A man is known by his words.
Even the president's strongest supporters will find the following quote to raise eyebrows:
"You know, the one thing about being president is, after four years, you get pretty humble. You'd think maybe you wouldn't but actually you become more humble--you realize what you don't know," Obama said.
"You realize all the mistakes you made. But you also realize you can't do things by yourself. That's not how our system works. You've got to have the help and the goodwill of Congress, and what that means is you've got to make sure that constituents of members of Congress are putting some pressure on them, making sure they're doing the right thing."
When is the 2nd person, "you" expected? When is it not expected?
When someone experiences something acutely intense and personal, we have the expectation that the first person singular will be used. A good example of this is mother of missing 7 year old Kyron Horman, Desiree Young.
There is no real 'sharing' of the experience of a suspected murdered child. It is not something common to many others, therefore, the expectation is first person singular. "I can't sleep; I can't eat. I can't stop thinking about my son..." and so forth. (both first person singular, and sentences in the negative; what she cannot do, showing high highly important and personal this is.
"You work hard and you get results..." athletes often say after spending an off-season working hard. The word "you" is often used, as there are many athletes who experience this: it is a more commonly shared theme, especially that non-professional athletes number in the millions. Every weekend warrior in sports shares the principle of work and results.
Robbery.
If you have ever been robbed, you know it is intensely personal and feels acutely violating. To know how a stranger entered your home is to know a very personal and deep feeling of intrusion and violation.
How about Robbery where a child is taken...almost as an afterthought?
"To know that someone is casing your house...to be waiting for a sheriff to call about your granddaughter..." Phoebe DiPietro said. It is not common to have someone enter your home, case your house, and take your grandchild. In fact, it is so not personal to her (it did not happen) that her use of the 2nd person is actually appropriate for one who knows it is a lie. It is also true: "you" might be waiting for the sheriff to call about your granddaughter, but she isn't awaiting any such call.
Humility and the President.
I cannot think of a job where more humility would be dished out to its recipient than being president of the United States. Body language analysts talk about the "Obama chin", the lifted chin of arrogance. His body language in this area is extreme. "You're looking down your nose at others!" is an expression that finds its beginnings in the lifted chin. The person appears to be actually looking downward at others.
Many believe that Barak Obama did not have a resume suited to a position of leadership. It is said that he had not accomplished anything of significance, had not led anything, nor ran a company or corporation. His critics said he was not qualified to run a small convenience store, no less a nation, and that he was elected because America wanted to show the world that we were not a prejudiced people. Had he not been African-American and a good speaker, he would not have been elected to any office. Spending, his detractors say, has exceeded all the presidents that preceded him combined and the number of Americans living off the government has shattered all records kept.
His supporters say that the belief that government should be caring for its people is the correct world-view, and that eventually all the spending will spur the economy which will then lead people off welfare and reliance upon tax dollars, and that Americans should be paying higher taxes for these services. His supporters say his lack of experience is a plus, as he is not a "Washington Insider" and his call for change resounded with American voters who gave him 8 years. His supporters say that the losing side is embittered and racist and that they criticize him because he is black, showing his critics' racism.
It is a powerful division of opinion.
Regardless of your opinion of his critics and his supporters, or your opinion of him politically, what do you learn about him from his statement?
Can you hold an opinion of him, and a view of this statement which may not be congruent? Can you think of a job that would humble any one of us more than president of the world's most powerful nation?
I cannot. Here is the statement again, with emphasis added:
"You know, the one thing about being president is, after four years, you get pretty humble. You'd think maybe you wouldn't but actually you become more humble--you realize what you don't know," Obama said.
"You realize all the mistakes you made. But you also realize you can't do things by yourself. That's not how our system works. You've got to have the help and the goodwill of Congress, and what that means is you've got to make sure that constituents of members of Congress are putting some pressure on them, making sure they're doing the right thing."
Statement analysis is in bold type.
"You know, the one thing about..."
Note that it is "the" one thing, and not "one thing" of many. by using the instinctive article, "the", the subject is bringing home a very powerful point for him. It is "the" one thing for him. Will this personal theme continue? It is "the" one thing, not "one of many" or even, "you know, one thing about being president is..."
This is very strong and we now expect the language to be consistent:
being president is, after four years, you get pretty humble.
1. Note that he said "you" get pretty humble. This is not expected, but very unexpected. There are not many people who get to be president of the United States so it is rare in the extreme.
In Statement Analysis, we allow the subject to guide us, and ask the reader to believe the subject unless strong evidence exists that the subject is lying.
He does not say that "I have gotten humble" but that "you" get pretty humble.
This is distancing language that does not use a possessive pronoun to describe humility.
2. Note the verb tense "get" is present tense. He does not say that, after this time, he has gotten humble, but that "you", not him, "get", present tense. This is a further weakening of the statement. By saying "you", he weakened it, but saying "get", he has weakened it even more so.
3. "pretty" humble is to describe the word "humble."
"It is hot out today" is a strong statement. It is "pretty hot" is not as strong nor definitive. Since we are speaking about the single highest office in the world today, we do not expect it to be "pretty" humble.
This weakens the assertion of humility further. First he used "you" and not himself, then he used the verb "get" instead of past tense, and now he qualifies humble with only "pretty" humble.
Statement Analysis: the subject is dead; the statement is alive.
You'd think maybe you wouldn't
1. Note the continuation of the distancing language of the 2nd person, "you" is used.
2. Next, however, realize that "you'd" is a contraction for "you would", which is future, conditional tense.
3. Note that which is in the negative: "you wouldn't"
Question: Who would not think the highest job in the world would humble someone?
Answer: Only the arrogant who is blinded by pride.
"You'd" is to make something like this common: Who, in their right mind, wouldn't think being president of the United States would humble someone? This appears to be an absurdity. Most people find any form of promotion to be humbling, as they expected it to be.
If you were being promoted, would you anticipate some humbling lessons headed your way?
This statement shows that the subject did not anticipate being humbled in any way.
Tom Seaver, in warming up in the bullpen before his very first professional game, threw up during warm ups.
I cannot imagine any promotion anywhere where I would not anticipate some humbling lessons. Here, the subject is revealing something about himself that is likely to cause most to divide along partisan lines, but what about those who are simply listening to the subject speak?
Will they express shock at this sentence?
but actually you become more humble--you realize what you don't know,"
Note the word "but" in contrast to what preceded it.
Note that "you" become, not that he has become.
Note the weakness of the 2nd person combined with the present tense language.
Note "more" humble, presupposes humility.
Note "what" you don't know does not emphasize plurality.
It is expected that any subject would be humbled by the vastness of the lack of knowledge. At any given time, any country in the world has a change in leadership, or in currency, or in any of a hundred topics, that are unknown to any single leader in our country. "What you don't know" does not specifically remove the plural, but it does not emphasize it either.
The vastness and plurality of what is not known in such a lofty position was the expected for this analysis.
It's absence is striking.
"You realize all the mistakes you made.
The subject does not realize the mistakes he has made; only that "you", the distancing language, does. The same theme continues. We look for a change to the pronoun, "I"to be something of importance in a statement where the 2nd person is used.
But you also realize you can't do things by yourself.
The consistent use of "you" keeps things very distant from the subject, including "yourself"
The consistent use of "you" keeps things very distant from the subject, including "yourself"
That's not how our system works.
Here is the first use of the plural "our" introduced. Thus far, it has all been the 2nd person, "you" and here it is "our", when speaking of "the system."
President Obama has been accused of issuing orders in a dictatorial manner, without the "goodwill of Congress", including the Obamacare medical bill of enormous size; so great that no one seems to know its contents nor understand it.
Here is the first use of the plural "our" introduced. Thus far, it has all been the 2nd person, "you" and here it is "our", when speaking of "the system."
President Obama has been accused of issuing orders in a dictatorial manner, without the "goodwill of Congress", including the Obamacare medical bill of enormous size; so great that no one seems to know its contents nor understand it.
You've got to have the help and the goodwill of Congress, and what that means is you've got to make sure that constituents of members of Congress are putting some pressure on them, making sure they're doing the right thing."
Note the reason of "you" needing the help and goodwill of Congress:
"to make sure" Congress is pressured. Here the subject gives the reason of having to have the help and good will of Congress. This is difficult:
"and what that means" is for the subject to explain what it means for "you" to have the help and goodwill:
This is a very sensitive sentence to the subject who does not define what "the right thing" is, but that the "help and goodwill" is explained as getting people to put pressure on them.
This highlights the strategy within very distancing language, and seems to explain the extreme avoidance of humility.
The lack of humility;
The distancing language moving away from humility;
the coercive action defined as "help and goodwill" in order to accomplish a goal which the subject states is "the right thing" which comes from the subject, himself.
The subject does not need nor cherish humility, will do what he wants, and will make members of Congress do what he wants, which is, in his mind, the right thing. Humility would cause pause, and debate on what is the right thing, and warrant listening to others (Congress), which will not be done.
This statement will likely cause some consternation on part of the President's supporters who may believe that working with Congress is the right thing. The words reveal that this is not what the President believes.
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