I thought he did a great job. I thought Britt's response was a bit creepy. Her acting style and constant smiling made me feel like I was watching an infomercial. I even turned it off because of...
I thought he did a great job.
I thought Britt's response was a bit creepy. Her acting style and constant smiling made me feel like I was watching an infomercial. I even turned it off because of how she was acting and not what she was saying. I have a feeling it was very effective on the target audience.
Yeah I tried watching the response but just felt like I was being talked down to like I was a 4 year old child who doesn't understand the world. Tone and weird fake smile, I couldn't make it...
Yeah I tried watching the response but just felt like I was being talked down to like I was a 4 year old child who doesn't understand the world. Tone and weird fake smile, I couldn't make it through. I'm going to have to find a transcript later of it.
We should take a moment to appreciate how this carefully choreographed and produced video — clearly no symbol went unconsidered — has the female senator not at a podium or in an office but... in a...
We should take a moment to appreciate how this carefully choreographed and produced video — clearly no symbol went unconsidered — has the female senator not at a podium or in an office but... in a kitchen.
Yes, that was done on purpose. Republicans rally 'round "traditional family values." While it can send the message that "you better get in the kitchen, woman!", and Republicans are clearly willing...
Yes, that was done on purpose. Republicans rally 'round "traditional family values." While it can send the message that "you better get in the kitchen, woman!", and Republicans are clearly willing to sell out the country for their own personal gain in a way that Democrats (currently) aren't, it's important to attempt to understand the other side and to remember that not everything they do is malicious. The point here wasn't to tell women they need to get in the kitchen; it was to appeal to women who believe their role is to run the household.
Oh, and to appeal to men who believe women belong in the kitchen.
Britt's response was unsettling. It looked and sounded AI generated. I don't think it is, but it vaguely reminds me of a video I saw a few months ago. (relevant portion at 19:50, in case the link...
Britt's response was unsettling. It looked and sounded AI generated. I don't think it is, but it vaguely reminds me of a video I saw a few months ago. (relevant portion at 19:50, in case the link doesn't work for you) Everything about it just feels so artificial and forced, and the camera panning ever so slightly every few seconds bothers me a lot more than it should.
Oof. Yeah, watching the video of the senator yote me sraight back to childhood. The author of the article you linked really hit the nail on the head. It's like the feminine version of the Youth...
Oof. Yeah, watching the video of the senator yote me sraight back to childhood. The author of the article you linked really hit the nail on the head. It's like the feminine version of the Youth Pastor/Preacher voice. yikes.
First I'll note that the relevant section of that video begins a few seconds before 19:50 because that's when she announces that the AI portion of the video is about to begin. I think she's just a...
First I'll note that the relevant section of that video begins a few seconds before 19:50 because that's when she announces that the AI portion of the video is about to begin.
I think she's just a bad, stiff actor, so once she went into acting mode, she reverted to what was probably drilled into her from elementary school through college to always be smiling. And she might just be used to talking down to her kids so that's where the condescension came from??
I've been thinking about things people talk about sounding/looking like AI and I kind of wonder if we might have started to think of certain kinds of imperfections as being fundamentally unreal. I...
I've been thinking about things people talk about sounding/looking like AI and I kind of wonder if we might have started to think of certain kinds of imperfections as being fundamentally unreal. I remember listening to a podcast interview about a person running an AI news agent that covered local sports games and what his repsonse was when asked about a handful of awkward phrases that the AI would produce. His response for one of them was that it wasn't the AI pulling it out of an algorythm; it was actually based on a template written by a human.
Humans are imperfect, and a hallmark of imperfection is the lack of uniformity in how those imperfections manifest.
"Under his administration families are worse off, our communities are less safe, and our country is less secure." 😃 It feels weird that she looks so cheery but is talking about how Biden is...
"Under his administration families are worse off, our communities are less safe, and our country is less secure." 😃
It feels weird that she looks so cheery but is talking about how Biden is ruining us.
Sometimes she goes into a more serious expression, but then remembers to go back to smiling at odd times, like when she says "our families are hurting". Don't look happy when you say that.
As a Canadian supporter of Biden, I was happy to see him muster what is hilariously being called 'Dark Brandon's energy and meet the moment. Calling a spade a spade - whether with Marjorie Taylor...
As a Canadian supporter of Biden, I was happy to see him muster what is hilariously being called 'Dark Brandon's energy and meet the moment. Calling a spade a spade - whether with Marjorie Taylor Greene at yesterday's address or with Trump at the 2020 debate ("do you ever shut up, man?") is the Biden that I think the public wants to see, especially at a moment when his mental acuity is in question.
That said, the Globe and Mail had an interesting editorial on how partisan his speech was and how the state of the union was never meant to be a party soapbox. It's a boring list of plans and aspirations from the governing president rather than a game of target practice, and like many people trying to live sensibly in this current moment, it's troubling to watch what used to be an order of business turn just another opportunity to score social media points.
That thought occurred to me too, honestly. I'm not sure that it was avoidable in the current paradigm of political rhetoric, but it felt a lot more like a campaign speech than a SOTU, because as...
That thought occurred to me too, honestly. I'm not sure that it was avoidable in the current paradigm of political rhetoric, but it felt a lot more like a campaign speech than a SOTU, because as much as the SOTU is commonly used to showcase achievements and aspirations I can't recall many instances in the past where it was quite so confrontational against the opposing party.
Then again, in the past the opposing party was usually a group on more or less the same side with a few policy differences. In an environment where the overt goal of the opposition party is the erosion of checks on the executive, diminished personal freedoms and the destruction of federal power, I would prefer that people call a spade a spade rather than equivocating around the point as though everything is normal. Seeing Biden up there throwing barbs at Republicans was uncomfortable at times, but the alternative - that he would shore up the increasingly-thin facade of normalcy with platitudes about unity and cooperation - would have been maddening.
Another reason this speech was more political than typical SOTU speeches is that it has taken place historically pretty late and in an election where the primary has wrapped up kind of early. It’s...
Another reason this speech was more political than typical SOTU speeches is that it has taken place historically pretty late and in an election where the primary has wrapped up kind of early. It’s essentially a rare SOTU during the general election.
Funny story, what we know as the State Of The Union Address stems from the Constitution requiring the president to occasionally inform Congress of the state of the Union and offer considerations...
it's troubling to watch what used to be an order of business turn just another opportunity to score social media points.
Funny story, what we know as the State Of The Union Address stems from the Constitution requiring the president to occasionally inform Congress of the state of the Union and offer considerations and measures as deemed necessary. Notably however, there is no requirement that it be done in-person. In fact, for over 100 years starting with Jefferson the annual presidential address to Congress had been delivered via written message.
Woodrow Wilson was the first to break the tradition. He decided to give an in-person speech because he thought it would be more "effective". After Wilson, the address went back to written message until FDR decided bring back speeches (as well as broadcast them).
Since then, there's always been a bit of political theater with the speeches. Reagan was the first to bring a "special guest" to the address as a human prop. Ford had members of the House stage a walkout during his speech over Watergate and then Vietnam. W. Bush got boos. Obama got Samuel Alito silently commenting on his speech. Trump had Pelosi ripping up his speech.
Biden's been heckled a few times now, and this is arguably one of the most dysfunctional Congresses in living memory. Given Biden's style and the current environment, it probably shouldn't be that surprising that the speech was partisan. It reflects the times: the state of the Union is partisan.
That is a funny story :). I personally kind of like it -- having old traditions in a democracy lends legitimacy to the institution, especially if they're expressed in a human way. We watch the...
That is a funny story :). I personally kind of like it -- having old traditions in a democracy lends legitimacy to the institution, especially if they're expressed in a human way.
We watch the Oscars to see who won, but also to see who's who at the event. I'm not an American, but I follow US politics enough to love the theatre aspect of it.
There's this old tradition here in Canada called Question Period where everybody takes turns slinging shit at each other and thumping tables in support of your team's positions. I love it.
It's become very social media and PR driven in recent years, but it's still an amazing 'town hall' style game that federal politicians play to show us all that they're people who are willing to put their pride and courage on the line in a very human exchange.
Forgot about this when I commented before, but an observation I had last night and I believe I've noticed this in previous years, but...does anyone else feel like everyone was clapping really...
Forgot about this when I commented before, but an observation I had last night and I believe I've noticed this in previous years, but...does anyone else feel like everyone was clapping really weirdly? Maybe it's just because they had to clap so much, but almost everyone's applause looked like aliens trying to imitate human behavior. It was bizarre.
My partner and I, both European, happen to be in Washington for a few days, and we walked up to the Capitol earlier on today (yesterday now, I suppose). We had hoped to see the visitor centre,...
My partner and I, both European, happen to be in Washington for a few days, and we walked up to the Capitol earlier on today (yesterday now, I suppose). We had hoped to see the visitor centre, only to be told it was closed for "an event" later that evening. "Bad luck" we thought, and headed instead down to the Smithsonian Air & Space, noting the number of police cars out and about. It was only a few minutes ago that we realised that the State of the Union address was today, at the Capitol, and that must have been what all of the fuss was about. It's funny how one of the few days we're here happens to be one of the more important presidential events of the year and we had absolutely no idea. I had no idea there were so many cops.
I don't know if you walked near them, but there were also a lot protestors trying to block the roads the motorcade needed to use. Probably caused even more cops.
I don't know if you walked near them, but there were also a lot protestors trying to block the roads the motorcade needed to use. Probably caused even more cops.
Complete transcript (minus ad-libs)
The Republican response by Alabama Sen. Katie Britt
I thought he did a great job.
I thought Britt's response was a bit creepy. Her acting style and constant smiling made me feel like I was watching an infomercial. I even turned it off because of how she was acting and not what she was saying. I have a feeling it was very effective on the target audience.
Yeah I tried watching the response but just felt like I was being talked down to like I was a 4 year old child who doesn't understand the world. Tone and weird fake smile, I couldn't make it through. I'm going to have to find a transcript later of it.
We should take a moment to appreciate how this carefully choreographed and produced video — clearly no symbol went unconsidered — has the female senator not at a podium or in an office but... in a kitchen.
Yes, that was done on purpose. Republicans rally 'round "traditional family values." While it can send the message that "you better get in the kitchen, woman!", and Republicans are clearly willing to sell out the country for their own personal gain in a way that Democrats (currently) aren't, it's important to attempt to understand the other side and to remember that not everything they do is malicious. The point here wasn't to tell women they need to get in the kitchen; it was to appeal to women who believe their role is to run the household.
Oh, and to appeal to men who believe women belong in the kitchen.
Britt's response was unsettling. It looked and sounded AI generated. I don't think it is, but it vaguely reminds me of a video I saw a few months ago. (relevant portion at 19:50, in case the link doesn't work for you) Everything about it just feels so artificial and forced, and the camera panning ever so slightly every few seconds bothers me a lot more than it should.
She looked and sounded so much more natural just a few minutes before. What changed?
I found this post quite illuminating: The Fundie Baby Voice (via MetaFilter)
Oof. Yeah, watching the video of the senator yote me sraight back to childhood. The author of the article you linked really hit the nail on the head. It's like the feminine version of the Youth Pastor/Preacher voice. yikes.
First I'll note that the relevant section of that video begins a few seconds before 19:50 because that's when she announces that the AI portion of the video is about to begin.
I think she's just a bad, stiff actor, so once she went into acting mode, she reverted to what was probably drilled into her from elementary school through college to always be smiling. And she might just be used to talking down to her kids so that's where the condescension came from??
I've been thinking about things people talk about sounding/looking like AI and I kind of wonder if we might have started to think of certain kinds of imperfections as being fundamentally unreal. I remember listening to a podcast interview about a person running an AI news agent that covered local sports games and what his repsonse was when asked about a handful of awkward phrases that the AI would produce. His response for one of them was that it wasn't the AI pulling it out of an algorythm; it was actually based on a template written by a human.
Humans are imperfect, and a hallmark of imperfection is the lack of uniformity in how those imperfections manifest.
"Under his administration families are worse off, our communities are less safe, and our country is less secure." 😃
It feels weird that she looks so cheery but is talking about how Biden is ruining us.
Sometimes she goes into a more serious expression, but then remembers to go back to smiling at odd times, like when she says "our families are hurting". Don't look happy when you say that.
"... washed in the blood of patriots..." huge smile
That counter behind Senator Britt on the right is making me uncomfortable.
As a Canadian supporter of Biden, I was happy to see him muster what is hilariously being called 'Dark Brandon's energy and meet the moment. Calling a spade a spade - whether with Marjorie Taylor Greene at yesterday's address or with Trump at the 2020 debate ("do you ever shut up, man?") is the Biden that I think the public wants to see, especially at a moment when his mental acuity is in question.
That said, the Globe and Mail had an interesting editorial on how partisan his speech was and how the state of the union was never meant to be a party soapbox. It's a boring list of plans and aspirations from the governing president rather than a game of target practice, and like many people trying to live sensibly in this current moment, it's troubling to watch what used to be an order of business turn just another opportunity to score social media points.
That thought occurred to me too, honestly. I'm not sure that it was avoidable in the current paradigm of political rhetoric, but it felt a lot more like a campaign speech than a SOTU, because as much as the SOTU is commonly used to showcase achievements and aspirations I can't recall many instances in the past where it was quite so confrontational against the opposing party.
Then again, in the past the opposing party was usually a group on more or less the same side with a few policy differences. In an environment where the overt goal of the opposition party is the erosion of checks on the executive, diminished personal freedoms and the destruction of federal power, I would prefer that people call a spade a spade rather than equivocating around the point as though everything is normal. Seeing Biden up there throwing barbs at Republicans was uncomfortable at times, but the alternative - that he would shore up the increasingly-thin facade of normalcy with platitudes about unity and cooperation - would have been maddening.
Another reason this speech was more political than typical SOTU speeches is that it has taken place historically pretty late and in an election where the primary has wrapped up kind of early. It’s essentially a rare SOTU during the general election.
That's a good observation, I hadn't considered how rare that is.
Funny story, what we know as the State Of The Union Address stems from the Constitution requiring the president to occasionally inform Congress of the state of the Union and offer considerations and measures as deemed necessary. Notably however, there is no requirement that it be done in-person. In fact, for over 100 years starting with Jefferson the annual presidential address to Congress had been delivered via written message.
Woodrow Wilson was the first to break the tradition. He decided to give an in-person speech because he thought it would be more "effective". After Wilson, the address went back to written message until FDR decided bring back speeches (as well as broadcast them).
Since then, there's always been a bit of political theater with the speeches. Reagan was the first to bring a "special guest" to the address as a human prop. Ford had members of the House stage a walkout during his speech over Watergate and then Vietnam. W. Bush got boos. Obama got Samuel Alito silently commenting on his speech. Trump had Pelosi ripping up his speech.
Biden's been heckled a few times now, and this is arguably one of the most dysfunctional Congresses in living memory. Given Biden's style and the current environment, it probably shouldn't be that surprising that the speech was partisan. It reflects the times: the state of the Union is partisan.
That is a funny story :). I personally kind of like it -- having old traditions in a democracy lends legitimacy to the institution, especially if they're expressed in a human way.
We watch the Oscars to see who won, but also to see who's who at the event. I'm not an American, but I follow US politics enough to love the theatre aspect of it.
There's this old tradition here in Canada called Question Period where everybody takes turns slinging shit at each other and thumping tables in support of your team's positions. I love it.
It's become very social media and PR driven in recent years, but it's still an amazing 'town hall' style game that federal politicians play to show us all that they're people who are willing to put their pride and courage on the line in a very human exchange.
It's not perfect, but old traditions rarely are.
Forgot about this when I commented before, but an observation I had last night and I believe I've noticed this in previous years, but...does anyone else feel like everyone was clapping really weirdly? Maybe it's just because they had to clap so much, but almost everyone's applause looked like aliens trying to imitate human behavior. It was bizarre.
They have always been weird. Clapping at these things is a political thing, it seems.
My partner and I, both European, happen to be in Washington for a few days, and we walked up to the Capitol earlier on today (yesterday now, I suppose). We had hoped to see the visitor centre, only to be told it was closed for "an event" later that evening. "Bad luck" we thought, and headed instead down to the Smithsonian Air & Space, noting the number of police cars out and about. It was only a few minutes ago that we realised that the State of the Union address was today, at the Capitol, and that must have been what all of the fuss was about. It's funny how one of the few days we're here happens to be one of the more important presidential events of the year and we had absolutely no idea. I had no idea there were so many cops.
I don't know if you walked near them, but there were also a lot protestors trying to block the roads the motorcade needed to use. Probably caused even more cops.