on his personal financial statements. He went on national TV and gave what became known as the “Checkers Speech,” in which he defended his finances, his wife’s right to wear a good “Republican cloth coat,” and the fact that his family was going to keep the dog named Checkers given to him as a gift.

Nixon’s ability to assert himself at this critical juncture, winning over the hearts and minds of enough of the populace, enabled him to stay on the ticket and carry Dwight Eisenhower into office. What would have happened if his speech hadn’t gone over well, and Eisenhower had to replace Nixon on the ticket? History suggests that when a presidential candidate is forced to change his running mate, the results are a loss in November.

We Showed Them, or Did We?

Some ten years later, President John Kennedy faced the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Soviet Union planned to fortify Cuba with a ring of Soviet missiles. Kennedy told Khrushchev that he simply could not allow Soviet missiles in the Western hemisphere. The situation got extremely tense, and many people feared war would break out. Eventually the Soviets backed down, and Kennedy was hailed as a hero for this episode.

The full story, however, has never been widely understood by Western governments. I toured the Soviet Union in 1984. Visiting some of their state museums, I learned that at that time, because the American president, Kennedy, had the power to command the Soviet Premier to remove the Soviet missiles, the Soviets vowed they would never allow themselves to be in that position again.

Since he did not allow Khrushchev to save face, Kennedy actually precipitated a massive arms buildup in the Soviet Union. The Cuban Missile Crisis, in perspective, led to an escalation of the arms race in both the East and the West that exhausted and drained both economies for the next 27 years.

The Soviet Union eventually fractured from within, and in 1989 disbanded. Since then, there have been some notable reductions in the scale of Eastern and Western expenditures.

So, on one hand, Kennedy was hailed as assertive by Americans. But on the other hand, Russians viewed him as aggressive, because they felt backed into a corner, which further fueled Cold War hostilities.

Go Ahead, Make My Day

Though in retrospect a small event in the course of history, when U.S. President Ronald Reagan stood up against the air traffic controllers in 1981, he took a major risk. He told the strikers that what they were doing was illegal, and that they would lose their jobs. For weeks, there was actually a chronic shortage of air traffic controllers.

If a major air disaster had occurred during this time, Reagan’s entire administration might have fallen under scrutiny. Had this happened, it certainly would have harmed his chances for re-election in 1984.

Of all the groups that you could go up against head to head, I would think the air traffic controllers would be the ones to avoid. After all, if sanitation workers go on strike, a city may stink for a while, but it’s not likely a plane is going to crash because of it.

Thankfully, no major air disasters happened during Reagan’s confrontation with the air traffic controllers. This result, combined with some other early wins in his administration, helped Reagan have a far easier administration with Congress and the electorate than many of his contemporaries had enjoyed.

Reagan appeared assertive, but actually was aggressive. If anyone had sabotaged the system, the repercussions might have rained down on Reagan.

Time will tell if the decisions these presidents made and the actions they took proved beneficial or detrimental to society.

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 Make It So
Whether in interpersonal circles, at work, or in your community, taking a stand and asserting yourself for what you know or believe is right tends to win you, at the least, the approval of an otherwise silent mass.

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One thing appears certain: The American public approves of bold and decisive action and supports a president who appears to assert himself at critical junctures. Even if he turns out to be wrong or the other side regards the gesture to be aggressive, the public admires that element of his personality.

By contrast, presidents who have acted with indecision, such as Jimmy Carter during the Iran hostage crisis, are not looked upon in the same light.

Assertiveness in Religion

In recent years, Pope John Paul II has made proclamations re-enunciating the Catholic Church’s official position on abortion and women in the clergy. Many people don’t agree with his views and see them as outdated. Ever-growing numbers of Catholics find themselves in opposition to what this religious leader is saying.

Yet, he is held in high esteem, perhaps more so than his recent predecessors. Certainly, he has personality and charm. But why is Pope John Paul II endearing to so many of his flock, even those who disagree with him? Is it possible that his self-assured assertions win admiration, if not capitulation?

For five decades, the Reverend Billy Graham has been seen as one of the most prominent religious leaders in America, if not throughout the world. Yet he had no formal religious training, no advanced degree in theology. He was not even an ordained minister. He used innovative techniques to summon the masses to his rallies.

He also lived his life by a credo, so that others could see that he was true to his word. He abhorred marital infidelity, and although he had numerous invitations from female admirers, he steadfastly refused to engage in extramarital affairs. He demanded the same of his closest associates.

Many religious leaders give powerful, moving performances when on the pulpit. Of the televangelists, Dr. Robert Schuller comes to mind among those who have maintained the straight and narrow course and not fallen prey to that which they preach against. Yet, even those who have been subject to scandal still seem to maintain a loyal following. Often, they emerge from their turmoil with a clear, bold, new direction, and as seemingly better people for having had the experience. The assertive leader on the pulpit or platform wins followers.

When I was growing up, the religious leader of our congregation was an eloquent speaker, but a crusty old soul who could sear a hole through your brain at 50 paces with just a glance. And this was years before light sabers were introduced in Star Wars.

One time, he stopped in the middle of a religious service and peered out over the audience to say to someone, “Yes, you!” In a room with hundreds of religious students in attendance, the impact was clear and indelible: “If you come into this house of worship, you come to pray; you don’t come to converse with your neighbor. And when I’m leading the service, mine is the only voice I want to hear.” (Except maybe for God’s.)

I can tell you that I was never one to talk during the service, nosiree.

Assertiveness in the Arts

Everywhere you look, the bold are favored over the bland. Mozart’s music was considered too innovative and too radical for its day; whereas his rival, Solare, was hailed as an accomplished composer. As time passed, Solare’s compositions have been forgotten while Mozart’s are played throughout the world.

As for the fine arts, if you walk into any major museum today, on the walls you’ll see the bold departures of some artists of an earlier era. Monet and Manet, Cezanne and Degas, and the Cubists and Impressionists invariably are some of those whose work have been hailed as genius, no matter how obscure some of these artists may have been during their own lifetime.

The Martha Graham or Alvin Ailey dance troupes, in demand all over the world, reflect the innovative movements, techniques, and radical departures that their creators infused into the performances.

Surely, many innovators in the arts quickly vanished from the scene when their assertive forms of expression did not find favor with audiences. On balance, assertiveness in religion, the arts, and other arenas of human endeavor is what makes life different and often better, and certainly more interesting.