Democratic Primaries

UncleNoel

(864 posts) Thu Mar 19, 2020, 09:23 AM Mar 2020

Op-Ed: What others see as Joe Biden's mental slips, I see as the tricks of a master stutterer

You don’t notice Joe Biden’s stutter when he’s speaking most of the time. He didn't stutter during Sunday night’s debate, for example. But as a stutterer, I recognized the fingerprints of a master stutterer at work.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/op-ed-others-see-joe-100045858.html

Seeing Biden on stage takes me back to my childhood. I've watched him for years and recognize the familiar tricks. Noticed him struggling with a phrase or name he's uttered a million times before.

I've heard him use overly complicated or quirky phrasing and immediately recognized the method of a master stutterer: the almost savant-like ability to rephrase a thought or paragraph, on-the-fly, to avoid a problematic word or syllable.

I've listened to his critics and heard echoes of my past. He's senile, they insist. He forgot Obama's name. He's mentally defective. Dementia. But I know better.

At a campaign stop on March 5, Biden "forgot" Obama's name, identifying him simply as "the last guy." At other events he’s said, "President my boss." Some see this as evidence of a man losing his mental faculties. I see the familiar trick of calling a last-second audible for an easier syllable or phrase, the in-the-moment wordplay stutterers use to navigate their speech.

Stuttering is fickle. A word might come naturally the first million times, then get stuck without warning. So we make substitutions. Sometimes it's nicknames. Sometimes it's slang that sounds awkward or out-of-place, like Biden uses.

Demsrule86

(71,023 posts)

1. I have a son who stutters...so I get it. Also, I have ADHD...I will think of something and sometimes

Reply to UncleNoel (Original post)

Thu Mar 19, 2020, 09:29 AM

Mar 2020

stop in the middle of talking about it and move to a different thought...medicine doesn't work for me. I would bet money that Biden has a bit of this. Your mind is constantly in motion.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

Thekaspervote

(34,666 posts)

3. My granddaughter and son in law are the same.

Reply to Demsrule86 (Reply #1)

Thu Mar 19, 2020, 09:57 AM

Mar 2020

Interesting ...they and many others I have been around with ADHD...…crazy SMART!

I see that in Joe. Lots of experience over the years, but thinks quickly on his feet, even when discussing complex issues

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

Demsrule86

(71,023 posts)

4. I didn't say it because I don't want to be seen as having a big...head but I graduated college with

Reply to Thekaspervote (Reply #3)

Thu Mar 19, 2020, 10:04 AM

Mar 2020

3.9 with a double major and two minors...high school is often a nightmare for us as our brain just doesn't do well with busy work but college is great. I would have stayed in school for my entire life if I could have...And computers are the great equalizers as our handwriting is often terrible and we have issues with proofreading and organizing what we write by hand. Some may have noticed, I update my posts a great deal as often I miss misspelled words, or I leave a word out etc. The computer is a great tool for me and others like me.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

Docreed2003

(17,812 posts)

2. K&R...as a lifetime stutterer I totally get this

Reply to UncleNoel (Original post)

Thu Mar 19, 2020, 09:53 AM

Mar 2020

I do this all the time, and, frankly, the only time i noticeably stutter is when I'm over tired. Love Joe and this makes him even more endearing to me.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

BlueIdaho

(13,582 posts)

5. I never thought I'd see the day

Reply to UncleNoel (Original post)

Thu Mar 19, 2020, 10:15 AM

Mar 2020

When someone calling themselves a liberal or progressive would ridicule someone with a speech defect.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

Lulu KC

(4,255 posts)

6. He's turned me into a champion for stutterers!

Reply to UncleNoel (Original post)

Thu Mar 19, 2020, 10:31 AM

Mar 2020

I haven't known many, but just met one recently. I'm finding that I appreciate him more, thanks to all the attention stuttering is getting because of Joe.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

elias7

(4,188 posts)

7. a master of the stutter sounds better than a master stutterer to me

Reply to UncleNoel (Original post)

Thu Mar 19, 2020, 11:33 AM

Mar 2020

In any event, although he’s kept this under wraps in the past, I always held those flips and twists and turns against him, feeling that he was syntactically challenged, rather than having enunciation issues. I would say that I voted against him in the past quite possibly for this very reason. Had I known that this was a strategy to deal with stuttering, I might’ve supported him in the past. I certainly support him now. Quite presidential even...

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

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