While I certainly can't say that listening to political speeches is one of my favorite entertainments, I do recall listening to a few of Reagan's speeches and I never figured out why he was called the "Great Communicator." He never made a lick o' sense to me -- it all seemed to be a jumble of bumper-sticker slogans with little rationale…
While I certainly can't say that listening to political speeches is one of my favorite entertainments, I do recall listening to a few of Reagan's speeches and I never figured out why he was called the "Great Communicator." He never made a lick o' sense to me -- it all seemed to be a jumble of bumper-sticker slogans with little rationale or reason.
For fun, read the account by Dr. Oliver Sachs of the reaction of his patients to Reagan's speeches, patients who were hospitalized for neurological defects involving either the understanding of speech or in the interpretation of facial expressions. The former group had become skilled in reading body language and concluded that Reagan was a liar from the mismatch between his face and his gestures. The latter group concluded Reagan was a liar because his words and concepts were disconnected from each other and made no sense.
At least, that's how I recall that section. I think it was from "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat," which used to be in my little personal library but which I can no longer find (grumble). Any clarification would be welcome.
While I certainly can't say that listening to political speeches is one of my favorite entertainments, I do recall listening to a few of Reagan's speeches and I never figured out why he was called the "Great Communicator." He never made a lick o' sense to me -- it all seemed to be a jumble of bumper-sticker slogans with little rationale or reason.
For fun, read the account by Dr. Oliver Sachs of the reaction of his patients to Reagan's speeches, patients who were hospitalized for neurological defects involving either the understanding of speech or in the interpretation of facial expressions. The former group had become skilled in reading body language and concluded that Reagan was a liar from the mismatch between his face and his gestures. The latter group concluded Reagan was a liar because his words and concepts were disconnected from each other and made no sense.
At least, that's how I recall that section. I think it was from "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat," which used to be in my little personal library but which I can no longer find (grumble). Any clarification would be welcome.
I love that Sacks essay! And I felt exactly as you did listening to Reagan.