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Wednesday, Nov 25, 2009
Some readers tell Gore to cut the jive talk. Others think he speaks just fine.
Jul 18, 2000 | I was pleased that someone in the national media finally has picked up on and actually taken issue with the way our vice president cynically changes his tone to suit his audience. I have long noticed the way he tries to talk and behave like a caricature of a black preacher when he speaks at African-American churches and other gatherings with people of color. Were I an African-American, I would feel mocked and insulted by this behavior.
But Mr. Gore puts on this kind of show for more that just African-American groups. As a white Southerner here in Mr. Gore's alleged home state of Tennessee, I take offense at the way he talks as if he has dirt and gravel in his mouth to Southern audiences. As a well-educated and well-spoken graduate of the law school that Al Gore dropped out of, I am insulted that he thinks he has to talk like a "Hee-Haw" rerun when he comes around here. If he would just be himself, whatever that might be, I would be more likely to listen and believe when he speaks.
-- W. Aaron Fortner
You make the claim that Al Gore talks differently in front of different groups. Well, this is a very common political and rhetorical strategy. When Clinton talks to a Southern crowd you can instantly tell this by the cadences of his voice and how he phrases things. You will often find small mention of this fact from the reports of his speeches.
Both Clinton and Gore are Southerners, and are Southern Baptists, and both these factors do have an influence on their speech patterns. When Al Gore gets excited (and yes, I've actually seen this) he takes on a certain cast in his voice and inflection. When you say he's a white man who is trying to sound like a black man, I'll come back with the observation that this is what plenty of Southern white guys sound like when they are excited and fired up. It's the culture thing folks, this is what he's always sounded like, and down home, there's plenty more like him, and folks who understand where he's coming from. No, he doesn't have the mangled syntax and the faux Texas come Connecticut Country Day school "accent" of "Dubya" Bush, but then again Al's always been more genuine.
-- J.M. Prince
I am a black American and I have watched Gore speak before black audiences on several different occasions. I thought I was the only one to notice Gore's change in speech when addressing black people. To me it indicates that he harbors a stereotypical view of black people.
Does he think that we will be motivated by the way he says something as opposed to what he is saying? If so then he must not think much of black intellect. But this doesn't surprise me in the least. I do not believe that one party has a lock on bigotry. It exists on both sides in equal amounts. I am extremely disappointed in the NAACP and other pro-Democratic black groups for being so fearful of stating the obvious.
-- Keith Houchen
