A Conscience In My Ear
I was inclined not to watch. I assumed the first evening of televised speeches from the Democratic National Convention were likely to be similar to the first half of most NFL football games. Each team gets a feel for the game plan, taking the measure of the opponent, a tepid warmup of sorts. Some games in the first half are underwhelming, barely watchable.
My wife was viewing the speeches preliminary to the crescendo speech by President Biden, the “hand off” of the torch to candidate Kamala Harris. The Biden speech was to be the feature of the evening. I watched for a few minutes and was hooked. I could not turn away. I was especially moved by the presentation given by President Biden’s adult daughter, Ashley. Biden is a man respected and loved by every member of his family.
The speech offered by Senator Ralph Warnock of Georgia “knocked me out.” This is written of Warnock in Wikipedia:
Raphael Gamaliel Warnock is an American Baptist pastor and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Georgia since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Warnock has been the senior pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church since 2005.
If you are curious about what Warnock had to say CLICK HERE
Nietzsche wrote this observation about the power of the spoken word in Germany.
…in Germany there was
(until very recently, when a sort of grandstand verbosity
shyly and awkwardly stirred its young wings)
really only one species of public and vaguely artistic rhetoric,
and that came from the pulpit.
In Germany,
only the preachers knew
the weight of a word or syllable,
the extent to which a sentence stumbled,
sprang, rang, ran, or ran away.
They were the only ones
with a conscience in their ears,…
Beyond Good and Evil, by Friedrich Nietzsche, trans. by Judith Norman, aphorism 247
4 thoughts on “A Conscience In My Ear”
All one has to do to understand the power of the speech need listen to Shakespeare’s words given to Marc Anthony in Julius Caesar or even Burt Lancaster’s performance in Elmer Gantry. Or for that matter, any number of those whose mastery of the art of oration can mold the perspective of the most ardent skeptic. From the African American pulpit it is not only the words, but the pauses, the elocution, the cadence, and the carefully chosen emphasis, that offers power and connection to those who will listen. “I have a dream . . ” will ring in the ears of many future generations, not just for the content, but for the delivery as well.
As for the DNC, we watched from beginning to end, all six hours. From my perspective there was not a bad speech in the house. Not even a mediocre speech. Each speaker hit a different note of urgency. Each one brought forth cheers from an energized audience. The embodiment of potential, of hope, and of a new, brighter future. A future without the crude machinations of an ugly egotist bent on supplanting democracy with demagoguery. I look forward to immersing myself in another round this evening. Let us all hope that this infectious joy spreads across our nation like a benevolent epidemic.
Infectious joy is what we need, more infectious joy!
The second night proved to be equally effective in oratory, a clarion call to join the fight for the future, an opening worthy of our children and grandchildren. I felt moved, felt strengthened by the words, over and over.
Planning to spend some time in Michigan volunteering. The ground game always has room for more foot-soldiers.
Warnock’s speech was the best speech of the night.
He was dialed in.