Is A Speech Ever Just A Speech?

First Lady Melania Trump spoke at a UN event last week.  I haven't listened to the whole speech yet, but it's widely available.  Clocking in at 7 minutes, it's probably too long for the average person to view in its entirety.  Our attention spans are just not that long as we multitask and try to glean information quickly from our phones.  Instead, in this age of social media, people tend to prefer to look at memes and think they know the whole story.  You can view the speech here and also read about the latest pseudo-scandal:  Did Melania Trump plagiarize Michele Obama yet again?

No, she didn't.  Snopes, as usual, does an excellent job debunking this.

So why can't we just leave Melania Trump alone?  Will she ever be able to just give a speech and have it stand on its own merits?  Probably not.  Viewers will always bring with them the context with which they view the speaker.  And most people have already formed their opinions of the Trumps.  And the fact that many feel President Trump is a bully will interfere with their ability to hear Melania's message on the topic of online bullying.  Many will conclude that Melania does not have the credibility to speak on this topic and will dismiss her remarks out of hand.

Giving a speech isn't a magic act.  It can't erase context, impressions, actions or history.  Remember that the next time you are crafting a speech that you hope will allow you to change your image.  One speech is probably not enough.

Melania Trump, like any one of us, is a complex person.  I don't think she is all good or all evil.  Don't be surprised if she is the topic of future blog posts.