Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 991:
Closed Minds and Closed Necks
A Nonverbal Metaphor for Oppression


























The recent death of North Korean leader Kim Yong-il (pictured above) should jogs our collective memories. An interesting example of body language is the way one chooses to dress over the long-term. Of course, while there are certainly temporal variation in fashions as well as regional and cultural influences - it is no coincidence, that many of the most oppressive leaders though out history have constantly worn garments which fit tightly around their necks. The nonverbal symbolism shown here is more than eerie - and unfortunately there are many more evil case histories. Such metaphorical dress code habits are strong indicators of closed and defensive mindsets as well as dictatorial world-views (Navarro). Five examples are pictured here. From top to bottom are Kim Yong-il, Joseph Stalin, Adi Amin Dada, Muammar Gaddafi, and Napoleon Bonaparte.

With their narrow mindsets and oppressive natures, all these dictators were rarely seen with open garments.































     Joseph Stalin




















       
    Idi Amin Dada







































     Napoleon Bonaparte

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