# American-style speeches? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 15, 2005, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-style-speeches/331166 "2005-11-15T15:49:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-style-speeches/331166/1 "2005-11-15T15:49:52Z")
Google News linked to [This](http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17262186%255E2703,00.html) article from Australia, about the rioting in France. In which, they say: > [@](#): > > Flanked by the French and EU flags, Mr Chirac gave a **US-style presidential speech** amid widespread consternation at his relative silence during the worst case of civil unrest in a generation. Emphasis mine. Is there a distinctly American style of a president making a speech? If so, what is it, exactly? The only thing I can think of is that it’s not common elsewhere for presidents to make speeches, but I have a hard time believing that. ---
**Author:** ![Tevildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Tevildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tevildo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-style-speeches/331166/2 "2005-11-15T16:33:30Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > Is there a distinctly American style of a president making a speech? If so, what is it, exactly? The only thing I can think of is that it’s not common elsewhere for presidents to make speeches, but I have a hard time believing that. That is what the article means, though. I can’t speak for the rest of the world, but it’s very uncommon for a European president/prime minister to make a speech directly to the nation, rather than to their legislative assembly or party conference; it only happens in times of national emergency (as we have in France at the moment), or as part of an election campaign. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-style-speeches/331166/3 "2005-11-15T16:54:12Z")
Mr. Chirac expressed a handful of points, but he did it vaguely, couched in proud phrases like “French values.” He promised to be firm, but he didn’t say what he was going to do about the unrest. He decried discrimination, but turned away from quotas. The BBC reported that he suggested the TV networks should have a few minority talking heads, but gave no other indications of what might remedy the discrimination. The Aussie paper called that a US-style presidential speech, and I have to agree that it sounds a lot like speeches we have heard from the White House for several years. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-style-speeches/331166/4 "2005-11-15T16:58:51Z")
It’s an important tactic, a president speaking directly to the public. If you need a particular version of the truth told in a particular way, sometimes you just need to spin it yourself and not allow a multitude of political and media entities to filter it and deliver an array of confusing (or, heaven forbid: clarifying) interpretations to your support base. The impact is rather like a mega evil spirit desecrating the face of the Earth personally rather than delgating the task to say, an army of huge evil cats. Wouldn’t you agree, Tevildo?