Happy Monday!
Another weekend has passed. Time to get back to the grindstone of...
sitting at home.
It's not that I don't have anything to do--quite the opposite, I don't seem to have enough hours in the day any more. My goal this week is to curb back on my burgeoning work-a-holic habit (as evidenced by my starting a half-hour early), and set firmer boundaries with myself. Truly, I am already succeeding, and therefore will reward myself with a little extra work time tonight!
I might have a long way to go. After all, this Quarantine is going to go on for a while.
I'm not the only one who thinks so. Yesterday, queen Elizabeth II gave a speech. I'd highly recommend it. Yes, she's just a figure head and yes, the reputation of the royal family is not exactly stellar right now.
But don't think I'm merely a lover of all things royal--I couldn't give two cares about the marriage of Harvey and Megara (Margaret? Megan?). Rather, I watched because of the historic value. Here was a 93 year old monarch addressing her nation again (for what well could be the final time), having done so since World War II: how would the nation react? Positively, by most accounts. I personally admire the implication in her hope that, "in the years to come, everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge." We still have the power to turn this Quarantine into a source of strength and accomplishment; we can build a new unity, and come out of this better than we came in.
But, did she write those words herself? Probably not, and please read to the end before you flame me.
You see, dear reader (of which, likely, there are none), speeches have changed. Are there still great speech writers? Yes. Do there yet live masterful orators? Yes. Are those often the same people? Frankly, often no.
People have been giving speeches of one kind or another since there have been people. Open the Bible, Gilgamesh, or the Ramayana and eventually you're going to run into a speech. Heck, I'd even argue that The Illiad and The Odyssey were originally speeches since they were memorized and sung at length around the campfire. Speeches, I believe, should entertain, engage, and teach.
Indeed, many of the greatest speakers are known to history because of their oratory prowess. Out of all of the consuls of the Roman Republic, Cicero is one of the most famous. Not necessarily because of his actions--though they might have prolonged the institutions life by a few more years--but because we have his Orations. Just like Plato, he took his speeches and turned them into a book, and for that many people are at least somewhat aware of him.
Or fell asleep reading him.
Public speaking continued in this way for over a thousand years. People would come together to watch speeches--some lasting hours--judging and ruminating on them.
Then things started to change.
First, literacy began to spread. It became possible to read a speech without the context of a speaker. Sometimes the orator would write the transcript--other times, a reporter would piece it together as best they could. Just think, some of the greatest speeches might be lost to us, and all because no one could remember enough to piece it together! Regardless, suddenly the exact verbiage became important. You no longer had the luxury of rewriting it to sound better before publishing--it had to be perfect the first time.
Then came radio: suddenly, your audience didn't need to be in the same room as you! You could be speaking to someone on the other side of the planet! And for those of you rolling your eyes as you video-chat with some poor quarantined soul a fifteen hour plane ride away, that was a big deal at the time. Just as with literacy, though, speeches suddenly needed to sound good as well. Did you have a cold that day? Tough luck, thy speech hath experienced ruin.
Lastly came TV. It wasn't enough, now, for your speech to sound good--the one presenting it had to look good as well. It has often been said that FDR--wheelchair bound as he was--would never have been elected if TV had been more widespread. Here we see the rise of media crews and carefully choreographed photo opportunities, with the intent of maximizing the impact. Yes, you could see the person giving the speech in a photo before, but with television their every movement could be scrutinized by everyone.
And we all know how kind an internet mob can be.
Which brings me to the modern day. The Queen's speech was exemplary: she was presented in a calm environment with rather neutral colors, the added cuts of scenes around the country enhanced her words, and I think we can forgive a 93 year old woman the occasional split-second pause while she remembers what comes next.
She hides them very well, but I'm pretty sure they're still there, and she is only human.
On top of the appearance, her words themselves feel very smooth and manicured. It accepts the present while reminding us that there will be a future and that we are already helping each other. But did she write it? Probably not.
At least, not all of it.
In many ways, I'd argue that the speech as a whole is indicative of the powerful sense of cooperation peaking out in this time of crisis. A work of many coming together. Yes, she writes a good deal of the script, and yes others add words or make suggestions. I'm sure that her media crew help decide what to wear and where to sit, what angle the camera should be at and how the lighting should be arranged.
But, at the end of the day, they turn it into the Queen's speech. They do their duties invisibly--silently, I'd even go as far as to say--and leave their egos on the side. The result, I should say, resonates more because of it.
So, watch the speech. Think about the message, but don't forget that even a queen needs help. Take up the message to thank those around you--even the bus drivers, the grocery workers, or others still interacting with people--and know that we'll get through this together.
And all because speeches are now the result of teams.
This has been another Adventure in the Austentatious. If you liked it, tell your friends; if you hated it, tell your enemies; and if you don't care either way, then tell everyone. Stay safe, be amazing...
And happy Quarantine.
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