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(Tenured Radical)

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Statement v. Statement

Which is best?

Statement #1:

Over my 15 years in public life, [Pretty good opening phrase -- an attempt at gravitas.] I've felt a responsibility [This word wants to deepen the aura of moral seriousness.] to speak honestly and openly [Americans, Patrick Kennedy's publicist/writer knows, like the language of openness and honesty. So much that spilling the beans is usually enough. No need to change the behavior about which you're spilling.] about my challenges [Challenges is good. Strong people like Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods have challenges. "Weaknesses" would undermine the moral equivalence.] with addiction and depression [The publicist has so far successfully medicalized everything.]. I've been fighting [Chariots of Fire rhetoric. Every day a Blakean battle.] this chronic disease since I was a young man, and have aggressively and periodically sought treatment so that I can live a full and productive life. [Has to dry out all the time. Could have put it more straightforwardly, but okay. If Rhode Island wants a person like this leading it, that's democracy.]

I struggle every day with this disease, as do millions of Americans [Battle Royale again, and I'm not the only one, you know.] I've dedicated my public service to raising awareness about the chronic [Needs to keep saying chronic, or we'd wonder why he keeps doing shit.] disease of addiction and have fought to increase access to care and recovery supports for the too many Americans forced to struggle on their own.

This past Christmas [Switches to narration here. Good idea. We like stories.], I realized that I had to seek help again so checked myself into the Mayo Clinic for addiction to prescription pain medication [Kennedy's effort to make this not be about alcohol has not been a success]. I was there over the holiday and during the House recess getting well, and I returned to the House of Representatives and to Rhode Island reinvigorated and healthy.

Of course, in every recovery, each day has its ups and downs [Cliche probably not a good idea. Sounds facile, insincere.], but I have been strong, focused and productive since my return. But in all candor, the incident on Wednesday evening concerns me greatly [Weird dissociative language... I concern myself greatly... Doesn't work.].

I simply do not remember getting out of bed, being pulled over by the police, or being cited for three driving infractions. That's not how I want to live my life, and that's not how I want to represent the people of Rhode Island. [This is excellent. Has the ring of truth. But the sequence of events forgets to mention his time spent drinking in a Capitol Hill bar. The question is whether he remembers that.]

The recurrence of an addiction problem can be triggered by things that happen in everyday life, such as taking a common treatment for a stomach flu. That's not an excuse for what happened Wednesday evening, but its a reality of fighting a chronic condition for which I'm taking full responsibility.

I am deeply concerned about my reaction to the medication and my lack of knowledge of the accident that evening. But I do know enough to know that I need to seek expert help. This afternoon, I'm traveling to Minnesota to seek treatment at the Mayo Clinic to ensure I can continue on my road to recovery [Road to recovery is a vile cliche. And since his writer has assured us countless times now that his disease is chronic, it's really really all wrong].

The greatest honor of my public life is to serve the people of Rhode Island, and I'm determined to address this issue [Address this issue is so weird -- so much the dead distant language of politicos -- that one can't feel any confidence a person so alienated from himself will experience any real recovery.] so that I can continue to fight for the families of Rhode Island with the same dedication and rigor that I have exemplified over the last decade.

I hope that my openness today and in the past, and my acknowledgment that I need help, will give others the courage to get help if they need it. I am blessed to have a loving and supportive family who is in my corner, and I am grateful to my friends, especially those in Rhode Island, who have reached out to me. Thank you for you prayers and your support. [The statement is much too long, and too full of ass-saving blah blah. The writer should have stopped with the phrase "Mayo Clinic."]




*******************************************************

Statement #2


"After drinking alcohol on Thursday night [Publicist starts right in on narrative -- good idea. Kennedy's had far too much political filler.], I did a number of things that were very wrong [Barney the Dinosaur locution makes your reader feel you're talking down to her.] and for ["about" would be better] which I am ashamed. I drove a car when I should not have [Again, this crosses the line between attractive simple direct statement and Barney], and was stopped by the L.A. County sheriffs. The arresting officer was just doing his job [Cliche. And why is it there? Isn't it self-evident? Makes Gibson sound like the Hollywood padrone he is.] and I feel fortunate that I was apprehended before I caused injury to any other person [Gibson apparently tried to make a run for it when he saw the cops, so this doesn't ring very true.].

"I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested, and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable. [As with Patrick Kennedy, we have the dissociative problem. I acted like a person. But you are that person.] I am deeply ashamed of everything I said and I apologize to anyone who I have offended.

"Also, I take this opportunity to apologize to the deputies involved for my belligerent behavior. They have always been there for me in my community and indeed probably saved me from myself. [Getting a bit over the top here, but I like the phrase saved me from myself.] I disgraced myself and my family with my behavior and for that I am truly sorry.

"I have battled the disease of alcoholism for all of my adult life [Eerie. Gibson's writer's reading from the exact same template Kennedy's is.] and profoundly regret my horrific [Misuse of this word. Nothing horrific here, and makes Gibson look like what he is -- a ham, emoting his way out of a problem.] relapse. I apologize for any behavior unbecoming of me in my inebriated state and have already taken necessary steps to ensure my return to health."




Statement #3:


"Jet lag, loneliness and adrenalin." [The clear winner.]