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Palin's Winks Unlikely to Nudge Undecided

Controversy in the blink of an eye

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 14, 2008 2:34 AM CDT

(Newser) – In Latin America, it's an unmistakable come-on. In much of Asia, it's offensive. In a vice-presidential debate, the meaning of a wink is sparking plenty of controversy, writes Faye Fiore in the Los Angeles Times. Sarah Palin winks more often than any politician experts can remember, and it has "left some voters smitten, some confused and others nauseated," Fiore writes.

For a wink to be persuasive, it needs a receptive source, Fiore cautions. Experts say that ambiguous gestures, especially on TV, make an audience assess the source more closely—often with negative results. A wink can change the meaning of a sentence, but the effect is ultimately in the eye of the beholder. "It's a Rorschach test," said an expert on political psychology said. "People see in it what they want."

Sarah Palin winks as she speaks during her vice presidential debate against Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., earlier this month.
Sarah Palin winks as she speaks during her vice presidential debate against Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., earlier this month.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Former New York Yankee Babe Ruth winks in a video at Yankee Stadium.
Former New York Yankee Babe Ruth winks in a video at Yankee Stadium.   (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Joe Biden winks during a campaign stop in Michigan last month.
Joe Biden winks during a campaign stop in Michigan last month.   (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
President Bush winks as he leaves the podium after addressing the United Nations General Assembly session last year.
President Bush winks as he leaves the podium after addressing the United Nations General Assembly session last year.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Hillary Clinton winks to the crowd as she makes a campaign stop  in Millersville, Pa., earlier this year.
Hillary Clinton winks to the crowd as she makes a campaign stop in Millersville, Pa., earlier this year.   (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
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A honking sound from her armpit might have generated less buzz. The wink is ambiguous, one of those rich, laden, intriguing signals of unspoken human messaging that is difficult to decipher but impossible to ignore. - Fay Fiore

The face is primo—it's how we read each other. Much more than hand gestures, it plays an astounding role in how people bond or interpret each others' behavior. - Betsi Grabe, a telecommunications professor at Indiana University

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