My kids asked me if they could listen to Obama’s speech about education. I had nothing wrong with it, remembering the classic speech from Ronald Reagan to the nation’s children after the Challenger blew up.
After the fact, though, it turns out that this was nothing like “The Great Communicator’s” speech, as complaints labeling it “propaganda” and “brainwashing” seem to be the common reaction.
My complaints don’t necessarily fall on political lines, however. No. My biggest problem with Obama’s speech is that he missed his target:
He gave a “don’t quit school” speech to kids who aren’t old enough to realize that quitting is an option.
I’m not worried about my kids, they’ve got two teachers as parents…but we should probably be worried how horribly off the mark Obama was in this regard.
From a communication perspective, it shows that 1) to make a great speech, you have to know your audience and 2) Even the president can get so wrapped up in good intentions, that he can fail rule number 1 in public speaking.
Compare Obama’s speech to Reagans, and I think the picture becomes clearer:
B.G. Smith
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