Obama's SOTU written at 8th grade level for 3rd straight yr

[101A]

If this is intended as criticism, I'm not sure this is a very good thing to criticize.

In an era where societal disparities are substantial and growing, speaking to the whole country rather than to an educated elite seems reasonable.

"Educational Elite" are now High School Freshmen?

We HAVE sunk low.

[Warlord23]

Words per sentence as the primary metric for intelligence/sophistication of speech??? That must make this one of the smartest speeches by an American ever:

Ultimately what the bailout does is ... help ... those who are concerned about the healthcare reform that is needed ... to shore up our economy ... helping the ... it's gotta be all about job creation too and shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track, so healthcare reform and reducing taxes and reigning in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans .. and trade ... we've got to see trade as opportunity and not compe ive, um, scary thing, but one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today, we've got to look at that as more opportunity; all those things under the umbrella of job creation ... this bailout is a part of that

[Spurminator]

Yeah no . I don't care if he's using sentences of three monosyllabic words, you judge it by the content of the message.

[Blake]

Maybe talking down to the American people reveals what he and his party think of the American people.


By the way, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level of Mitch Daniels' rebuttal: 11.1

Words per sentence: 14.0

[ChumpDumper]

It was no use. Darrin still couldn't understand the speech.

[baseline bum]

L.O.L., ed smoker DarrinS's masturbation posting showed incredible incompetence.

Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level = 26th grade

[SA210]

you judge it by the content of the message.

Well there wasn't much there, that's for sure.

[Bill_Brasky]

Most newspapers are written at a 6th grade level, IIRC.

Either way, OP is just trying to nitpick and take cheap partisan shots rather than address real problems and discuss rational solutions. Non-issue.

[JoeChalupa]

If he were to speak at a higher level then he'd be accused of being pompous and thinking he is above speaking to the people.

[Bartleby]

Dragging down Obama's Flesch-Kincaid score are the series of short sentences written - perhaps for dramatic effect - on a number of policy issues.

On the state of the American auto industry:

"We bet on American workers. We bet on American ingenuity. And tonight, the American auto industry is back."

On the need to rebuild the nation's infrastructure:

"So much of America needs to be rebuilt. We've got crumbling roads and bridges. A power grid that wastes too much energy."

The short sentences observation is a fairly empty criticism, but what's worse is that two of those examples aren't even complete sentences. (Most writers would put a comma between "ingenuity" and "And," and the "power grid . . ." line is a fragment.)

[TheProfessor]

Maybe talking down to the American people reveals what he and his party think of the American people.

Maybe you're looking kind of foolish right now.

[Wild Cobra]

good idea given average intelligence of a person is around 8th grade level.

I see it as speaking up to liberals and speaking down to conservatives.

[Wild Cobra]

Wow...

Obama can read TOTUS at an 8th grade level?

I'm amazed!

[scott]

This.

Everyone who has ever written for public disclosure is aware of the unwritten rule that you NEVER write above a 7th grade level, otherwise you run the risk of losing your audience. It's not that they CAN'T read above that level, just that it becomes tiresome to do so. The only formats where it is generally accepted to write at a high level are academic and scientific works or literature.

Most newspapers are written at a 6th grade level, IIRC.

Either way, OP is just trying to nitpick and take cheap partisan shots rather than address real problems and discuss rational solutions. Non-issue.

[Agloco]

lol DarrinS and WC expecting a "Dissertation of the Union"

[LnGrrrR]

Maybe talking down to the American people reveals what he and his party think of the American people.

Does that mean that all Presidents since FDR have had slowly increasing levels of disdain for the American people? Because SOTU addresses have steadily been decreasing downward on the scale for quite a few decades now per your OP.

[LnGrrrR]

WH23 should be offended by the implications of the OP

[The Reckoning]

i win.

[Proxy]

I see it as speaking up to liberals and speaking down to conservatives.

The left is generally smarter than the right

[Winehole23]

WH23 should be offended by the implications of the OP

I'm not. Why should I be?

[Wild Cobra]

The left is generally smarter than the right

Yep, they're dumb enough to think they are.

[Wild Cobra]

lol DarrinS and WC expecting a "Dissertation of the Union"

No.

Just tires of all the code words that democrats use.

Did you think it was a meaningful speech?

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Considering the number of people that take offense claiming condescension when complicated grammar or diction is used, this should not be surprising. its supposed to be a speech to everyone and thus it caters to those dumb s too.

[Agloco]

No.

Just tires of all the code words that democrats use.

Did you think it was a meaningful speech?

In and of itself? Suspect tbh. Hooked on phonics metrics aside, in the context of other SOTU speeches it was par for the course.

[Wild Cobra]

In and of itself? Suspect tbh. Hooked on phonics metrics aside, in the context of other SOTU speeches it was par for the course.

I guess it's true in the aspect that we are allowing the dumbing down of our society.