๐๏ธ๐ฎโโ๏ธ๐ Wat da Vice Presidents Gotta Do Wit Da Language Cops?
Every time one Vice President come out in public, no one really pay attention. Unless dey do someting funny, den everybody get one good laugh, yeah? ๐ฉ๐๐คฃ
Nowadays, on top conservative media, we see Vice President Kamala Harris talking all bolohead kine stuff. Her words, lidat, floating from her mout’ up to da sky, turning into big fluff clouds wea dey try making sense. ๐ฃ๏ธโ๏ธ๐คทโโ๏ธ
Even Fox News went pull together one collection of clips from all ova da last year for show everybody how Harris stay. They say she stay all pilikia when she talk, making no sense or even sound like she get some problem. All dis coming from one former attorney general who was seen as one shark, always asking da hard questions during Senate hearings. ๐ฅ๐คฆโโ๏ธ๐ฆ
Da people who no like da Vice President, dey not just make up dis idea dat she stay cutting up language into “word salads.” Some things she say, like dat speech at Howard University, not too hard for understand if you listen โ but as soon as you gotta try decipher what she saying, da message no good already. All da vague words, how she go back and forth, repeating stuff she no need for repeat: all dat make her sound like one rambler, not one mean lawyer or one good policy communicator. And plenty times, she get like dat when she gotta say something general, something nice and uplifting, or personal, or serious; like her sentences no like doing just da basic stuff, and dey start going all over da place trying for be deep. ๐๐ฅ๐
But get other videos dat show more complicated stuff. Some clips wea people say she mess up, she actually just playing wit words, or she slip up for one second, or she just talking stink โ if you not trying for prove she no can handle, you no would even notice. Take dis one line from March: “During Women’s History Month, we celebrate and honor da women who made history, throughout history โ who saw what could be, unburdened by what had been.” If you read um, no sound too good, but when you listen to how she say um, make plenty sense. And one time, she just say “gumbo” plenty times when she talking about gumbo, and people wen go nuts. She even took heat for saying she was “a woman sitting at a table wearing a blue suit” at da start of one meeting โ but dat was for help da people who no can see, cause was da anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act. ๐๏ธ๐๐คทโโ๏ธ๐ฒ๐ฉโ๐ผ๐ต
No need for be one genius for know dat people always looking for make deir opponents look bad. But interesting how dis kine embarrassment keep coming up for da Vice Presidents. They always in public, but no one really care unless they do something embarrassing โ something for make them look like dey no can handle, like dey no serious. Dan Quayle, who was Vice President for George H.W. Bush, everybody remember him for spelling “potato” wrong. Joe Biden was seen as one goofball who always mess up when he was under Barack Obama. Mike Pence, who Donald Trump called “straight from central casting” for Vice Presidents, was always seen as one lackey. Al Gore, dey call him one boring dweeb. Only George W. Bush was different, cause he was da one making all da mistakes and Dick Cheney was seen as da real boss. Da Vice President, in other words, stay in one bad spot, cause dey always gotta follow what da President say and dey gotta handle all da hard stuff โ like Kamala Harris, who gotta deal with all da immigrants coming from Central America. ๐บ๐ฅ๐คช๐
If Kamala Harris looking for one good example of one Vice President, she no need look far. Biden, when he was Vice President, was seen as one cool guy, even though he was kinda goofy. (Da Onion even made up one funny version of him, shirtless, washing one Trans Am in da White House driveway.) Cause of dat, when he was running for President in 2020, was hard for people for call him one scary radical; instead dey just said he was old and weak, being used by da radicals. Some people on da left even thought he was some kind of super smart, powerful guy, calling him “Dark Brandon” with laser eyes. ๐ค ๐๏ธ๐๐ด๐ช
Biden once called Harris one “work in progress,” and not sure if she can do da same thing. But if you look hard, you might see some signs. Some people online, dey see her as one relatable, kinda confused person who dey kinda like. She even been seen singing “Wheels on the Bus” on top one campaign bus and then laughing all hard, or talking all excited about Venn diagrams. One Twitter user even said her long, confusing sentences remind him of da philosopher Friedrich Hegel. ๐๐ถ๐คฃ๐๐ฆ
But dis still far from when she was one tough Senator. Das da problem: she better at being one tough prosecutor than one lovable cartoon. In 2019, in one clip dat wen go viral, she supposed to have “demolished” Attorney General William Barr during one Senate hearing after da Russian-interference report by Robert Mueller came out. “Has the president, or anyone at the White House, ever asked or suggested that you open an investigation of anyone?” she ask. She was all business, talking straight, repeating herself only for emphasis. In clips like dis, she look like she love going after people until dey da ones who no can answer. ๐ชโ๏ธ๐ฏ
But da Vice President no get da chance for grill people like dat, and da kind boring talk dey gotta do โ like reheated leftovers โ no seem like her style. (“I find it off-putting to just engage in platitudes,” she told The Times.) She even struggle sometimes for give good answers to reporters. In 2022, when Craig Melvin from NBC News asked her if was time for change Covid policy, she said it was “time for us to do what we have been doing, and that time is every day. Every day, it is time for us to agree that there are things and tools that are available to us to slow this thing down.” She gotta answer da questions, but look like she rather be asking them. Her supporters say let Kamala be Kamala. But maybe being Vice President going make dat hard. ๐ค๐โฐ๐ก๐ฆ ๐ค
NOW IN ENGLISH
๐๏ธ๐ฎโโ๏ธ๐ What Do Vice Presidents Have To Do With Language Police?
Every time a Vice President appears in public, no one pays much attention. Unless they do something amusing, then everyone has a good laugh, right? ๐ฉ๐๐คฃ
These days, conservative media showcases Vice President Kamala Harris speaking in ways that seem confusing. Her words, as it were, drift from her mouth to the sky, forming into fluffy clouds where they attempt to make sense. ๐ฃ๏ธโ๏ธ๐คทโโ๏ธ
Even Fox News compiled a collection of clips over the last year to demonstrate how Harris presents herself. They suggest she gets into trouble when she speaks, not making sense or even sounding like she has some problem. All this from a former attorney general who was seen as a shark, always asking tough questions during Senate hearings. ๐ฅ๐คฆโโ๏ธ๐ฆ
People who dislike the Vice President didn’t merely conjure up the idea that she’s chopping up language into “word salads”. Some things she says, like her speech at Howard University, aren’t hard to understand if you listen โ but as soon as you have to try to decode what she’s saying, the message is already lost. The vague words, her back and forth, repeating things she doesn’t need to: all that makes her sound like a rambler, not a fierce lawyer or a good policy communicator. And often, she falls into this pattern when she needs to say something general, something uplifting, or personal, or serious; as if her sentences resist doing just the basics and they start going all over the place in an attempt to be profound. ๐๐ฅ๐
But there are other videos that display more intricate situations. Some clips where people claim she messes up, she’s actually just playing with words, or she slips up for a moment, or she’s simply being candid โ if you’re not out to prove she’s incapable, you wouldn’t even notice. Take this line from March: “During Women’s History Month, we celebrate and honor the women who made history, throughout history โ who saw what could be, unburdened by what had been.” If you read it, it doesn’t sound too smooth, but when you listen to how she delivers it, it makes a lot of sense. And once, she just said “gumbo” repeatedly when she was talking about gumbo, and people went wild. She even took heat for saying she was “a woman sitting at a table wearing a blue suit” at the start of a meeting โ but that was to assist those who couldn’t see, as it was the anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act. ๐๏ธ๐๐คทโโ๏ธ๐ฒ๐ฉโ๐ผ๐ต
You don’t have to be a genius to realize that people are always looking to make their opponents look bad. But it’s interesting how this sort of embarrassment keeps cropping up for Vice Presidents. They’re always in public, but no one really cares unless they do something embarrassing โ something to make them appear as if they can’t handle it, as if they’re not serious. Dan Quayle, who was Vice President for George H.W. Bush, is remembered by everyone for misspelling “potato”. Joe Biden was viewed as a buffoon who always messed up when he was under Barack Obama. Mike Pence, whom Donald Trump described as “straight from central casting” for Vice Presidents, was always seen as a lackey. Al Gore was referred to as a boring nerd. Only George W. Bush was different, because he was the one making all the mistakes and Dick Cheney was perceived as the real boss. The Vice President, in other words, is in a difficult position, because they always have to follow what the President says and they have to handle all the tough tasks โ like Kamala Harris, who has to deal with all the immigrants coming from Central America. ๐บ๐ฅ๐คช๐
If Kamala Harris is looking for a good example of a Vice President, she doesn’t need to look far. Biden, when he was Vice President, was seen as a cool guy, even though he was a bit goofy. (The Onion even concocted a humorous version of him, shirtless, washing a Trans Am in the White House driveway.) Because of this, when he was running for President in 2020, it was difficult for people to label him a frightening radical; instead they just said he was old and weak, being manipulated by radicals. Some people on the left even thought he was some kind of super-intelligent, powerful figure, referring to him as “Dark Brandon” with laser eyes. ๐ค ๐๏ธ๐๐ด๐ช
Biden once referred to Harris as a “work in progress,” and it’s uncertain if she can emulate him. But if you look closely, you might see some indications. Some people online see her as a relatable, somewhat confused person who they somewhat like. She’s even been seen singing “Wheels on the Bus” on a campaign bus and then laughing heartily, or getting all excited about Venn diagrams. One Twitter user even said her long, confusing sentences remind him of the philosopher Friedrich Hegel. ๐๐ถ๐คฃ๐๐ฆ
But this is still far from when she was a formidable Senator. That’s the problem: she’s better at being a tough prosecutor than a lovable character. In 2019, in a clip that went viral, she was supposed to have “demolished” Attorney General William Barr during a Senate hearing after the Russian-interference report by Robert Mueller was released. “Has the president, or anyone at the White House, ever asked or suggested that you open an investigation of anyone?” she asked. She was all business, speaking clearly, repeating herself only for emphasis. In clips like this, she appears to relish cornering people until they’re the ones who can’t answer. ๐ชโ๏ธ๐ฏ
But the Vice President doesn’t get the opportunity to grill people like that, and the kind of bland talk they have to engage in โ like reheated leftovers โ doesn’t seem to suit her. (“I find it off-putting to just engage in platitudes,” she told The Times.) She even struggles sometimes to give good answers to reporters. In 2022, when Craig Melvin from NBC News asked her if it was time to change Covid policy, she said it was “time for us to do what we have been doing, and that time is every day. Every day, it is time for us to agree that there are things and tools that are available to us to slow this thing down.” She has to answer the questions, but it seems like she would rather be asking them. Her supporters say let Kamala be Kamala. But perhaps being Vice President will make that difficult. ๐ค๐โฐ๐ก๐ฆ ๐ค
