“Time to draw a line in the sand…”

There are few phrases that make me want to cough up furballs more than "...draw a line in the sand...". It’s the must-have accessory for politicians and management alike but unlike other fashion items, it never seems to be out of season. I have heard it used almost weekly by all manner of people in relation to all manner of subjects. It is a phrase meant to convey that the user perceives an issue to have a definite affirmative and negative position. All unsavoury grey area in between can be neatly divided by the metaphoric (and usually arbitrary) "line in the sand", below which it just doesn't cut it, and above which it's rock'n'roll.

 

In her excellent book Triumph of the Airheads and the Retreat from Common Sense Shelley Gare talks about "Something-Nothing"; the phenomena of saying something but really saying nothing. It's not a particularly new concept; this unfortunately has been the all too easily accepted mode of communication between politicians, HR or PR, and the general public for decades. In fact fluency in Something-Nothing is probably an official prerequisite to enter these positions.

 

To me this line smacks of Something-Nothing. The issue selected is usually a no-brainer. One that is so pervasive and common that it has kind of faded into the background sound of collective consciousness. But one day it may become an election issue or it receives some bad press and suddenly we all look to someone to pick up that big stick and draw the all-important line in the sand. Thank God! Catastrophe averted.

 

I'm not sure if anyone else shares the same aversion to this ridiculous line that I do. Maybe some people really dig it. Maybe some people can really get behind a man that has the fortitude to draw a line in sand. But I just can't help but feel that it is a poorly chosen phrase for something that is meant to convey the gravity of an issue, careful consideration of the options, and steadfast conviction in purpose. It’s a statement that is usually used to build a policy upon.

 

But I wouldn't build on sand. Everyone knows you need a foundation. And the best foundation is stone (or at least its man-made equivalent - concrete).

 

Part of my disdain to this phrase is the fact that lines drawn in sand are as ephemeral as the waves that wash them away. We have all been to the beach and built sand-castles and written our names in big letters and …. drawn lines in the sand, sometimes in the form of a whale or stick-figures. We do so knowing full well that when we go home the waves will claim back our art and redistribute our siliceous media along the beach if not around the globe. This is part of the fun. 

 

Perhaps, consciously or unconsciously (probably the former), this power phrase is used by people for similar reasons. It allows one to appear resolute and decisive in the short-term, but later allows one to inconspicuously wipe the line away with their foot when they need to change their position on something.

 

"Where's the line gone? Ooops - there it is, over there. How did you get over there?! Silly ol' line..."

 

This may fly with some people, but if you're making major policy decisions and need a guiding principle to build on, if you want to impress me, you better be carving that into stone. Moses had the right idea. He came down a mountain with his party policy inscribed in frickin’ stone tablets. People still listen to him. That's street cred. Public Relations consultants have been scrambling to catch up with that particular campaign launch since. But in the end one only needs to know one thing: It's better to build on stone than on sand.