Obama’s Use of Complete Sentences Stirs Controversy
Stunning Break with Last Eight Years
In the first two weeks since the election, President-elect Barack Obama has broken with a tradition established over the past eight years through his controversial use of complete sentences, political observers say.
Millions of Americans who watched Mr. Obama's appearance on CBS' "Sixty Minutes" on Sunday witnessed the president-elect's unorthodox verbal tick, which had Mr. Obama employing grammatically correct sentences virtually every time he opened his mouth. But Mr. Obama's decision to use complete sentences in his public pronouncements carries with it certain risks, since after the last eight years many Americans may find his odd speaking style jarring.
According to presidential historian Davis Logsdon of the University of Minnesota, some Americans might find it "alienating" to have a President who speaks English as if it were his first language. "Every time Obama opens his mouth, his subjects and verbs are in agreement," says Mr. Logsdon. "If he keeps it up, he is running the risk of sounding like an elitist."
The historian said that if Mr. Obama insists on using complete sentences in his speeches, the public may find itself saying, "Okay, subject, predicate, subject predicate - we get it, stop showing off."
The President-elect's stubborn insistence on using complete sentences has already attracted a rebuke from one of his harshest critics, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska. "Talking with complete sentences there and also too talking in a way that ordinary Americans like Joe the Plumber and Tito the Builder can't really do there, I think needing to do that isn't tapping into what Americans are needing also," she said.
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Wiley Brown's Letter to the Editor
Recently, a white friend of mine invited me, a black man with shoulder-length locks, to a Sunday Los Angeles Philharmonic concert. We decided to meet for lunch beforehand. As we were leaving, my friend overheard a white boy of about 4 or 5 years old say, "Look mommy, there goes Barack Obama!"
I think it is probably safe to say that that was the first time in American history that a black man with locks was mistaken for the president-elect of the United States of America.
For black men, a redefining moment? I would answer yes -- for one black man and one little white boy.
Wiley J. Brown
Marina del Rey
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Dear Editor:
In response to your article on whether Barack Obama will have an effect on how people view black men, my friend Wiley Brown has written to you of his experience being mistaken for Barack Obama, despite his obvious physical differences other than his being a black male. As I told him when pointing out what the young white boy said, “You see: You have to represent.”
Wiley has, for a long time, represented more than just himself. We met when he taught a grant-writing workshop for teachers at my school. He introduced me to grant-writing, and I introduced him Obama’s Audacity of Hope. Half a year later, I introduced him to the campaign. We drove together to Las Vegas along with a student from East Los Angeles College, Miguel Haro, who had asked for a ride to help reach out to voters for the Nevada Caucus: Black, white, and brown, forming a friendship around a campaign. Wiley and I stayed with my cousin, Shannon, who deals blackjack at one of the clubs. That day, we all met Barack. And that night, Shannon confessed that, though she had many African-American friends at work, Wiley was the first black man ever to cross her threshold.
We all crossed some thresholds that day. And what the little boy showed in seeing Obama in Wiley is that we all represent. We all can raise each other up by having a high regard for each other. Yes, Barack represents black males. But, it is more important that black males represent him. And, of even greater importance is that we who worked for this change know that, as Americans, we all represent each other. That's what makes Obama's election a truly redefining moment.
Best regards,
Gregg Heacock
my note: Obama is not the only BLACK man who is eloquent..but he is there to represent.
Posted By: Marta Fernandez
Wednesday, November 19th 2008 at 1:59PM
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