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Comment by FridayoLeary | Hacker News Reader

It's interesting you mention that. Even Obamas detractors admit he spoke well. True, but i find JFKs speeches are on a different level from that. And it's not just him, but the contrast is particularly striking.

Now in the UK all we get are monotonous robots or people who have clearly had intensive coaching in how to speak in a clear. Decisive. Direct. Way, to inspire confidence and project competence. The two qualities entirely absent in most of our politicians.

The less said about the other side of the pond the better.

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> Even Obamas detractors admit he spoke well. True, but i find JFKs speeches are on a different level from that. And it's not just him, but the contrast is particularly striking.

My off the cuff observation is that there is a lot less mastery of language than there used to be in America. I'm not really sure why, but compare the grand language used by the early political leaders to, say, Obama, and it's striking. And that's not saying Obama is a bad speaker! He has a ton of charisma and makes you want to like his ideas by the way he presents them. But he's never given something on the level of Lincoln's Gettysburg address (in my opinion at least).

> never given something on the level of Lincoln's Gettysburg address (in my opinion at least)

I’m arguing he couldn’t have. Until America regains a literary tradition, the complexity and imagery gained with heavy words is lost against the conciseness soundbites demand.

Not just America. But it's partly a cultural thing. If someone would imitate the style of a century ago, he would be mocked for it and considered a self indulgent show off. The best example i can bring is Jacob Reese Mogg, otherwise known as The Rt Hon Gentleman from the 18th century.

One thing that is thankfully unique to America is that rudeness as a debating tactic can win elections.

I’m no expert in other country’s politics, but it would be pretty surprising if that was unique to America. Boris Johnson? Nicolas Sarkozy? Silvio Berlusconi?

Not even close. The nearest equivalent is Prime Ministers Questions which is a regular staged event.

Look at the debates from 2015 where Trumps opponents are rendered speechless by his overbearing personality. He makes himself the centre of everything and is completely shameless about it. He's an American phenomenon. BUT, the reason it works is because he means what he says and does what he says he'll do. America has always appreciated straight talkers more then Europe.

Jacob Reese Mogg isn't only mocked for being anachronistic, but also extreme poshness. That he went canvasing with someone he called his nanny is one such noteworthy oddity.

> I'm not really sure why, but compare the grand language used by the early political leaders to, say, Obama, and it's striking.

IMO that's a direct consequence of becoming a real democracy: can't just target those rich enough to get a fancy education.

IIRC, the land ownership requirements had already gone by the time of Lincoln's Gettysburg address, but I expect them to have still been writing with such an audience in mind.

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