Riley ,'Help'
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
The other guy is Lowery.
I found Warren to be a poor speaker. I (as an atheist) wasn't offended by his invocation of Jesus or use of the Lord's Prayer; I'm pretty accustomed to the Christian-centricism of American public events. He just lacked gravitas.
Lowery had the gravitas. And I thought that the rhyming race thing at the end was an actual quotation of some 1960s thing, as so much of his speech was, but I could be wrong. ETA: And Sail's quote suggests I was right!
For reference, the stuff about being black, yellow, red, etc. was a 60s/70s counter to a phrase in a Zora Neale Hurston story, "Story in Harlem Slang,"
And Hurston didn't make up the little ditty, I'm sure.
Thanks Sail. Another example of the Buffista brains.
I was wondering if there was a reference I was missing, thanks Sail.
I thought Warren was boring . As a non-believer I wasn'tt offended by him - in this context. I think he did his job. Lowery was more interesting -- and there was something for a no-believer to listen to . But, like a lot of others, I feel uncomfortable with religion mixed with state functions.
Just because we all have our cranky buttons: The Other Guy, not just some guy, founded the SCLC with Dr. King, led the Selma march, etc etc etc many decades of etc.
I was surprised Warren wasn't simply a better *speaker*--as such a popular pastor, I thought he'd have a better demeanor. He was looking DOWN most of the time! I thought he'd be a smooth, rhythmic, kinda guy, you know? But instead he barely looked up. That really surprised me.
The "brown, stick around" etc stuff was also in a song: [link]
Hey, since flea is here, I had to share that my cousin is being induced today and they are naming the baby Ronan Borom; Borom being a family name. I suggested Change or Hope or Barack but I don't think they are going to go for it.
I think so. Warren as speaker makes me more uncomfortable than his actual text, I think. I didn't plan to get all sucked in...I generally wear my indifference to pomp as a point of some pride, but "Damn you, Barack Obama, you pretty motherfucker!"
Check out the new New Yorker cover: Drew Friedman: Obama portrait for The New Yorker
My favorite living portrait artist, Drew Friedman, created the magnificent cover art for this week's New Yorker. The painting is titled "The First."