Men and women with grand visions and political operators have often sought to dazzle people with perfectly-worded speeches filled with passion and intellect. We can all recall at least one particularly inspiring speech, be it Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, or even the words of a coach before a big game. But when it comes down to it, how important is this rhetoric?
In today's world, there is always someone ready to twist a simple set of words into something monstrous. This happens especially in the case of presidents and presidential candidates. Opposition elements wait for the speaker to word something poorly or say something that can easily be taken out of context. Poor speakers get the reputation of being incompetent and confident speakers receive labels of arrogance. Those who wish to make a statement have to tip-toe around issues to the point where meaning is lost; another case where a cause is being sacrificed to the idol of comfort.
Easily the best example of someone who took a lot of heat for his speeches was former President George W. Bush. Being the subject of a new term to describe his frequent verbal gaffes ("bushisms"), his reputation as a poor orator also gave a great number of lesser individuals means of feeling superior to him. The fact remains, though, that Bush was an effective president.
How many dents does it take to make a car not a car? Unless there is something fundamentally flawed with the vehicle itself, dents will not usually be the entire undoing of the car. In the same way, gaffes do not detract from the meaning of a speech, they simply weaken the lustre of the speech. Would you rather take a beat up vehicle that runs well or a shiny car guaranteed to break down?
As an English major, I have the painful task of living through the insufferable "grammar" of those around me. I can make huge lists of language errors committed by people in short conversations, but it is through my study of language that I also realized this: words only serve to communicate meaning. We use a different vocabulary when we speak to children than that we would use to address a fellow professional. In fact, the meaning of words become more broad as we become closer in relation to another. The phenomenon of the "inside joke" arises from the ability of words to take on new meanings. These shared meanings allow for communication on a deeper level. So why is it that we demand persuasive speakers to be verbal contortionists rather than allowing them to state things simply?
The answer lies in closed-mindedness. We are simply told that we won't agree with everyone, so we make no attempt to do so. Instead, we attempt to strengthen our own positions by tearing down others'. Modern rhetoric is used in an attempt to ridicule-proof speeches, but no speech is airtight. In the end, rhetoric does not matter in a speech, it is the meaning that makes it what it is.
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