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Any “empty gesture” is a statement or an action that has no real meaning or value, but is often designed to draw attention to a person. Politicians are often accused of making empty gestures: they post something on social media, but they don’t take any related actions. For example, if a politicians makes a lot of statements saying, “I’m against inflation,” but proposes no government actions to address inflations, then those statements are empty gestures.
In today’s lesson, you heard that Jacinda Ardern responded empathetically to the shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand. Her actions were not empty gestures: she genuinely listened to the victims’ families and followed up by proposing (and winning support for) new gun restrictions.
For more examples of empty gestures, just check your Facebook feed!