AFTERWORDwords. In case anyone doubts the important subtext behind words
alone, consider the unpleasant example of a letter written by a
conservative group during the 1990 campaigns and sent to Republi-
can state legislative candidates around the country. The letter
included a list of words useful in political campaigns to describe
opponents, words such as liberal, traitors, bizarre, sick, incompetent,
corrupt, shallow, pathetic, shame, and, of course, tax spending.
Gopac (G.O.P. Political Action Committee), the group responsible
for the list, had a good understanding of the intense subtext behind
each of these words. "The words and phrases used are powerful,"
Gopac explained to its candidates. "Read them, memorize as many
as possible. And remember that... these words will not help
if they are not used."
The vast field of subtext goes beyond words and actions to the
very appearance of things. This book has discussed how our clothes
and our faces send out a subtext to others, but very strong subtexts
are also sent out by possessions: a Lexus car, a Gucci bag, a
Montblanc pen, a Patek Philippe watch, or a corner office.
The growing recognition of this truth has been responsible for
a new business that could well be named Rent-A-Subtext. A Chi-
cago company, understanding the powerful subtext sent out by a
businessperson's attache case, is prepared to rent out a thousand-
dollar attache case for one hundred dollars a day. Its customers,
it hopes, will be those businesses who want their representatives
to make a particularly powerful impression.
This kind of false facade subverts the best of all purposes behind
learning to read subtext: understanding others and projecting a
subtext in synch with the best aspects of your own character. In
any interaction between people, there is the spoken text and the
unspoken subtext. Of the two, the subtext is the more honest
because it is usually unconscious. We can lie with words, but it