I had always thought that I wasn't very knowledgeable when it came to politics. I'd watch the big speeches and do my homework through them. I'd listen to what my parents had to say about the issues and I would adopt those ideas as my own. And to an extent, I still do, sadly enough. I figured that my political habits were just about normal, though, that is, until last thursday.
I am a teacher's assistant to a high school English teacher, who decided as extra credit, his Honors English 3 students could watch the vice presidential debates and note the fallacies and argumentative styles of the two VPs. The next day in class, he held a discussion of the debates, not just the issues pertaining to English, but also the issues the two candidates discussed.
Most students didn't pay much attention to what was discussed in the debate. Quite honestly, I missed the first part so I can't say that I'm all that much better. However, what the students did pay attention to was the mannerisms of each candidate. With the exception of maybe two or three people, most people agreed that they didn't like Sarah Palin. Which is perfectly fine. I'm not such a fan either.but I do think that she deserves a shot.
What they didn't like about McCain's vice-president was her mannerisms. They could not stand the way she stared into the camera when she talked. They couldn't stand the way she spoke for that matter. They thought it was whining and annoying. I realize that there are games to be played in politics, and that the way a politician speaks plays a crucial role in every election. But I believe that just because you don't like the way someone speaks doesn't mean you should stop listening. It simply means that you should listen harder to what they are saying instead of how they are saying it.
I did not get a chance to watch the debate because I was at work, so this is not my opinion. But i do find that interesting that a lot of people in your class did not like her style compared to biden. I know a lot of people did not find what she said necessarily insightful, but I thought her animated manner of speaking may have added a new element to the rather aggressive manner of Biden's expressions.
This is pretty interesting because I thought that she displayed a calm confidence that many skeptics were looking for as a sign of whether she could take the pressure or not. However, different people have different mannerisms that may be considered annoying. For example, when watching Barack's acceptance speech at the DNC he said "thanks, thank you" about a thousand times: i almost flipped out it was so annoying
I agree. Futhermore, I feel that there was more negative feedback about Biden's mannerisms being too harsh than there were about Palin's being annoying - at least from what I was hearing.
It simply means that you should listen harder to what they are saying instead of how they are saying it.
I'm not certain that is really possible in face to face (or televised, as in this case) communication. As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words... even in conversation. Whether we realize or not, most of what we pick up on during conversation are non verbal cues. It's hard for most to separate those out and simply focus on what is being said when those nonverbal cues keep popping up. One can say something you absolutely agree with, but if the nonverbal cues speak to you wrongly, you're a lot less likely to appreciate it.
If the class has a chance to do something similar with any future debates, you might suggest to the instructor that he have them read transcripts instead of watching so that they can focus on what is being verbally relayed instead of the mannerisms with which it is relayed.
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Slán agus beannacht leat,
~Fallon~
O, happy the soul that saw its own faults -Rumi
People of the world don't look at themselves, and so they blame one another -Rumi
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I also found Palin annoying and not just because I disagree with her on almost everything. The fact that she tried to force this weird folksy slang into everything she said is what made her annoying. The constant "dontcha know", "hey ya", "joe six pack", "well jo", "let me tell ya" was like Fargo on crack. I realize these are words not actions, but they still communicated a lot more to me than the other stuff she said.
Leave Canada, please - Canadian Dude
Well everyone has a different way of verbally expressing themselves and if you are Canadian from the hint your signature gives, I could say that I don't like Canadian accents and achieve the same purpose. Therefore i think it would be wrong to judge someone by their accent.
Government has no other end, but the preservation of property. - John Locke
We all, to one extent or another, pass judgment based upon how one speaks (or the words that one uses to convey the message) whether we realize it or not. I would also argue that there is a difference between an accent and the words one uses. It's the same principles as with those who say 'um' and 'like' every other word or two. They don't insert 'um' or 'like' because they have an accent.
Like, I don't like, think I can like go with you to like that concert that's like tomorrow night because like my parents like, grounded me for like, something I didn't even like do!
I can't listen to President Bush speak (I have to read transcripts) because I get so irritated at his inability to use proper English that whatever message he was attempting to deliver gets overshadowed by my irritation. How one expresses him or herself verbally is rather important and it's hard to pay attention to the message one is attempting to impart when that one is driving you insane with repetitive word usage. It can be, to use Meke's term, annoying.
Though I can't say if that's why she chose it, the quote in her signature is from a television show. Rather funny episode too.
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~Fallon~
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.- Russell
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I agree completely with your statement that we all are guilty of judging one another based on how they speak. Although Palin may seem at times as though she in unintelligent based on how she speaks, we should not write her off based on her speaking style alone.
Agreed. Which is why I suggested in my first comment that any future debate critique be done with the use of transcripts in that class. That way, students aren't distracted by the things that irritate them and can focus instead on the message being delivered.
Simple solution!
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~Fallon~
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.- Russell
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It's not that I don't like those kinds of accents/dialects. It's that she was obviously forcing out every little folksy phrase she could. It felt completely unnatural. I know people with that accent and they don't pack it on like Palin.
Also, I'm not from Canada. And I'm also not a dude. That's a quote from That 70's Show. Although you could say that you don't like New Orleans accents I suppose.
Leave Canada, please - Canadian Dude
She comes off as too "chummy" and not nearly as educated as you would hope the second-in-command of the country would be. She's scary!
Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.