The State of Disharmony

I have a confession. I didn’t even bothering listening to Obama’s speech last night.

I know the state of the Union; I get nothing out of listening to this guy. Some people enjoy hearing him, because he is “a great orator,” whatever the fuck that means. I suppose it’s not much different than enjoying the quality of sound. It’s probably an interest that rhetoric majors and guys who build electric speakers have in common. But I get nothing from hearing words uttered, however eloquently, that are totally devoid of content.

Myself, the 9th floor is kept quiet, unsullied by incoherent disruption. When I want to listen to something beautiful, it will be music. I can enjoy music because it isn’t constantly telling me how all my triumphs are owned by others. It also doesn’t iterate the same message; that I must surrender my hard won resources over to people I would sooner see dead than in control of any aspect of my life; over and over and over…

Listening to Obama talk is enjoyable to some, because the tones and sounds he makes are pleasant. But when I actually hear the words coming out of his mouth, my blood pressure spikes and I dream longingly of stuffing a basketball down his throat to muffle the stupidity.

So I didn’t listen to the speech. And after reading excerpts of it this morning, I can’t help but think to myself, “Good job, self. Time well spent…”

His speeches are nothing but a string of unrelated opinions and poorly made points, forced together. The only thing they have going for them are that the individual notes and tones of him talking are not unpleasant to hear. That hardly makes for good listening.

Good speeches and good music should come from the same place; they need theme, continuity and coherence, and cadence. They need structure and shape given to them. They need to serve a higher purpose than to simply hear scattered notes with no grand design.

For the record, you should always read speeches rather than listen to them. When you read them, any affability of the speaker is removed and you are forced to take the points of speech on their fluentness, merits, and ability to tie content to drive truth. Do that and I promise you won’t think Obama is that great of a speaker anymore.