Thursday, September 18, 2008

Spin, Baby,Spin

Is 'spin' a bad thing?

Normally, I'd say yes -- spinners are people who put the best possible image on something which isn't actually as pleasant as they'd like you to believe. (Oh, we're just stopping for ice -- the Titanic always has ice, you know) You can't trust spinners.

So when I read a comment that said "Computers analyze presidential speeches: Obama "spins" most, McCain least -- but McCain is depressed" , I was reluctant to believe it. Obama and spin, no way. He's not that kind of guy. Is he?

Well, it turns out, he can be. This fellow gives a fair look at the question, and he says that sometimes Obama's spin is sometimes exactly that kind of smarmy goop I think of, glossing over and distracting from the objective realities. Ugh. But sometimes its also the 'stirring rhetoric' that he's known for.

I don't like the first, I do like the second. Its not the be-all and end-all -- as people fairly point out, you can't just talk the talk; you have to walk the walk -- but the ability to deliver a stirring oration can be worth quite a lot, particularly to a country that's looking for guidance and hope. Ask not what your country can do for you... Remember that?

Interesting article.

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