To garner these statistics, the Sunlight Foundation employed the Flesch-Kincaid test, which determines at which grade level a person (in this case, member of Congress) is speaking. Sunlight states:
"At its core, Flesch-Kincaid equates higher grade levels with longer words and longer sentences. It is important to understand the limitations of this metric: it tells us nothing about the clarity or correctness of a passage of text."Therefore, this downgrade of Congressional diction could be seen as either a dumbing down of Congress or simply a more effective, succinct method of communication. Regardless of what this trend denotes, many other correlations emerge.Among Republicans, the more conservative a member of Congress is, the lower the level of his or her speech. Nevertheless, among Democrats, no such trend emerges.
So what does this all mean? Earlier this year, Obama's State of the Union Address recorded an eighth-grade level of speech for the third year in a row, well below the 10.7 average speech level of all prior 67 State of the Union addresses. Essentially, the State of the Union has now downgraded itself to the reading level of the average American.
How do you feel about this simplification of diction in Congress? And, more importantly, what do you think it reflects: a growing trend of stupidity in Congress, a growing need to connect with "Joe Six-Pack", or a streamlined method of communicating in politics? In other words, are you frustrated with the interminable, proletariarian nature of this eradication of the pedantic, or are you just angry?
10 comments:
It is hard for me to believe that congress and the President are getting dumber. I think it makes more sense for the President and members of congress to dumb it down and make things as easy to understand as possible. This allows more people to understand what is happening in government so people can trust the government and make more informed decision when voting. Clearly Californians were not well informed about the California energy crisis which resulted in an early exit for Governor Gray Davis. Ultimately I think it is in the interest of the politician to be as clear and succinct as possible so more people can understand what is happening in government. I don't believe that congress is getting less educated and I think that a speech's reading level is mainly irrelevant.
I agree with Christian. I do not believe that congress members or the President are getting dumber. I think that Obama and his speech-writers are using a lower level of vocabulary to make sure that the speech can be easily understood by the average American. It simply doesn't make sense to write speeches that the average American could not fully understand.
I agree with both Christian and Lexi, the President and the Congress are actually demonstrating a more intelligent manner in communicating to the public, ironically. By downgrading the level of speech, the average American citizen will have no problem understanding their messages. Therefore, a greater number of Americans will be properly informed about certain policies and the government's intentions and/or actions. Nonetheless, it's rather disappointing to know that members of Congress need to speak at an 8th or 9th grade level for an ordinary American to comprehend.
I agree with these people, in my own way. Although I do think that the members of congress are getting (or at least acting) dumber than their predecessors, or perhaps just going senile, I don't think that a decreasing speech level is because of this. This trend probably comes from the increasingly partisan nature of the government, which has led to speechifiers to try to sway the public as best they can on their issue, leading to the use of more understandable (by the avg 'Merican) language. I wonder if it also shows that they are appealing to the public more than to other congressmen than they have in past.
Also, I feel like logic has been losing to passion in certain areas of politics lately, something thatis probably related to this.
I can't create new blog posts, so a comment here will have to do. In a completely unrelated note, the zombie apocalypse has apparently begun:
http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/26/11899538-report-miami-police-shoot-naked-man-chewing-on-victims-face
The presidents are not getting dumber, as stated above. But instead they are trying to help the masses of Americans understand what is happening in an easy to understand manner, as well as trying to be more relatable to the public, i.e. not speaking in a way that the public doesn't understand.
I agree with everyone that most members of Congress are not stupid. Most of them either have a law degree or have gone to a prestigious university. I think they just want to be concise and clear in order for the general public to understand their points. Moreover, the test does not really measure the effectiveness, construction, and meaning of the speech. I feel like it confuses big words with intelligent communication. If no one can comprehend, a speech filled with grandiose words is useless. The truth and the facts are more important in a time- constrained Congressional debate. Furthermore, I think because of the instant information new technologies provide, members of Congress are not only arguing among themselves, but they are also trying to convince those people who watch cable TV or Youtube. The alarming thing here is that an average American speaks at an 8th grade level.
I agree with the majority of responses above, however, I believe the article's use of the word "dumber" is just too harsh. Congress is definitely not getting dumber, they are just getting smarter in the way the communicate with the public. Speaking in a language which is easier for the public to comprehend is thoughtful, making it so more citizens can fully understand and react to discussions and decisions made by Congress. Since the younger generation is increasing its participation in politics, I believe this has some influence in the way Congress and the President carry out their speech. With the way Congress is talking, it makes it more simple for the youth, and people in general, to reduce the risk of things getting lost in translation or concepts being misunderstood.
Although it is alarming to see a decrease in the education level of the members of Congress, wouldn't this be more of a reflection of the American people than members of Congress? Seeing how Senators and members of the House are elected through a direct election, it is possible that the voters feel that most comfortable with voting for someone who can speak to them, and not someone who they feel will speak down to them. This may be a part of the historical trend for political leaders to not come from grandeur backgrounds and be, instead, a product of the people they represent.
I have to disagree with Sara's comment about how it is thoughtful that Congress makes government easier to understand to the younger generation. Sure they get involved in politics, but do their opinions really matter at all? How many parents or voters who listen to the younger generation does this side effect really affect? It just misses the vast realm of adults who rarely think of youth as part of their "world".
I mean, minors are only accounted for in politics by a guardian and the like. Let's face it, kids are the parents' underlings until they are of legal age when it is most inevitable in the current state of the economy to still be dependent on the parents/guardians to a certain degree for a few more years longer. That is a lot of moral obligations to be considered when the adults don't HAVE TO do these things (provided under different circumstances) which some people often take for granted.
On the subject, the reading level of the Congresspersons' diction may even reflect the well-known fact that "Other Nations Outclass U.S. on Education" . Still, we mustn't forget that "international comparisons deserve 'the good, hard-nosed kind of skepticism and shoe-leather reporting'" .
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