He dumbed down for his audience and doubled his dollars. You can criticize him for it, but I bet you all yell "holla". I mean if skills sold, truth be told, he'd probably be rhetorically Talib Kweli. Truthfully he wants to speak like Common Sense, but he's done five mil, and he hasn't been speaking like Common Sense.

If you want to be an effective writer or speaker, and your goal is to reach the widest audience possible, you should be targeting the 8 or 9 grade level. There is a handy function in MS Word that allows you to see what level you are writing at. I usually search for 8 and try to keep my % of passive tense no higher than 5 or 6.

thismomentinblackhistory: There is a handy function in MS Word that allows you to see what level you are writing at. I usually search for 8 and try to keep my % of passive tense no higher than 5 or 6.

There is? Where?

mitchcumstein1: thismomentinblackhistory: There is a handy function in MS Word that allows you to see what level you are writing at. I usually search for 8 and try to keep my % of passive tense no higher than 5 or 6.

There is? Where?

Open up a document and spell something wrong so the spell checker actually opens. Click on options. Then click on "enable readability statistics." After future spell checks, even if everything is accurate, will yield these statistics:

Bukharin: thismomentinblackhistory: There is a handy function in MS Word that allows you to see what level you are writing at.

holy crap!
I guess I should update my verson of word...

[img.photobucket.com image 394x500]

Word.

2004:

Some in this chamber and in our country did not support the liberation of Iraq. Objections to war often come from principled motives. But let us be candid about the consequences of leaving Saddam Hussein in power.

We're seeking all the facts. Already, the Kay report identified dozens of weapons of mass destruction-related program activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations.

Had we failed to act, the dictator's weapons of mass destruction programs would continue to this day.

Had we failed to act, Security Council resolutions on Iraq would have been revealed as empty threats, weakening the United Nations and encouraging defiance by dictators around the world.

Iraq's torture chambers would still be filled with victims -- terrified and innocent.

The killing fields of Iraq, where hundreds of thousands of men and women and children vanished into the sands, would still be known only to the killers.

For all who love freedom and peace, the world without Saddam Hussein's regime is a better and safer place.

8th grade? Well, he obviously didn't write it himself. Somebody must have helped him with the big words.

Hopey McChange needs to dumb it down a little more for the average liberal Farker, maybe to a 3rd grade reading level.

thismomentinblackhistory: Open up a document and spell something wrong so the spell checker actually opens. Click on options. Then click on "enable readability statistics." After future spell checks, even if everything is accurate, will yield these statistics:

And now I have something to do this afternoon.

thismomentinblackhistory: mitchcumstein1: thismomentinblackhistory: There is a handy function in MS Word that allows you to see what level you are writing at. I usually search for 8 and try to keep my % of passive tense no higher than 5 or 6.

There is? Where?

Open up a document and spell something wrong so the spell checker actually opens. Click on options. Then click on "enable readability statistics." After future spell checks, even if everything is accurate, will yield these statistics:

[i.imgur.com image 328x323]

I popped in something I wrote in a Fark comment in word and it tells me that my Flesch-Kincaid readability grade is 16.2. I think I need to dumb down everything I write.

RexTalionis: thismomentinblackhistory: mitchcumstein1: thismomentinblackhistory: There is a handy function in MS Word that allows you to see what level you are writing at. I usually search for 8 and try to keep my % of passive tense no higher than 5 or 6.

There is? Where?

Open up a document and spell something wrong so the spell checker actually opens. Click on options. Then click on "enable readability statistics." After future spell checks, even if everything is accurate, will yield these statistics:

[i.imgur.com image 328x323]

I popped in something I wrote in a Fark comment in word and it tells me that my Flesch-Kincaid readability grade is 16.2. I think I need to dumb down everything I write.

I don't understand your fancy rich people words.

I am shocked, shocked that a politician who has been criticized for sounding too professorial and for "talking down" to people would use simplified language in a speech.

Well, he was addressing Congress.

mahuika: I am shocked, shocked that a politician who has been criticized for sounding too professorial and for "talking down" to people would use simplified language in a speech.

And I am shocked, shocked that that same politician would then be criticized for doing that.

Tailoring your speech to your audience is actually a fairly advanced skill.

So it was written at an 8th grade level and the morons on the right STILL misunderstood nearly every part of it?

Seriously, if you listen to the responses from the right, you'd think he was reading directly from Marx. Fark every one of those farking motherfarkers.

Me, I thought it was telling that he kept saying "Cops" instead of "Law Enforcement Officers". His people's distaste for the "5-0" isn't a well-kept secret.

/FW: FW: FW: FW: RE: FW: FW: FW: FW:

Just another example of the elitist Obama looking down his nose at us commoners.

RexTalionis: thismomentinblackhistory: mitchcumstein1: thismomentinblackhistory: There is a handy function in MS Word that allows you to see what level you are writing at. I usually search for 8 and try to keep my % of passive tense no higher than 5 or 6.

There is? Where?

Open up a document and spell something wrong so the spell checker actually opens. Click on options. Then click on "enable readability statistics." After future spell checks, even if everything is accurate, will yield these statistics:

[i.imgur.com image 328x323]

I popped in something I wrote in a Fark comment in word and it tells me that my Flesch-Kincaid readability grade is 16.2. I think I need to dumb down everything I write.

To be fair, Palin had a really high grade level rating. Because she was so damn hard to understand.

Is our children learning?

So is he dumb, or an ivory tower elitist? What do we think of arugula now?

TwistedIvory: So is he dumb, or an ivory tower elitist? What do we think of arugula now?

It's all one thing to them. Smart people are dumb and dumb people are smart. It's the republicans.

Diogenes: BillCo:

[img40.imageshack.us image 640x512]

What he really needs is the Americar!

TwistedIvory: So is he dumb, or an ivory tower elitist

he's both! haven't you been following?

to republicans, obama is a:

• communist/fascist
• empty suit/puppet master illuminatus
• socialist/wall street shill
• muslim/radical black christian
• silver tongued hypnotist/teleprompter-tied mushmouth

and now, he's an elitist/hilbilly

he's all things to all republicans!

FlashHarry: he's all things to all republicans!

Isn't he also the do-nothing President who is single-handedly working to destroy America?

FlashHarry: TwistedIvory: So is he dumb, or an ivory tower elitist

he's both! haven't you been following?

to republicans, obama is a:

• communist/fascist
• empty suit/puppet master illuminatus
• socialist/wall street shill
• muslim/radical black christian
• silver tongued hypnotist/teleprompter-tied mushmouth

and now, he's an elitist/hilbilly

he's all things to all republicans!

He really is The One!

It was higher, but they knocked off two grades for the milk joke.

Nadie_AZ: FlashHarry: TwistedIvory: So is he dumb, or an ivory tower elitist

he's both! haven't you been following?

to republicans, obama is a:

• communist/fascist
• empty suit/puppet master illuminatus
• socialist/wall street shill
• muslim/radical black christian
• silver tongued hypnotist/teleprompter-tied mushmouth

and now, he's an elitist/hilbilly

he's all things to all republicans!

He really is The One!

He's also a dessert topping and a floor wax

Diogenes: BillCo:

[img40.imageshack.us image 640x512]

Given that the driver of that camper probably has a great love for sleeveless t-shirts, I'm not sure if "THE RIGHT TO BARE ARMS..." is a mistake or not.

Well, look at his audience. Large numbers deny evolution, think the universe is 6000 years old, are bizarrely interested in the President's choice of roughage and condiments, think the First Lady's promotion of fitness and a healthy diet will lead to jackbooted goon squads forcing us to eat certain foods...I could literally go on for hours.

I'd love for him to give a college-level speech, but the rabble would just complain that he's being elitist.

Also, why does everyone hold The Great Gatsby out as some sort of exemplary example of the great American novel? I thought it was a massive bore.

mahuika: I am shocked, shocked that a politician who has been criticized for sounding too professorial and for "talking down" to people would use simplified language in a speech.

To be fair, he was addressing a joint session of Congress. With this last election, the House's IQ did go down significantly with the TEA Party candidates...

RexTalionis: Also, why does everyone hold The Great Gatsby out as some sort of exemplary example of the great American novel? I thought it was a massive bore.

Obligatory quote on the topic:

"Professor Winchester also said something about there being no modern epics like Paradise Lost. I guess he's right. He talked as if he was pretty familiar with that piece of literary work, and nobody would suppose that he never had read it. I don't believe any of you have ever read Paradise Lost, and you don't want to. That's something that you just want to take on trust. It's a classic, just as Professor Winchester says, and it meets his definition of a classic-something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read."-Mark Twain, "Address at the Dinner of the Nineteenth Century Club" speech, 1900

High school 'required reading' lists should be looking for the maximum product of the quality of a given book times the number of students who will actually read it. It turns out that there have been a large number of fantastic books written within the last 50 years which speak to the same themes as "the classics", yet are much easier for modern readers to relate to.

I'm a reasonably avid reader, but I was assigned Paradise Lost in (public) high school, and I never came close to reading it.

chimp_ninja: High school 'required reading' lists should be looking for the maximum product of the quality of a given book times the number of students who will actually read it. It turns out that there have been a large number of fantastic books written within the last 50 years which speak to the same themes as "the classics", yet are much easier for modern readers to relate to.

I'm a reasonably avid reader, but I was assigned Paradise Lost in (public) high school, and I never came close to reading it.

I think the better book to assign is the Canterbury Tales. Just as unrelatable to modern audiences as Paradise Lost, but with the added bonus of funny dirty stories and jokes. In fact, screw that, just assign the Miller's Tale and everybody will be happy.

thismomentinblackhistory: mitchcumstein1: thismomentinblackhistory: There is a handy function in MS Word that allows you to see what level you are writing at. I usually search for 8 and try to keep my % of passive tense no higher than 5 or 6.

There is? Where?

Open up a document and spell something wrong so the spell checker actually opens. Click on options. Then click on "enable readability statistics." After future spell checks, even if everything is accurate, will yield these statistics:

[i.imgur.com image 328x323]

I didn't know about the expanded part. It appears I'm usually over 30% passive.

RexTalionis: Also, why does everyone hold The Great Gatsby out as some sort of exemplary example of the great American novel? I thought it was a massive bore.

I'm subby and I didn't mean to compare them on merits, I just picked the two books based on what grade I was in when my class read them.

I personally did like Gatsby, though.

mahuika: RexTalionis: Also, why does everyone hold The Great Gatsby out as some sort of exemplary example of the great American novel? I thought it was a massive bore.

I'm subby and I didn't mean to compare them on merits, I just picked the two books based on what grade I was in when my class read them.

I personally did like Gatsby, though.

I've been told it's better when you pick it up later on. I thought it was a massive steaming pile of boring suck when I had to read it in high school.

RexTalionis: Also, why does everyone hold The Great Gatsby out as some sort of exemplary example of the great American novel? I thought it was a massive bore.

What's not to love about a murdered rum runner?

Never had to read A Separate Peace. Trying to remember when I read The Great Gatsby, but i know it was in high school....Diogenes: BillCo:

[img40.imageshack.us image 640x512]

I love the "bare" arms part.....

RexTalionis: I popped in something I wrote in a Fark comment in word and it tells me that my Flesch-Kincaid readability grade is 16.2. I think I need to dumb down everything I write.

Whoa, whoa! Slow down there, Einstein. You did what now?