Clear Delivery

It is never easy to speak in front of a large group. It may get easier over time but I don’t think that anyone can go to speak in public and be completely calm. Still, public speaking is an incredibly important quality. I was recently at the elections of one of clubs that I am involved with. One of the candidates bravely stood in front of the crowd and delivered his message as to why we should vote for him. The problem was that I could not understand anything that he was saying. He was mumbling and speaking very quickly and so I couldn’t hear a thing. I felt bad because this candidate could have been suggesting the best policies and the best message for our club, but I had no way of knowing. 

While I strained to hear what the candidate was saying, I felt terrible because I knew that there was no way that I could vote for him because I could not hear what he was saying. I had no way of knowing what direction he was suggesting for the club.

After observing this candidate speak I truly came to appreciate the importance of the delivery of a speech. This candidate put himself forward and ran for a position that he was clearly passionate about but his difficulties in delivery cost him my vote.

Jersey Shore: Do We Really Want To Remember It?

I am not an avid follower of “Jersey Shore.” I will watch an episode here or there and I like the mindlessness of it, but I’ve never watched more than two episodes in a row. Really, it just isn’t my type of show. After spending close to a semester talking about rhetoric and what ideas we put forth/how we come across (and keeping in mind that I am not a “Jersey Shore” fan to begin with), I was a little disheartened to hear that there are two “Jersey Shore” spin-offs in the works: one with Pauly D and the other with Snooki and JWoww. 

Americans look at orators such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Oprah, President Kennedy, and President Obama as examples of great American speakers who have eloquently put forth public appearances and highlighted the values that they stood for. “Jersey Shore” is best known for it’s phrase “Gym, Tan, Laundry.” I’d hardly say that this is on the same rhetorical level with “I have a dream.” Granted, the cast of “Jersey Shore” isn’t using the show as a platform to advance any political or societal stances. But, will we look back on our generation and only remember the fights that Sammi and Ronnie had or the time that Snooki was arrested on the beach? I would hate to think that the message we are leaving with society is one so closely related to tanning, drinking, and casual sex.

We find rhetoric in every aspect of life and it is the impression that this rhetoric makes that is remembered by other countries and generations. Are we really helping America or the controversial Italian-American stereotype by glorifying shows such as “Jersey Shore”?

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/07/two-jersey-shore-spin-offs-set-for-2012/?src=un&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fjson8.nytimes.com%2Fpages%2Farts%2Ftelevision%2Findex.jsonp