It's HOW you say it that matters
Joe Biden, V for Vendetta, The Last Jedi and the "Fascist Aesthetic"
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Did your parents or teachers ever tell you, “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it” when you tried to express something whilst flustered? It’s a lesson you have to learn and relearn again and again. Good intentions and countless minutes spent preparing your remarks to Mom or Dad, or preparing for that tough talk with your girlfriend or employer, will mean nothing in the end if you don’t know how to present the words you so carefully selected. Cross your arms or roll your eyes and it’s all downhill from there.
Hours spent writing an article or essay amount to nothing if you have a typo in the headline or errors littering the piece. Clean prose allows readers to simply enjoy the work, rather than be distracted by your careless mistakes.
People are fickle, visual creatures.
I really wish someone on President Joe Biden’s team had told him this before his big speech in Philadelphia on the MAGA movement and “threats to democracy.”
Long story short, someone in Biden World had to have been tasked with setting the scene for the speech. Location. Elevation of the platform. Two marines in the background, not five, not six, but two. Lighting is turned on the president to make sure shadows aren’t being cast which makes him appear older than he is. Oh and also the background lighting…someone’s job was to get Independence Hall lit up. But instead of it appearing on television as a grand monument to American democracy, it looked like a Hell House. And who gives a speech in front of the Hell House? Not lovers of democracy, that’s for sure.
Before we go any further, it should be noted that the full background cast behind Joe Biden was both red AND blue, cause America. Here is a more zoomed-out image.
But here’s the thing, somebody had to have known that on television and social media streams carrying the speech, the typical camera framing for a president speaking would only be in the red zone. Was there no one on Biden’s Press Team who was willing to say this? If no one can see the blue, the blue might as well not exist.
This was the view for folks watching on TV once the speech began. It’s bad. Not just the color. The guards too. Spooky.
Setting the scene matters. Vibe matters. Color matters. Always has and always will. You don’t go to a wedding cast in only red light unless you’re a vampire or serial killer. Stop signs are red for a reason. Darth Vader doesn’t carry a pink or blue lightsaber, because those colors do not evoke a menacing feeling for 90 percent of people. We can get into the psychology of color another time, so for now let’s just say it is what it is.
Folks online were quick to point out the fascistic aesthetic of Biden’s speech in Philadelphia. I will not bore you with Hitler photos from Nazi Germany. Let’s look instead at pop culture and some memorable movies borrowing from the vibe of the Third Reich to evoke power, control and order.
It’s possible we really do all live in social media echo chambers, and that you saw plenty of discussions last night about the substance of Joe Biden’s speech in Philadelphia. I did not. My feed was only littered with clever observations and horror at the setting of the president’s speech. The appearance of it all.
For the purposes of This Is The Way, we're not going to get into the remarks Biden gave. You can read a quick summation here of the substance.
I’ve spent the last 5 years of my life as a media coach, consultant, and trainer for public speakers. I teach folks everything from the ways to not use your hands to what kind of ties or earrings help or hurt the speaker’s message. What do I mean by that? You don’t go and give a speech about how the middle class in America is struggling to survive while wearing dangly golden diamond-studded earrings or a Rolex.
Details matter. If you get them wrong or blow past them, all your work can be for nothing. Your audience will discuss the wrong things.
How do you avoid this? Great question. A team of rivals, a team of people from different backgrounds and viewpoints. You need a team of allies who will tell you what you need to hear. Maybe you need an editor (I sure do).
We don’t know what went on behind the scenes with Biden World and this backdrop choice, but something went wrong. There was a blindspot.
Ask your friends for advice. Ask your friend’s parents for advice. Have people in your life who aren’t tempted to give you easy outs or avoid conflict. This is where church comes in, Scouts, and civic clubs like the Rotary or Masons. The more people you know and who know you, the more wisdom you can collect to cover for your blindspots. We all need it.
This is the way.
Perhaps it was not an oversight. You can imagine the coordinators trying to synchronize the "gravity" of the speech with a projection of power, especially given the President's pusillanimous reputation.