Too Dumb To Understand
Your Mom Made Me Pancakes
Posts: 169
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/06/16/ ... index.html
(CNN) -- President Obama's speech on the gulf oil disaster may have gone over the heads of many in his audience, according to an analysis of the 18-minute talk released Wednesday.
Tuesday night's speech from the Oval Office of the White House was written to a 9.8 grade level, said Paul J.J. Payack, president of Global Language Monitor. The Austin, Texas-based company analyzes and catalogues trends in word usage and word choice and their impact on culture.
Though the president used slightly less than four sentences per paragraph, his 19.8 words per sentence "added some difficulty for his target audience," Payack said.
He singled out this sentence from Obama as unfortunate: "That is why just after the rig sank, I assembled a team of our nation's best scientists and engineers to tackle this challenge -- a team led by Dr. Steven Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and our nation's secretary of energy."
"A little less professorial, less academic and more ordinary," Payack recommended. "That's the type of phraseology that makes you (appear) aloof and out of touch."
The monitor's chief word analyst found these three sentences insensitive: "Already, this oil spill is the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced. And unlike an earthquake or a hurricane, it is not a single event that does its damage in a matter of minutes or days. The millions of gallons of oil that have spilled into the Gulf of Mexico are more like an epidemic, one that we will be fighting for months and even years."
"You shouldn't be saying that in Katrina land," said Payack, referring to the 2005 hurricane that devastated the Gulf Coast. "New Orleans lost a third of its population; it's still recovering."
But he praised Obama's phrase "oil began spewing" as active and graphic.
At a micro level, the average word in the speech contained 4.5 letters, a bit longer than is typical for the former constitutional law professor, Payack said.
Obama's nearly 10th-grade-level rating was the highest of any of his major speeches and well above the Grade 7.4 of his 2008 "Yes, we can" victory speech, which many consider his best effort, Payack said.
"The scores indicate that this was not Obama at his best, especially when attempting to make an emotional connection to the American people," he added.
I find it interesting that anytime a speech by the President is criticized, its b/c we are just not smart enough to understand the big words. During the President's State of The Union address when support for healthcare reform was dwindling among the American public, Obama reminded us "This is a complex issue...I take my share of the blame for not explaining it MORE CLEARLY to the American people."
He is heralded as a man of the people, but he is a Harvard elitist. And if only he could shorten his words to 3.8 letters per, and drop the grade level to around 7.0, we could understand his grand vision.
Better yet, just color me a picture Mr. President.
(CNN) -- President Obama's speech on the gulf oil disaster may have gone over the heads of many in his audience, according to an analysis of the 18-minute talk released Wednesday.
Tuesday night's speech from the Oval Office of the White House was written to a 9.8 grade level, said Paul J.J. Payack, president of Global Language Monitor. The Austin, Texas-based company analyzes and catalogues trends in word usage and word choice and their impact on culture.
Though the president used slightly less than four sentences per paragraph, his 19.8 words per sentence "added some difficulty for his target audience," Payack said.
He singled out this sentence from Obama as unfortunate: "That is why just after the rig sank, I assembled a team of our nation's best scientists and engineers to tackle this challenge -- a team led by Dr. Steven Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and our nation's secretary of energy."
"A little less professorial, less academic and more ordinary," Payack recommended. "That's the type of phraseology that makes you (appear) aloof and out of touch."
The monitor's chief word analyst found these three sentences insensitive: "Already, this oil spill is the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced. And unlike an earthquake or a hurricane, it is not a single event that does its damage in a matter of minutes or days. The millions of gallons of oil that have spilled into the Gulf of Mexico are more like an epidemic, one that we will be fighting for months and even years."
"You shouldn't be saying that in Katrina land," said Payack, referring to the 2005 hurricane that devastated the Gulf Coast. "New Orleans lost a third of its population; it's still recovering."
But he praised Obama's phrase "oil began spewing" as active and graphic.
At a micro level, the average word in the speech contained 4.5 letters, a bit longer than is typical for the former constitutional law professor, Payack said.
Obama's nearly 10th-grade-level rating was the highest of any of his major speeches and well above the Grade 7.4 of his 2008 "Yes, we can" victory speech, which many consider his best effort, Payack said.
"The scores indicate that this was not Obama at his best, especially when attempting to make an emotional connection to the American people," he added.
I find it interesting that anytime a speech by the President is criticized, its b/c we are just not smart enough to understand the big words. During the President's State of The Union address when support for healthcare reform was dwindling among the American public, Obama reminded us "This is a complex issue...I take my share of the blame for not explaining it MORE CLEARLY to the American people."
He is heralded as a man of the people, but he is a Harvard elitist. And if only he could shorten his words to 3.8 letters per, and drop the grade level to around 7.0, we could understand his grand vision.
Better yet, just color me a picture Mr. President.
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
JUST STOP THE LEAK - SERIOUSLY.
feel free to do so...
I don't get the "Harvard elitist" part either... I understand "elitist", no one wants someone who's out of touch with everyday life and thinks their better than everyone, but why throw Harvard in there? Like you said, if any friend or family member of any of us went there, that would be an great accomplishment. Leave it to partisan hacks to turn a positive thing into a negative. Ohhh... he's smart... that's baaaaddddd....
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
"leave it to partisan hacks to turn a positive thing into a negative"
This statement just described the entire philosophy behind partisan politics.
It's a shame.
So let me get this straight in my own head then - the point that you are making is: education = elitest, am I right in suggesting that?
You believe that your elected president is talking down to you because he percieves himself to be more educated? But for such an educated man to use words that he knows you won't understand, that would not make him very smart though right?
So he's elitest, a socialist, a communist, a muslim, a fascist, not born in the US, a rascist, a nazi etc etc etc, jesus come on and change the record, criticise the guy on his policies, follow through or lack there of, but this other stuff is just laughable
So next time just vote the dumb guy in, the guy that you could have a beer with, I mean what's the worst that could happen there right?
I just find it interesting.
He is an elitist, and no, education does not equal elitist.
He is an elitist b/c everytime we don't fall for his next "redistribution of wealth" (a Marxist philosophy) scheme, he says it's b/c he didn't explain it well enough to the people. Meaning if we could just understand him more, then we'd go for it. If only we were as smart as Obamessiah.
The whole Dem philosophy is that we exist to support the gov't, which is in direct contrast to the intention of the founders and the Constitution.
I do understand his policies and I disagree w/ them.
but you DID write the 2 or 3 paragraphs which is what contained the harvard elitist comment.
and what is the republican philosophy then?
what are you but my reflection? who am i to judge or strike you down?
"I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank." - Barack Obama
when you told me 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'
i was thinkin 'death before dishonor'
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
i wonder how he feels the state of new york should react? i mean they take in more in taxes than they get back, the rest is -redistributed- through the other 49 states
what are you but my reflection? who am i to judge or strike you down?
"I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank." - Barack Obama
when you told me 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'
i was thinkin 'death before dishonor'
This post makes no sense, especially in the context of the article you posted. Obama is being criticized in the article for assuming everyone is educated enough to understand his speech. How is that talking down to anyone? The whole point is that he didn't talk down enough. :?
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
Rep philosophy: Gov't exists to serve the people. Not the other way around.
the point is he thinks that if he dumbs it down, then we'll go along. HE thinks his failure is being to intelligent for the masses.
He can't conceive that the people would reject his philosophies.
And to whoever said he's not redistributing wealth in this country, I can't help you. You are helplessly void in the area of current events. Just say you understand it and are a Marxist. But to say that it is not going on is assinine. The whole HC Bill is a redistribution of wealth.
Max Baucus (D) Montana said:
"The last couple three years the mal-distribution of income in America is gone up way too much, the wealthy are getting way, way too wealthy, and the middle income class is left behind. Wages have not kept up with increased income of the highest income in America. This legislation will have the effect of addressing that mal-distribution of income in America."
???????
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redistribution_of_wealth
The separation of wealth has more to do with the way our system works which is facilitated by business's working for their own benefit alone, which is backed by lobbying, the market manipulations and self-interest profit motive decisions compared to a government plan or policy as you so casually seem to mention.
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
Wow, CNN, instead of dealing with the real issue (oil spill) we're going to knit-pick the speech. A classic example how journalism has failed the public, and diverts the real issue. Just like any American mainstream medium. This is exactly why NOTHING will be done about the spill, because Americans would rather bitch about Obama rather than demand action regarding BP and the oil.
ok... when was the last time republicans were in control and they actually did anything close to this so-called "philosophy"?
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
Conservative and Republican used to be synonymous. Not so much anymore.
Since you asked, I would say Reagan was the last president to adhere to conservative principles.
And I'm not debating the entire Reagan Presidency or the Cold War here today.
(who's got the energy for that? Its too hot.)
Take all the time you need to look him up.
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
You're boy, Baucus, said this was gonna work to fix the "mal-distribution" of income.
All I hear is crickets.
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
oh boy... he gave a speech at a grade level that 15 year olds are able to understand... and that's a problem to some?
Let's see... remember how much of a moron you were in 10th grade? remember all of the stupid shit that you did (or didn't do)? Apparently giving a speech that those knucklehead or older can understand makes you an elitist. If that's too high of a level for his "target audience", then it says a lot more about the American people than it does about our President.
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
So HE's the one who wrote the article you posted then?? :?
None of the rest of this post is relevant to the original post.
By the way, your comments suggest a tone that leads me to think that you're really trying to goad people into arguing with you rather than having an honest discussion/disagreement of a current event. If that is the case, you should run for public office.
BINGO.
Fargo 2003
Winnipeg 2005
Winnipeg 2011
St. Paul 2014