Last autumn, a conservative writer named Alexander Macris wrote about Florida governor Ron DeSantis. DeSantis was planning a new state militia and he was facing a lot of blowback.
To which, Macris had this bit to say:
“If state defense forces are both constitutional and common, why the outrage? Part of the outrage is simply partisan, of course. If Ron DeSantis walked on water like Jesus to save a drowning child, the Daily Beast would report it as ‘DeSantis refuses to get wet to save drowning child.'”
I found that made-up Daily Beast headline funny and clever. It got me wondering why. So I put my finger on the page and traced out exactly what’s going on.
Here’s what I figured:
Macris brings your attention to an unimportant detail (what De Santis wouldn’t or didn’t do)… to keep your attention from the actual, important, big thing (that he “walked on water like Jesus to save a drowning child”).
There’s a name for this type of thing. It’s called misdirection.
“Magic is misdirection. And misdirection is getting people to look at the wrong place at the right time.”
That’s a line from the 1978 movie Magic. I don’t know much about magic, though I love it. But I have heard pro magicians say that yes, magic is at core misdirection.
And it’s not just magic where misdirection has value. Writing too, like that fake Ron DeSantis headline above.
And if you’ve gone through my Copy Riddles program, then you’ve also seen A-list copywriters use misdirection to create intrigue and make sales. Like Gary Bencivenga did with this intriguing warning:
“If you’re a man, do you know why you should never wear a gold bracelet to a job interview?”
Well, do you? If not, I’ll tell you in a second how you can find out.
For now, my point is that misdirection is not just tricky, but it can be valuable, too. So keep an eye on it.
Or keep an eye on me. I’ve started collecting examples of misdirection. And maybe one day I will put them together into a little presentation, and show you how you can misdirect people’s attention, in your writing, with the snap of your fingers, for your benefit and maybe theirs.
You can help me get this done sooner. If you have any good examples of misdirection, anything that comes to mind, whether from magic, design, political PR, tabloid journalism, thriller novels, con artistry, standup comedy, or persuasive and influential writing, then send them my way.
In exchange, I’ll tell you the secret to Gary’s bullet above, in case you don’t know it already.
Oh, and sign up for my email newsletter. Bet you didn’t see that coming.