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Watching an American politician give a speech is weird for non-Americans. They go
1. inspiring stories about how hard their parents worked
2. relatable values that led them into politics
3. well-observed points about policy, energy building
4. weird bit about thanking troops for nothing in particular
5. more energy, when we work together we can do anything
6. disturbing reference to killing enemies nobody in crowd seems to notice
7. demented yelling about being the best country
8. balloons.
@isaacfreeman this is spot on, and I also find it very odd!
@CatherineFlick I'm sure I'm blind to clichés of New Zealand political speech that come across poorly to anyone else. My best guess is what we call the “She'll be right” attitude: dull men telling us how relaxed they are about things that nobody should be relaxed about are often touted as great communicators.
It just doesn't carry the same degree of menace as Americans shifting straight from social cohesion to militaristic jingoism and back without seeing the difference.
@isaacfreeman @CatherineFlick Ditto Australia.
We don't treat our political candidates like rock stars. The most excited anyone gets is election night, if they win.
The military is only referred to obliquely, eg "Defence Budget" (we 'never' attack)
or "Security". Our participation in conflicts is usually in support of the US eg Vietnam, Iraq, and is usually looked back on with some regret and even shame in the case of Vietnam.
The cliches here are "job creation", "the Economy" (either "in the black" or " in the red") "families" (childcare, health care & "home ownership") "the future" envisioned as a techno wonderland, not wracked by climate disasters.