Letters to the Editor
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Many voices, many gifts
I am currently listening to the audiobook of Obama's memoir, "Dreams from My Father," read by the author. Among the many notable elements of this truly remarkable recording is the varied and compelling use of his vocal instrument that Obama displays. In telling the story of his personal growth toward manhood and self-understanding, he is able to move effortlessly between utterly accurate voice characterizations of his Indonesian step-father, his Kansan grandfather, a Kenyan sister, a white community organizer, a Black Baptist minister, a teenage gang member, a Black nationalist, or his own adoring mother. In this recording, Obama's own rich voice provides a distinctive and clear channel into his heart and mind.
These vivid voices are not presented as caricatures or jokes or with any disrespect. Instead, what Obama displays in his readings is an uncanny ability to get inside the skin of people who are different from himself and to convey to the listener the essence of that other personality.
Obama is an empathetic person whose voice is admirably suited to convey his ability to understand the concerns and motivations of those around him. That he is also able to translate those often inchoate longings and present them to people of differing groups is his great gift as a leader.
Obama is not winning the primary race because of his gripping baritone voice. He is winning because he uses that voice to share his keen intellect, emotional wisdom, dry humor, humane insights, and hard-won experiences with the rest of us. We want to listen to him because we sense he has something important to say to everyone of us.
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Hillary's voice
Wow! Some of these postings sound pretty "shrill". The article was very interesting because it is about something that is particularly grating to my 74 year old ears - hearing Hillary when she is shrill - which is a lot of the time! There may be a bit of truth about the male authority thing, but I think it is exaggerated.
People pay attention to voices - a lot! There is a male, GOP strategist who is often on one of the CNN panels - he has a high voice and it is difficult to take him seriously! Then listen to Senator Diane Feinstein - a wonderfully modulated voice, very pleasant to the ear - no sound of the shrill, scolding authoritarian, but effective nonetheless. Why do you think we were so "taken" with Richard Burton (for you oldies!) not because he was so terribly handsome, but his voice was wonderful. Same with Liam Neeson. And both women and men CAN learn to have better speaking voices. Hillary's voice won't be the deciding factor in my vote, but I wouldn't look forward to 4-8 years of listening to her press conferences or State of the Union speeches!
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Teddy
So how do you explain Teddy Roosevelt's soprano then?
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Its a great Country When we can welcome all people and all countries to Have a FUTURE Global Voice To help all
FUTURE IS LIKE A COUNTRY and people and their ideas for FUTURE are the Global self suporting open door infranstructure
I was just alowed after 8 Years . See I see The europe as a global New market place and London Is near sauda arabia .. ; FUTURE is a word that all know means hope in any language . FUTURE we work together with all epople and all countries ideas For FUTURE .We show usage threw the people ..Ideas . what I didnt see is how my own lawyer ... ; See the .. On my web page has just been updated ..; www.futurevisionaries.com Also The new TRADEMARKS REGISTRY REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Registeretd under NO. 2290533 as of the date 30 November 2001 . The mark has been registered in Respect To a whole pend world For FUTURE ; Class 01 ,02,03,04,05,06,07,08,10,11,12,13,14,15,17,
18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30, 31,32,
33,34, 39,40 Also a world pend In USA ..
Im looking for partners ..
KGA
www.futurevisionaries.com
home 701-223-0639
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Logical consistency and multitasking
"Logical consistency is something that needs to be taught, and re-taught, and inconsistencies explicitly pointed out when they're observed, otherwise most people appear not to notice."
I'm not necessarily sure this is true Zandru. Many people have long thought we're moving into a more complex, multi-tasking world. This is one of the problems with all the nominees. They're not able to hold 2 diametrically opposed ideas in their head at once, or really understand the importance of differentiation and nuance.
The prime example of this is Obama's advocacy of precise, aimed surgical strikes at high-value terrorists inside Pakistan. Both Clinton and McCain went crazy over his support of this idea, decrying it as "bombing" Pakistan. Ten days later the CIA did precisely what Obama had suggested and there were no negative ramifications. Clinton, McCain and even Bush, after their harsh criticism of Obama over a tactic that ultimately worked, seemed stunned silent. Why? The importance of nuance.
We're moving into a twenty-first century and one of the problems I believe many people are having with older candidates is they just instinctively feel that some of these candidates no longer have the mental dexterity (not intelligence but dexterity) to deal with an increasingly more complicated world.
This is also the problem with Giuliani, Clinton, Romney and others' campaigns. You can no longer set up a firewall. You can longer make one major achievement and rest as past presidents (be they Reagan, Bill Clinton or whoever). And you certainly cannot afford bad days as Clinton, Giuliani and Romney appear to repeatedly have. No offense but this is an old, archane way of operating.
The next president will have to be prepared to deal with the war in Iraq one day and a new, explosive genocide in some region of Africa the next. They will have to juggle both domestic and international troubles, all the while somehow restoring America's place in the world. It might be necessary to surgically strike in Iraq on Tuesday and then withdraw another 1,000 troops on Wednesday.
To me the closest parallel is still 1960 and the Kennedy/Nixon dynamic. No one is denying that one candidate is more experienced in international matters and foreign relations, and the other is dangerously less so. What we're saying is the world now WORKS the way one candidate sees it and not the other. Only John F. Kennedy, with his unique temperment, ability to listen to many views, and coalesce varying opinions into a consensus around him, could have negotiated his way through the Cuban Missle Crisis. Any other president would ultimately have had to take out the missle sites, or leave them alone. We're walking on a tightrope and what we need is a gymnist not a fighter, no matter how skilled he or she might be.