Barack's and Joe's Body Language

 Baker in Zhangmu, Tibet - photo by JoAnn Sturman

by Scott Sturman

Body language or kinesics is the study of non verbal communication, and what two better masters of the art are there to demonstrate their expertise than Barack and Joe?  If institutions granted PhD’s in the field, both would graduate summa cum laude.

We small people are reminded constantly by the media that Barack and Joe are really great guys.  Women in particular adore them and are drawn by their personal magnetism.  Men, too, emulate them and would like nothing better than to share a beer with them in the Rose Garden.  Incapable of duplicity or temptation, one could trust them alone with your little sister on a long Las Vegas weekend.

American swallowed the Kool Aid for years until this year’s debates, when Barack’s and Joe’s body language got the best of them.  Pravda brainwashes the peasants by informing them what the candidates really were saying, but overt gestures and mannerisms are impossible to hide.

Round 1:  The First Presidential Debate.  Emotions demonstrated:  Amusement, Contempt, Pleasure in oneself, Pride, Boredom.

Barack, while struggling to concentrate, gazed downward, listless and inattentive.  His opponent was beneath him and did not merit even the appearance of a half hearted performance.  Avoiding eye contact, his memorized talking points were rambling and unconvincing.  Was he looking for the TelePrompTer or just bored?

Round 2:  Vice Presidential Debate.  Emotions demonstrated:  Utter contempt, Amusement, Self satisfaction, Excessive hubris, Rudeness

Joe graduated top of his class in kinesis, and if there was any thought he was a gentleman, it quickly was put to rest.  Who knew a man could roll his eyes so far back in the sockets that the irises vanished?  His self satisfaction and hubris rose to toxic levels, as he laughed and smirked uncontrollably at his opponent’s responses.

Round 3:  The Second Presidential Debate.  Emotions demonstrated:  Extreme aggression, disdain, intellectual arrogance, bullying.

After his pitiful performance in the first debate, Barack assumed a street fighter’s demeanor, as attempted to overwhelm rather than persuade the audience.  Using the tactic of speaking long and loudly, any semblance of politeness or gentlemanliness was cast aside.  Saul Alinsky would have been proud to hear his disciple preaching from Rules for Radicals.

Round 4:  The Third Presidential Debate.  Emotions displayed:  Desperateness, Pugilism, Rancor, Disingenuousness.

Trying to make to transform the proverbial sow’s ear into a silk purse, Barack painted a perpetual scowl on his face as he leaned toward his opponent with his neck flexed and head extended.  A wide grin occasionally spread across his face as he sought to ridicule his challenger; his body language was all about ripping Mitt’s throat out on national TV.

Where were the fleeting smiles, the nodding heads, and the arms extended with the palms facing upwards which one would expect from a “nice” guy?  The debates demonstrated a picture is worth tomes of newspeak and no amount of spin or legerdemain can prove otherwise.  Barack and Joe may be many things, but a nice guys are not one of them. 

Zhangmu, Tibet - photo by JoAnn Sturman