Pres. Obama and B’er Rabbit
I am consistent in my belief “If you start off wrong, you end up wrong”.
As I noted in an earlier post the down-right refusal of the media to call Pres. Obama’s first speech to Congress his “State of the Union Address” has driven a news cycle. In my opinion, media had blatant and overt objectives to minimize the importance of the speech thereby placing it into the ‘just another Obama speech’ box. By doing thus, the speech can not be an addition to the long list of “State of the Union Addresses” by people whom they, the media et al., feel were “legitimate” Presidents of the U.S. This I do believe.
There has been several commendable analysis of the “What do we call it?” speech in question along with prior speeches suggesting the President uses the oratorical tactics of B’er Rabbit:
*Brer ("Brother") Rabbit is a trickster character in folktales of African, African-American, and Native American Culture. Brer Rabbit is the consummate trickster, who typically matches wits with Brer Fox, whom he always bests. The Native American tribes of the eastern seaboard of the United States also have a tradition of incorporating the Rabbit as a trickster in their myths and legends.
http://www.americanfolklore.net/brer-rabbit.html
In my opinion, Pres. Obama is giving a series of lectures. A four year series of lectures. If one has attended Master Lecture Classes at a university, a collage or in other venues, one can remember they have a unifying theme. To the extent the lecturer is also usually a master teacher, as is Pres. Obama, one can appreciate how the materials in his lecture intertwines as he uses a variety of public speaking and teaching techniques. However, the technique I have not heard the President use is the “Call and Response”. Perhaps he has, but I did not recall hearing it done with him.
The lecturer, during his series, will at times use his lectures to review some issues and at other times thrust you forward with new information all the while keeping his eye on the whole of his content with his oratory skills. Already from the lectures of the President, I am personally hearing and witnessing the inter-locking and workings as to what he intends to do as President. I will not say my listening skills are above the average but I do know a good lecture when I hear one. Maybe learning to listen is an acquired skill.
There may be some who can not or do not appreciate the skills involved in public speaking to large groups of people nor have they been exposed to the techniques used to pull the whole thing off. However, there is one thing I firmly believe: Few audiences coming to hear a lecture on one issue are willing to sit still having the lecturer weaving cleverly designed webs of deceit in front of them unless they have been pre-conditioned to think that way.
I am mindful of the story doctors tell regarding a women who will die if she doe not get a certain operation. The surgeon, while waiting outside her door wondering what to do because she has told him she does not want the operation, spots a long hair blond, blue-eye hippie like intern coming down the hall. The surgeon quickly pulls him aside and after explaining the patient’s condition, he asks the intern to go into her room telling her she should have the operation. Moments later, the intern emerges from the room flashing the “OK” sign to the surgeon. The patient agrees to the operation.
I heard this antidotal story at Howard University Hospital but sure, it could happen at any hospital and I am, of course, talking about a mind-set which is the thrust and DNA of this post.
In my opinion, the President is presenting his case to America through a series of lectures as a master teacher and as a man following good Christian values with a love for his country. No secret codes and no subliminal messaging. For those feeling this is not the case, and feel they have caught the President “Red-handed,” the words “Lack of exposure,” “Naiveté” or “Cunning” comes to mind and maybe I could also throw in the word “Projection” which goes into wishful thinking and other delusions and fantasies. Gets complicated. Enough said. RIP, B'er Rabbit.
Fighting for the dignity of my Ancestors,
God bless Bill Gates, WPFW, C-Span and the spirits of the unborn for the help,
BB
As I noted in an earlier post the down-right refusal of the media to call Pres. Obama’s first speech to Congress his “State of the Union Address” has driven a news cycle. In my opinion, media had blatant and overt objectives to minimize the importance of the speech thereby placing it into the ‘just another Obama speech’ box. By doing thus, the speech can not be an addition to the long list of “State of the Union Addresses” by people whom they, the media et al., feel were “legitimate” Presidents of the U.S. This I do believe.
There has been several commendable analysis of the “What do we call it?” speech in question along with prior speeches suggesting the President uses the oratorical tactics of B’er Rabbit:
*Brer ("Brother") Rabbit is a trickster character in folktales of African, African-American, and Native American Culture. Brer Rabbit is the consummate trickster, who typically matches wits with Brer Fox, whom he always bests. The Native American tribes of the eastern seaboard of the United States also have a tradition of incorporating the Rabbit as a trickster in their myths and legends.
http://www.americanfolklore.net/brer-rabbit.html
In my opinion, Pres. Obama is giving a series of lectures. A four year series of lectures. If one has attended Master Lecture Classes at a university, a collage or in other venues, one can remember they have a unifying theme. To the extent the lecturer is also usually a master teacher, as is Pres. Obama, one can appreciate how the materials in his lecture intertwines as he uses a variety of public speaking and teaching techniques. However, the technique I have not heard the President use is the “Call and Response”. Perhaps he has, but I did not recall hearing it done with him.
The lecturer, during his series, will at times use his lectures to review some issues and at other times thrust you forward with new information all the while keeping his eye on the whole of his content with his oratory skills. Already from the lectures of the President, I am personally hearing and witnessing the inter-locking and workings as to what he intends to do as President. I will not say my listening skills are above the average but I do know a good lecture when I hear one. Maybe learning to listen is an acquired skill.
There may be some who can not or do not appreciate the skills involved in public speaking to large groups of people nor have they been exposed to the techniques used to pull the whole thing off. However, there is one thing I firmly believe: Few audiences coming to hear a lecture on one issue are willing to sit still having the lecturer weaving cleverly designed webs of deceit in front of them unless they have been pre-conditioned to think that way.
I am mindful of the story doctors tell regarding a women who will die if she doe not get a certain operation. The surgeon, while waiting outside her door wondering what to do because she has told him she does not want the operation, spots a long hair blond, blue-eye hippie like intern coming down the hall. The surgeon quickly pulls him aside and after explaining the patient’s condition, he asks the intern to go into her room telling her she should have the operation. Moments later, the intern emerges from the room flashing the “OK” sign to the surgeon. The patient agrees to the operation.
I heard this antidotal story at Howard University Hospital but sure, it could happen at any hospital and I am, of course, talking about a mind-set which is the thrust and DNA of this post.
In my opinion, the President is presenting his case to America through a series of lectures as a master teacher and as a man following good Christian values with a love for his country. No secret codes and no subliminal messaging. For those feeling this is not the case, and feel they have caught the President “Red-handed,” the words “Lack of exposure,” “Naiveté” or “Cunning” comes to mind and maybe I could also throw in the word “Projection” which goes into wishful thinking and other delusions and fantasies. Gets complicated. Enough said. RIP, B'er Rabbit.
Fighting for the dignity of my Ancestors,
God bless Bill Gates, WPFW, C-Span and the spirits of the unborn for the help,
BB
posted by BB at 1:17 PM
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