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Language guru: Obama speech too 'professorial' for his target audience

#1

Dei

Dei

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/06/16/obama.speech.analysis/index.html?hpt=C1

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.
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Man, I am so sad. I don't know which is worse, the fact that a 10th grade level is "too hard", or the fact that this is news.


#2



Chazwozel

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."
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This is considered an aloof and out of touch sentence?!??!??!

How fucking stupid are the citizens of the US assumed to be?


*Nevermind*

I just read the comments section of the article. Dear fucking Christ, this depresses me.


#3

Dave

Dave

*limbers up arms*

Okay, I'm ready.


:facepalm:


#4

SpecialKO

SpecialKO

You've got to be kidding me....

Also, how is that "10th grade"?


#5



Element 117

democracy + education =


#6

Denbrought

Denbrought

Damn, that's... Sad. I thought people liked presidents to sound more intelligent than they were, after all you're supposed to be bright enough to lead a country ~_~


#7

SpecialKO

SpecialKO

Denbrought said:
Damn, that's... Sad. I thought people liked presidents to sound more intelligent than they were, after all you're supposed to be bright enough to lead a country ~_~
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Wasn't a lot of the exit polling after both GWB elections indicating the opposite? That a lot of people preferred GWB because he sounded just like them?

Not like that makes any sense. I like my neighbors, but I wouldn't trust them with my hibachi, let alone "the button".


#8

tegid

tegid

Anti-intellectualism is rampant.:(


#9



Philosopher B.

That Bush feller talked real good. I hope we can git somebody lahk that in 2012.


#10

sixpackshaker

sixpackshaker

/emperor of austria

that speech had too many notes...


#11



Joe Johnson

sixpackshaker said:
/emperor of austria

that speech had too many notes...
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OOh, well played.


#12

Baerdog

Baerdog

God I hate anti-intellectuals. :facepalm:


#13

Covar

Covar

Ah so the president was too intelligent. That's why his address went over about as well as a liberal on Fox News. It certainly couldn't have anything to do with the content. Well that's a relief, for a moment I thought people might not want to hear all about cap and trade and going over to alternative energy instead of getting news about the oil spill and what was being done about it.


#14

Dave

Dave

Cap & trade is complete bullshit and will never, ever work to do anything other than make some people feel good about themselves.


#15

Espy

Espy

I didn't watch it but I saw a comment from a friend of mine on facebook: "LOVED Obama's speech, I wish he had said they were going to do something to stop the oil spill but it was still amazing!"
I mean, did she even read what she wrote?


#16



crono1224

I agree Obama should put on a diving suit and get down there to plug this massive disaster.

Also I don't think it is as much anti-intellectualism as it is charisma, Bush may not have been amazing with a thesaurus but he knew what words would inspire. Also same thing with Obama he knew what was needed to say to the people to get elected and he said all the right things, It didn't matter if he fancied up the words or dumbed them down. Not that I am saying a tenth grade level is anything to be amazed at, but there are a few high school drop outs, and non native English speakers.


#17

Espy

Espy

crono1224 said:
I agree Obama should put on a diving suit and get down there to plug this massive disaster.
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If you are referring to my facebook friends comment, I have no idea what action she wants to see, but I doubt it's one as ridiculous as you suggest.


#18

Hailey Knight

Hailey Knight

Too long, did not listen.


#19



crono1224

Espy;401360][QUOTE=crono1224 said:
I agree Obama should put on a diving suit and get down there to plug this massive disaster.
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If you are referring to my facebook friends comment, I have no idea what action she wants to see, but I doubt it's one as ridiculous as you suggest.[/QUOTE]

It was a slight response to that, and in general people waahing about Obama's reaction to it, I am sure he is doing everything he can outside of contacting aquaman.


#20

Espy

Espy

crono1224;401455][QUOTE=Espy;401360][QUOTE=crono1224 said:
I agree Obama should put on a diving suit and get down there to plug this massive disaster.
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If you are referring to my facebook friends comment, I have no idea what action she wants to see, but I doubt it's one as ridiculous as you suggest.[/QUOTE]

It was a slight response to that, and in general people waahing about Obama's reaction to it, I am sure he is doing everything he can outside of contacting aquaman.[/QUOTE]

Maybe he is, maybe he isn't, but either way when even his most ardent supporters (like my facebook friend there) don't feel like he's providing leadership then maybe he needs to work on his PR game to let people know what his administration is actually doing.


#21



crono1224

There was a Newsweek article that summarized well the problems with how people are viewing the president during this. It is too much focused on how he appears and his reactions to everything.


#22

Ross

Ross

Dear Paul J.J. Payack and his coworkers:

There is no such thing as 9.8th grade. I'm pretty damned sure that your ability to read and comprehend speeches does not drastically change from your last month of 9th grade to your first month of 10th grade, so you do not need to bother dividing it in the manner that you have.


#23

Wahad

Wahad

So 9/10th grade is too smart for people?

Welp, I give up.


#24

ElJuski

ElJuski

Ross said:
Dear Paul J.J. Payack and his coworkers:

There is no such thing as 9.8th grade. I'm pretty damned sure that your ability to read and comprehend speeches does not drastically change from your last month of 9th grade to your first month of 10th grade, so you do not need to bother dividing it in the manner that you have.
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I'm pretty sure a guy with that degree knows a shitload more about language comprehension than you do, especially when it comes to the processes used to come up with those numbers.


#25

drifter

drifter

Didn't expect to see a defense of Payack. Isn't he basically a media hack who gets trotted out by the networks to be the "expert?"


#26



JONJONAUG

Anyone else reminded of Idiocracy?



"You talk like a ***, and your shit's all retarded"


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