THE ARTICULATE DEBATE by Richard Rivette

Senator Barack Obama is articulate. So am I.

Get over yourself. He isn’t an exception because he is black, and I’m not typical because I’m white. Most people today, black, white or otherwise, are not articulate. They cannot and do not clearly express themselves. That explains the vast number of bad relationships, poor work performance and lowly lifestyles.

Go out into the streets of our cities and suburbs. Listen to the drivel most teenagers spew. Listen to their idiotic parents who bred them. They go well beyond regional slang and jive, like we all used as kids, to be “cool”, and tread into the realm of non-English. They mangle words, phrases and meanings. They don’t convey their ideas in a captivating way. Mostly, they speak in short guttural bursts interlacing every comment, with “Aiight”, “You know what I’m saying”, “you kno’”, “uh”, “yeah”, “like”, etc. etc.

Their language is intentionally meant to confuse, to obfuscate, to ostracize others and to impart condescendence towards those they wish to personally condemn. They think it is funny when they can talk among themselves and nobody else “understands” the “code.” They snicker and laugh at you because you speak well. And are not one of them. I have some sad news for these losers. No one wants to be them. They aren’t special when they speak like that. They sound like morons.

It is a pathetic attempt to be special in a world they cannot fathom. They are unable to compete or relate genuinely intuitive thought according to accepted standards so they destroy the standard instead of making the attempt. In the process, they only destroy themselves and our society. Because they breed more insipidity as the age.

Their language is mean-spirited, obnoxious and rude. They are ill-mannered and generally completely ignorant of higher thoughts. They have no room for compassion, helpfulness or other ideals they demand bestowed on them by those who actually perform well. There is hope for some, but not for others. They are determined to be nothing more than they are now. They are the masses once referred to by Marxist philosophers and their lack of motivation is a threat to civilization itself. They may be smart, but the more time they spend acting and speaking in this manner brings them closer to stupid daily. They spend their time listening to the music of those who would denigrate the language and society itself, glorifyingly singing of rape, sex and violence towards others. Where theft and hate are allowed and encouraged. Where intolerance is fine against those you want to be tolerant of you.

They do not have command of a decent vocabulary thanks to the deficient and retarded national school system. Neither do they understand syntax, rules of grammar nor the power of combining statements to lay the foundation for an adequate argument.

Our schools no longer support nor teach debate since the students are for the most part incapable of writing, reading, understanding, and reiterating thoughts in a cogent, concise, precise, or other demonstrative manner which clearly paints a picture of their thoughts on any subject. We give them false praise instead of hard lessons. We let Johnnie know his work is "good' when really it is poor and unusable. This carries over into college and life. We now fear criticizing anyone so their self-esteem won't suffer. That kills any chance of improvement. Students today believe they are doing well. They are not. Generally, they are incompetent in every way.

It is not the fault of the teacher, nor the student, nor the administration, nor the families, nor society. They would pass the blame anyway. Primarily, I view it as the fault of the entertainer. Today’s cultural icons, elevated to hero status, focus not on the principles, moral guidance, literacy or example they can set when enunciating ideas.

The modern successful musician, actor, model, and sports star, regardless of race, continuously utter statements which reveal true historic ignorance, which only contributes to the cultural void we now face. Businesses, like the television programmers, cater to this deficient group, because they spend money on consumer goods. And we end up with shows that devolve into more of the same hate-filled, poke-fun-at-your-neighbor, reduce-society-to-ashes, trash. There are no more morality plays allowed, and no good metaphor goes unpunished. Reality TV should teach us one thing. In reality, people really are genuinely pretty disgusting.

With all secular humanist ideals met, no culture is a complete culture. When you strive for no goal and seek to make everyone equal, no one is superior in tone or intellectual ability.

And when that glorious milestone of creating a cultural morass is reached, there will be none left who can express themselves in anything but the most rudimentary manner. We have dumbed down speech, writing and every other expressive art form to the point of inarticulation.

So when people get upset that one points out a politician like Barack Obama is articulate, they feel bad about themselves or their race. They should. We all should feel bad about ourselves and our races. What we should do is stop seeing race at all. But that would impact the survival of many “non-profit” organizations which leech off taxpayers to provide questionable services to those who are allowed to continue acting like complete deficients. We’ve bred and supported the lowest common denominator and passed it off as high civilization. Yet this is the best the world has to offer.

We are fools, unable to speak intelligibly. Those who are well-spoken, clearly understood, or stellar in any way, become articulate. It is a blessing and a curse. Children with good language skill sets are immediately the targets of bullies and taught there is danger in being productive, creative or articulate. It is a sick underpinning which is generally ignored. I was abused as a child simply for being able to speak my mind in an adult manner. Today, I would probably be dead in the street for being intelligent.

In a world which rewards mediocrity, the articulate are fast becoming unacceptable as an embarrassment to others. Don’t criticize and kill the messenger. These buffoons embarrass themselves. So, to hell with them. They are not worth my time. I will simply protect myself against the imbeciles as best I can.

If people don’t want to feel bad about being inarticulate, then they need to read some books, takes some speaking lessons, and create a new culture - one viably committed to maintaining the language and improving expression. There is no excuse that an adult cannot speak intelligently. They can always return to school.

Stop making “idiotspeak” a revered mode of conversation. Until then, I don’t want to hear about who uses what words properly. Or how their meaning is “perceived.” Fashizzle?

PS Senator Biden is a plagiarist so his level of articulation can only be assumed from his original comments, whatever those might be. I really don't want a President who has to apologize every time he speaks. So Biden is not what we should consider articulate.

Obama IS articulate. So am I. And that should be encouraging.

I just don't believe he is qualified to be President.

Anyone else out there agree?

- Richard Rivette

www.rivettegroup.com

Authority is granted to reproduce this article at will provided the notice is given that the contents are copyright 2007 Richard Rivette.

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