Oh, Dear. Joe Biden, as everyone knows, made a mess of things when he talked about the Republicans who, so he says, intend to "put y'all back in chains". And he was speaking to an audience including African Americans.
What a bad choice of words. Awful. Not the first time he has said something horrifically ill-suited to not just the moment, but anytime.
Contrary to what appears to be the case when you are communicating strictly by texting, where words are not only sloppily selected, they more often than not are simply acronyms and shortened versions of the real thing--like CU. and LOL, that kind of thing--the words we use in speech, especially when we are publicly speaking, carry weight. And if we have chosen them badly, they can fall in a heep at our feet and unfortunately rise up to live long after they leave our mouths.
I read recently of the careful word smithing that is being done for politicians on both sides of the aisle who are running in U.S. congressional races. Instructions are clearly given to avoid certain words because of their loaded significance.
Have you used words you've later regretted? Not just in anger, but in bad selection, when what you said was interpreted by your listener as hurtful, even hateful? I know I have. We all have.
But, then, we're not the Vice President of the U.S. Joe Biden has to be held to a higher standard. Maybe we need to chain his mouth shut for a while.
Author of I is for Intercourse: The ABC's of Conversation, Susan Bird is the visionary behind Wf360, and a sought-after speaker around the world for her views on leadership, the strategic importance of conversation, entrepreneurship, and the role of women business leaders.
Comments