A very offensive and discriminating video was recently posted online, the contents of which were very anti-Muslim. The American video was highly criticized in North America, and sparked chaos in the Arab world, causing high tensions and very anti-American feelings. President Obama took to the stage at the United Nations General Assembly to try and resolve the issue.
First, from the first line (“Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General, fellow delegates, ladies and gentleman: I would like to begin today by telling you about an American named Chris Stevens.”), to the end (“‘Chris Stevens was a friend to all Libyans.’ They should give us hope.”), he tries as hard as possible to make the speech very personal, so that the entire audience can feel a “human” connection. This makes the speech more believable, and reduces the chance that any member of the audience will ignore the message.
Second, he deviates quite a bit off topic. Although the original issue is that of the offensive video, he ends up speaking about hope for the future of Arab nations and recent Islamic power shifts. This is both beneficial and harmful. For those who have harder hearts, they will take this as cowardice, that Obama is unable to defend himself against their accusations. For those who are able to set aside their differences, they will notice that America and its government didn’t back up that video. It all depends on perspective.
Third, as a defence for not prosecuting the makers of the film, he uses America’s Constitution. At first, we might pass this off as nothing, but a deeper glimpse will reveal more.
By using the Constitution as his defence, he effectively makes it impossible for any people to accuse the government without blaming it on the Constitution. Obviously, no diplomat would ever do that. Insulting the American Constitution is simply not an option.
Fourth, he uses a “feel-good” tactic in order to calm down the people. By praising all the progress Arab nations have made so far (“I also appreciate that in recent days, the leaders of other countries in the region – including Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen – have taken steps to secure our diplomatic facilities, and called for calm. So have religious authorities around the globe.”), he has made them “feel” good, and they will be less likely to react in a violent way.
First, from the first line (“Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General, fellow delegates, ladies and gentleman: I would like to begin today by telling you about an American named Chris Stevens.”), to the end (“‘Chris Stevens was a friend to all Libyans.’ They should give us hope.”), he tries as hard as possible to make the speech very personal, so that the entire audience can feel a “human” connection. This makes the speech more believable, and reduces the chance that any member of the audience will ignore the message.
Second, he deviates quite a bit off topic. Although the original issue is that of the offensive video, he ends up speaking about hope for the future of Arab nations and recent Islamic power shifts. This is both beneficial and harmful. For those who have harder hearts, they will take this as cowardice, that Obama is unable to defend himself against their accusations. For those who are able to set aside their differences, they will notice that America and its government didn’t back up that video. It all depends on perspective.
Third, as a defence for not prosecuting the makers of the film, he uses America’s Constitution. At first, we might pass this off as nothing, but a deeper glimpse will reveal more.
By using the Constitution as his defence, he effectively makes it impossible for any people to accuse the government without blaming it on the Constitution. Obviously, no diplomat would ever do that. Insulting the American Constitution is simply not an option.
Fourth, he uses a “feel-good” tactic in order to calm down the people. By praising all the progress Arab nations have made so far (“I also appreciate that in recent days, the leaders of other countries in the region – including Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen – have taken steps to secure our diplomatic facilities, and called for calm. So have religious authorities around the globe.”), he has made them “feel” good, and they will be less likely to react in a violent way.
As a final comprehensive thought, Obama uses many useful and cunning mechanisms in this speech in order to please the people and restore order. By making the audience “feel” good, and generating a “personal connection”, he has succeeded (in my opinion), to wind down this situation to a more stable matter. As Commander-in-Chief, and President of the United States, I expected nothing less.
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