Barack Obama. Penn State. TODAY. I'm still pretty shocked that I had the opportunity to be there.
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| Liz, Michael, Sandra |
Through a service, leadership, and social justice organization, I volunteered at the event. The volunteers were led by a White House staff member with a stunning Southern charm named Michael. Right off the bat, I noticed Michael's, what I call, "political attitude." When asked questions, Michael rarely gave clear answers. Time frames were indefinite. "I can neither confirm nor deny" was often stated. Although Michael is just a minor White House staff member, he still embodies the political attitude.
The "political attitude" is the use of the indefinite and wishy-washy. Politicians are geniuses at manipulating their language to dance around a point. Politicians make big promises with incomplete plans. Politicians assert ideologies but don't work to establish them in society. Michael, the White House official, embodied the political attitude on a minor level. President Barack Obama, however, is a trained professional.
Obama pleaded with the audience at Rec Hall to win the future. He asked that we channel our passion into the sciences, paralleling our passion for football. Obama called for the "better building initiative" to reduce the 40% of energy used to power homes and buildings in the breakdown of US energy consumption. He discussed an energy hub in Philadelphia that Penn State is partnered with to develop advanced technology.
I was definitely inspired by Obama. However, in class, we are encouraged to use precision and clarity in our language. We must present our ideas in an organized fashion to convey the strongest message. After today, I’m certain that politicians rely on a different rhetorical method. I believe politicians are their own sect of rhetors. Politicians are rhetors that use the "political attitude" to win over their voters.
The “political attitude” is without a doubt inspiring. However, I think that politicians are effective rhetors only against other politicians. We learn a discipline of rhetoric that demands precision and clarity, while politicians stray from that path, asserting ideologies and making big promises.
Michael, the volunteer supervisor, is already employing the “political attitude”. President Barack Obama is an expert at it. This morning, I not only volunteered my time to put on the President's Speech, I volunteered my time to learn a clear distinction among rhetors like me, and rhetors like politicians.
Before I begin: Michael was the best! Even if he did have the political attitude.
ReplyDeleteMoving on: This is a very good point and distinction to make. Politicians use a very different type of rhetoric than we average people do. Great observation!
I like your point about Michael already exemplifying the political attitude. The comparison between him and President Obama was a very clear example of experience and professionalism.
ReplyDeleteI'm so jealous! While you had the opportunity to become inspired by Obama and how he delivers his speech like an expert rhetor, I was in line waiting for Lil Wayne's tickets. I wish I was there! I'm really glad that you wrote about this experience to give me a taste of what the experience was like. I totally agree with you that politicians are trained and professional rhetors as they "assert ideologies and make big promises."
ReplyDeleteThis was really interesting!
I agree that most politicians use different rhetoric than we do, but I think a lot of them just use bad rhetoric. When I hear Sarah Palin give interviews, it makes me want to send her back to my high school freshman English class to learn how to debate properly.
ReplyDeleteYou made a very good point about the difference in political attitude and rhetoric of Michael and President Obama. I too found it interesting how Michael was on the "fast track" top political rhetoric.
ReplyDelete"I will define the "political attitude" as the use of the indefinite and wishy washy. " My favorite line from this post. I like the layout and I love that you shared your experiences with us since many of us couldn't be there. Being there and watching it on tv is definitely not the same, especially with your experience volunteering! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSandra, I'm with Wendy.... I enjoyed your definition of "political attitude" as indefinite and wishy-washy. Our last chapter talked about this, too, in terms of kairos. Often, politicians are hesitant to make definitive statements and revert to very ambiguous, issue-dodging claims. Interesting observations here!
ReplyDeleteSo glad that you got to go, by the way.