Body Politics: Sarah Palin's Body Language And Why It Should Worry You

Since our last post, we've been asked many times to comment on Sarah Palin's mannerisms. Her Body-Talk is not as blatant as her running mate, probably because she has a background as a performer in beauty pageants and television. She has learned to conceal the smirks and clenches that play so openly across the countenance of John McCain.

In our work we call body language the Five Flags, because there are five major ways human beings react when they're not speaking the authentic truth. Twitches and jaw-clenches are examples of Flag #1, Body-Flags. To understand Sarah Palin, though, you need to understand Flags #2 and #3, Voice-Flags and Attitude-Flags. The English word 'personality' comes from two Latin words, per and sona, "through sound." The Romans knew that the personality comes through in the tone of voice and other vocal aspects.

From thirty-five years of clinical experience, we can tell you a lot about Sarah Palin's real personality and why it makes many people even more nervous that John McCain's.

Attitude-Flag #1: The Aggressive Confidence Of The Con-Person

Sarah Palin has mastered one fundamental requirement of a Republican president: she can smile and look you directly in the eye while telling an outrageous lie. At least when John McCain lies, his body screams his discomfort by putting on an eye-catching display of twitches, phony smiles and robot moves. McCain's body language is so strange that it's easily observable; he appears to be operated by a puppeteer who is a couple of triple-espressos over the line. That's a good thing, though. We'd much rather have a presidential candidate who reads like a comic book when he's lying than one who conceals those whoppers under a grin and a wink. Sarah Palin belts out her deceptions and distractions with a radiant confidence we usually only see in sociopaths and infomercial pitch-persons. The last public figure we saw who could grin and lie with that kind of sunny confidence was O. J. Simpson.

Voice-Flag #1: The Exaggerated Folksiness Of The Huckster

Our partisan colors may peek through subtly from time to time, but we do our best to be non-partisan lie-catchers. We cringed when Bill Clinton did his famous "I did not have sex..." line. We immediately looked at each other and said "uh-oh," because his body language let us know loud and clear that he did indeed have sex with "that woman." About ten minutes after Clinton's declaration, our phone started ringing from producers of talk shows wanting us to comment on Clinton's body language. They knew they'd seen something, but they couldn't figure out exactly what.

More recently, we cringed when we heard Sarah Palin start using more of those pseudo-folksy expressions such as "You betcha" and "doggone-it." She was droppin' so many g's on-stage at last week's debate that the janitorial staff may have had to work over-time pickin' 'em up, by gum. The last eight years have taught us all a sobering lesson: you don't have to be smart to be the President of the United States. However, we hope that America is smart enough to see Palin's exaggerated folksiness for what it is, a cheap trick to cozy up to us so they can sell us four more years of Bush Lite. We hope America will hear those "You betchas" and send Mc Cain/Palin a message right back: Just because you pretend to be dumb and folksy, you don't automatically get to live in the White House.

Voice-Flag #2: The Metallic Shriek Of The Fear-Monger

To emphasize certain points, Sarah Palin takes her voice up the tone scale to a metallic shriek. This tone will be familiar to many of us: it's the voice your mother employed as a last resort to get you out of bed when you were a teenager. It's designed to scare you, to rake fingernails across your inner chalkboard. She often uses this voice when she first takes the stage at a rally. It works quite well there, because it cuts like a knife and jolts any of the faithful who might be dozing to sit up in their seats. We hope Americans are not so sleepy as to vote in favor of hearing this tone of voice for four years.

Here's the bottom line: The McCain/Palin campaign strategy is based entirely on stirring up fear. It's a classic way to distract people from thinking about real issues and to cover up the lack of any real solutions. Their thinking goes like this:

•If we can get people scared that Obama might secretly be a Muslim or a terrorist, maybe we can get them not to think about the real issues.

•If we can get people scared that Rev. Wright might turn the inaugural benediction into an anti-American rant, maybe we can get them to believe America's economic problems are just something cooked up by the elite media as a way to play "Gotcha" on poor Sarah and John.

•If we can scare people into thinking Barack HUSSEIN Obama is going to put Louis Farrakhan in charge of the annual White House Easter egg hunt, maybe people won't notice that we have absolutely no solutions to the real problems they face.

Barack Obama has so far opted to run a positive campaign based on hope and thoughtful solutions. It's our fervent desire that he continue to do so, because it's about time we turned our national attention to positive possibilities. Over the past eight years we've had enough fear-mongering to last a lifetime.

(Stay tuned! In our next post we'll look at two more important bits of body language that we all need to be paying attention to during the campaign. We've noticed these flags at play in both Joe Biden and John McCain, and they spell trouble for all of us.)

Related:

The Obama Relationship: A Major Benefit No One Is Talking About

Body Politics: What McCain's Smirks, Tics And Jaw-Clenches Really Mean

The Obamas' Greatest PDA Moments: SLIDESHOW

Follow Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks on Twitter: www.twitter.com/GayHendricks

Comments

[deeppeace]

Bravo!

[Okieborn]

The person who has missed the press is Todd Palin, he belongs to a group who wishes to place Alaska as an independent country no ties to the United States.
This Dude is scary to watch !!!!

[devans00]

I like how The Daily Show with Jon Stewart put it . Sarah is the head of a family of grifters. She and her clan go around getting the most that they can out of the duped, without a care for the impacts of their cons on anyone.

[cowpox]

Your etymology is bankrupt.
We cite Merriam-Webster:
personality- from Latin persona (actor's mask, character in a play, person), probably from Etruscan phersu (mask), from Greek prosōpa, plural of prosōpon face, (mask) — more at prosopopoeia

Please do learn to use a dictionary.

[nunzia]

Right.
Having some familiarity with Latin, I was struck by that goofiness immediately.
Also, some of that blog is just silly.
The last sociopathic liar we've all known isn't O.J.. It's W.
C'mon.
I gather these 2 are being paid, by tv people, some big bucks to snow 'em.
OK by me.
But here at huffpo, you have to be more careful.
Some of us are schooled in various disciplines and know b.s. when we see it.

[R a b]

Exactly. Immediately devalues any later points.

[mamacat]

Someday, maybe after the dust from this election settles, I hope that McCain comes clean about how he chose this person to be his running mate. What were his thought processes leading up to this decision? How long was the vetting of possible running mates? Why was Sarah chosen?

Did he choose her............. because he was told to? ...........out of spite, because he wasn't allowed to have Lieberman as his running mate? .......... because he honestly thought that she was the most qualified person for the job?

For now, Mac and Sarah are mostly staying away from the press. Maybe someday, even if it is after the election, we will get to have our questions asked, and our curiousity satisfied. However, somehow I think that if they manage to win the election, we will see a continuation of their policy of hiding everything from the American people, including the truth.

[BeyondGoodAndEvil]

Republicans will never admit to the truth. They don't want their base to know they are owned lock stock and barrel.

[Dysthymia]

I've thought long and hard about this. Maybe McCain may be thinking about what he'll do when he loses this presidential race. And there is that Alaskan independence organization and Governor Palin's connection to it. If they really succeeded from the United States, wouldn't they need a ruler? He could become the King of Alaska!

Nothing else about the VP pick of Governor Palin makes sense to me.

[techNmoreDotCom]

It seems obvious that Palin is overplaying a role, but to her conservative base she will be nominated for an Oscar. I just think what the Republicans are doing in general is erasing a lot of the progress we have made due to the Obama campaign of race relations in this country. For the first time ever we might elect a black president, for the first time ever we have nominated a black person for president from a major party and the Republicans are so desperate to win the white house the are throwing things out like he's an Arab, a terrorist, a shady, dark figure etc. I think the real evil is in the hate being handed out at these rallies by the McCain campaign and the loyal lemmings that are following it. If 100+ year old people, former KKK leaders, and rednecks (for Obama) can overcome skin color than I think its their duty to stick to the issues and keep above these racist attacks.

[karenheff]

I completely agree. It's inconceivable to me that McCain and Palin haven't denounced the hateful rhetoric that has been heard at their recent rallies, of course they've been inciting it. I think it's criminal.

[odoreida]

"I just think what the Republicans are doing in general is erasing a lot of the progress we have made due to the Obama campaign of race relations in this country"

You haven't made any progress at all. In fact, you've made reverse progress because any time your candidate was criticized or questioned for ANYTHING, his campaign silenced everybody by screeching "ra ci sm". A candidate who pole vaults on r aci al blackmail sets ra cerelations back by decades.

[Strywever]

Oh? Who has been silenced?

[grailknight]

That is a falsehood. The proper term for "reverse progress" is regress.

[shadowgm]

Governor Palin has a touch of the Cheney sneer, visible as an initial reaction during her interview with Katie Couric. Asked about Russia, there's this split-second sneer and a narrowing of Palin's eyes.

There's also something odd about Senator McCain. I understand that he may have limitations on his movement due to injuries sustained during his captivity, but his tone at key moments is entirely mismatched with his words. His line, "Fight with me! Fight with me! Fight with me!" was delivered in a near monotone; most speakers would ramp that up on each repetition.

McCain and Palin also use the 'sage nod' - McCain says something, and either Cindy or Sarah are there to nod sagely. The message, of course, is, "Yes, you should agree with John." -- but it's a technique that works two ways. On behalf of the speaker, it guides - we unconsciously tend to mimic people as part of our social behavior. On the part of the listener, if you start to nod after I or a surrogate initiate that behavior, I know I'm getting into your head - and I can either continue along the same lines, or feed you questionable facts now that your mind and body are subconsciously agreeing with me.

[maymaybay]

This article seems entirely too biased for my taste. Wouldn't it have been better to subtly point out Palin's tactics instead of using words like, "The Exaggerated Folksiness Of The Huckster" or "The Metallic Shriek Of The Fear-Monger"? It seems, that in addition to talking about Palin, you've also brought John McCain into the picture. How does he have anything to do with what Palin's body language says? I got the impression that the authors of this article do not approve of Palin. Next time, please try to be more neutral. That way, the American people can choose what to believe, not be told.

[Darwinita]

seems unnecessary, since you see through them so clearly. They're entitled to their own opinion, as are you. Caveat emptor, dearie- use your own brain

[lordbaal]

The Republicans are calling Obama a terrorist, an anti American Muslim and you complain about a very accurate yet creatively worded factual description of Palin's delivery?

Please! If you claim to have so much taste then taste the bitterness coming from the Republican side, and wise up!

lordbaal.w­ordpress.c­om/

[cyclewerker]

brilliant post...I don't know why more people don't smell an egomaniacal fraud...

[WillG60]

Thanks to Kathlyn and Gay. I felt the negative qualities you ascribe to Gov. Palin the first time
I ever heard her or saw her live, at the RNC over network TV in a nursing home of all places!
I was a visitor to the nursing home, by the way. Staff did let me leave, after our lengthy scuffle.
The VP debate verified my initial feelings on Palin. I shook my head: Is she real? You betcha,
in her own dear and false way. Her performance sent a genuine Wassila chill up my spine.
Your article sums up the entire Republican campaign for president 2008. I too have remarked
to such effect over various blogs. Many voters are catching on, even or especially hockey fans.

[exanguation]

I've been here in the US for almost 7 years. I've heard people say Republicans are the "conservat­ives/chris­tian" people while Democrats are the "liberal" people. As a born-again christian hearing the word liberal scares me and conservative somehow soothes me. I was intrigued with this election and it saddened me that nearly all Republicans that claim to be christians do not display christian values. All I see in this election/c­ampaign/ra­lly is hate, mock and lies.

I respect each person choice for this election. However, instead of praying that one party to be elected just because they are christians, pray that we'll have peaceful election and that God will bring us the president He knows that will be better fit to this country. In the end, who ever wins this election is God's will.

[retrocozayshin]

Good point, but God's will happens regardless of prayer. And there are Christians and non-Christians on both sides of the political spectrum. Prayer is good when it boils down to selfless communication with God, but God's will has already been laid out from the beginning of time until the end of time. God is beyond time. Everything happens according to God's will. Everything.

[mamacat]

"Everything happens according to God's will."
I don't suppose you have any proof of that statement?

[norah s]

I hope it is not too disilliusioning for you, exanguation, to be in this land of gold-paved streets. I am heartened by your wish for peace. However, I can't imagine that God is paying attention to the big chief rituals in any of the many groupings of humans on the earth.

It is ironic that those so-called christian values seem to be as ephemeral as a gust of wind. In fact, when people have to point to their so-called qualities, watch out! If someone says, "trust me," I automatically don't. Similarly, when someone starts spouting off about Christian values, I automatically feel my hackles rise.

[joezafro]

What are your qualities?

Mine are that Catholocism, whether you think it's false or not, promotes selflessness, and can lead to a better sense of justice. Some far-out sects of Christianity (note that even though I think they're wrong, I still gave them the respect of capitalizing the name of their general religion) are a 'bit' extremist, but don't take their bad example to say the whole of the Christian religion is a bad gust of wind... it's over 2000 years old, with roots back paralleling the Jewish religion (since the beginning of recorded history). We've been around a long time, and in that time a couple 'members' have done stupid things, like "priests" raping children. Trust me, they've been excommunicated, and you don't have to worry about the whole of Christianity being an evil plague wiping over the Earth. Just worry that the media is enjoying blowing incidents out of proportion.

And it's "shackles" not "hackles"
-Joe

[potterman0]

Biased liberalism. I 'd rather have a folksy person and a patriot as Vice President and President than a Capital croany and a social-communist. If I wanted to live in a Socialist/Marxist country I'd move to Spain. I work to pay for my education and medical care. I don"t want to have to pay for illegal immigrants education, and welfare. 10 million illegal immigrants will bankrupt the USA if the Democrats have their way.

[Opinome]

I totally agree with this blogger. This site is absoluteley biased, and seems to be making up a few facts that support their point of view. Our country has lost most of the values that we were founded on. It is no longer illegal to kill an innocent child, just because he or she is inconvenient. We are no longer one nation, under God. We are not allowed to voice our opinions freely, unless we are liberalists. I, for one, believe Sarah Palin and John McCain are decent, honorable people, while I believe Barrack Obama is, not only inexperienced, but deceitful, and has a hidden agenda for our nation if he is elected. I want God back, and I want Government to stay out of my church: to let our ministers preach their values and the politics that upholds those values. That is freedom of religion. What the Democrats want is freedom FROM religion...and that is a scary thought!

[jeand73]

Are you sure you live in the United States?

[karenheff]

On what grounds are you basing your assertion that Sarah Palin and John McCain are honorable and decent? Sarah Palin has lied since she came on the national scene. Can't and won't answer straight-forward questions, and most recently has incited hatred toward Barack Obama. When people shouted "terrorist" and "kill him," she had the audacity to continue on with her speech rather than stop and condemn the outbursts. That is reprensible. And as for McCain. I believed he was honorable and decent when he ran against Bush in 2000, but he is unrecognizable now. I am saddened and disgusted by what he has become.

[kiwi11]

Opinome, have you considered the decency that McCain showed when he came back from being a POW and discovering that his wife was not the beauty that he left behind, so he quickly took up with the very wealthy Ms Cindy, who's family funded his move into politics and his poor former wife, who had been waiting for his return, was left in the shadows. Honorable?

[JamesofBerkeley]

I fully support your argument "We are no longer one nation, under God" and yet totally disagree with the rest of your statment and point. We were not founded on the idea that we were supposed to be "one nation under god," that is a notion that was pushed in the '50s and everyone who knows it seems to have forgotten it. Do we really live in a country that argues that the past is one idea and then forget to use the past to argue against it? We have always stood for the separation of church and state, seen the value in allowing religious freedoms, and not letting them dictate our laws.

Does no one know this any more?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pledge_of_Allegiance
Check out the right hand side and see how its changed.

[virgil33]

How about you keep your church out of my government! no freedom of religion is the right to practive your beliefs without government interferen­ce...seper­ation of church and state is supposed to keep religion out of government! But obviously Sara Palin believes oilpipeline deals are "God's Will" and the Iraq war is "a task from God"..You are upset that you "are not allowed to voice" your opion, yet you support Palin, who tried to ban books in a libary...you are complaining about censorship, yet palin practices it...

[Evinsmom]

You better start packing because we've already socialized our debt thanks to the Republicans and still our education and medical care is failing!!! Wake up, the US is already bankrupt!!!

[joezafro]

Oh no! Let's all loose hope and fall to despair!

...lol... where's America's spirit these days? If there's a will there's a way. Who has will? Anybody?


Anyone? (hint: let's be nice and work together on this one)

-Joe

[hortonhearsawho]

wow, lou dobbs blogging under a new name i see...

[JessicaLindsey]

I agree 100%!! It's sad that someone would be so hateful to such a genuinely GOOD woman! And McCain might be "robotic" but how childish for the libs to throw it in there all the time. They love to drag things down to their level.

And to the comment a couple below about Republicans making things socialist. HA!!! I'm not sure if Obama's plans for imposing a fine on American's who are unable to afford the provision for health insurance for their children raises a flag FOR YOU, but it definitely should. You might want to look into that.... You betcha

[joezafro]

lmao you're AWESOME! I love your Palin quote, too, lol.

But yeah, I also disagree with Obama's healthcare plan... my girlfriend and I live in different states, and I can only afford to drive to see her every other month. Her family has very little money because her mom had breast cancer (and lived!), and my girlfriend has emotional disorders. From what they've said about it (and they're obviously "in-the-know"), this plan won't work for them any better than the current system. And Obama hasn't made it clear to me what would happen with my health insurance if I get into a bad accident in HER state, on my way to visit her...

-Joe

[toxic amd]

WAKE UP!!!!!!!! POTTERMANO!!!! see what kind of financial dilemma were already in.. we are already bankcrupt.. what about your civil liberties that the republicans took from you under the guise of protecting the country from so called terrorists WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read the patriot act for pete's sake

what are u so afraid of hmm??? you afraid of a black man able to fix the country is that it?

all you folks need to go pass color , religion heck even the sound of the voice ( raspiness give me a freaking break)
we need action we need change and obama is the man.

one more thing for all the mccain supporters here.. do any of remember when he said he knows how to get osama bin laden and if elected president he'll catch him... do you see the error in this?
5 years and counting that were at war,4000+ dead soldiers ,half a trillion dollar spent, 250,000 iraqis displaced and he wont even .divulge how to get osama bin laden.

[joezafro]

So... you're calling me racist because I disagree with a certain half-black man's stances on our nation's issues?

I'm not supporting McCain either, racist.
-Joe

[kristiopinion]

I don't apperciate the bias of this article, along with most others from this site. it is wrong to say that Sara Palin is fake. She is being her self. When Obama is thinking of a lie he always goes "uh uh uh" in that raspy voice.

Media=Democrat
Truth=Republican

Hollywood isn't real life

[MisterMark]

kristi, when Obama hesitates, it's because he's formulating a precise answer.

I know that Bush has convinced you that it's not necessary to think before you act, but try it sometime, and you'll see that thinking before you strike is actually a good thing.

[joezafro]

I was always taught to think about what you're going to say, and how you're going to say it, before you get up in front of the nation and start slipping "uh" and "um" into every sentence.

The President is one story, but you shouldn't be so quick to take Obama as something completely opposite, lol...

-Joe

[JokerSmile]

MisterMark, I agree with you completely. It seems as though Sarah Palin must be told this as well, for she is just as oblivious as her "fans" on how frighteningly unprepared she is to help lead this country.

[maxboredanski]

yes you are 100% right but the left cant see this!

[HNA08]

Herself is one word.

Republican= assertions which are based on feelings and have nothing to do with reason, facts, logic, or truth.

[RobertAndropolis]

I have never heard Obama's tone of voice characterized as "raspy" even by his most ardent detractors. Words like "warm" and "mellifluous" are common attributes however. By all accounts he possesses a high intelligence (you don't get to the top of Harvard Law by having an admiral daddy and granddaddy). His hesitation before answering some questions reveals an intellect that is weighing carefully what he is about to say and the consequences; unlike his opponent who says whatever enters his mind first, prefaced by the ubiquitous "my friends" (a stall while a response forms).

Regarding Palin's shortcomings, don't take my word for it, but consider those of noted conservative reporter David Brooks: "She compensates for her lack of experience with brashness and excessive decisiveness."

This is hauntingly familiar to Mexico's Vincenze Fox's describing Bush as "the most arrogant man I have ever met." This is especially notable coming from the former president of the country that invented machismo.

Honestly, can't we just elect the smart person? Just for once? To try it out? If it doesn't work out, then vote him out of office after his first term. Do we have to elect the person we feel most comfortable having a barbecue with? Or a beer?

I don't suspect any random blog will change your mind, but please do consider that all societies, primative as well as developed, entrust their cultures' welfare to the smartest of the clan.

By the way, it's "herself" not "her self."

[joezafro]

I disagree with just about all of what you said, but I'm very impressed at your paragraphed structure and your use of citations. Why can't most other people do that before coming here and spewing out empty opinions?

...oh wait, did I just do that? Small world, lol.

Good job =)
-Joe

[atl28]

You took the words right out of my mouth! I love your post it was fair conscise and to the point. Kudos to you! See you Nov 4th

[karenheff]

Well said! I don't get the narcissism that dictates we should elect someone we want to have a beer with. Why can't we do as Bill Maher says and elect someone smarter than us?

[joezafro]

Well, historically, I found that it was usually the strongest, not necessarily the smartest, that became leaders. It's just that the smartest had written books, so we know more about those guys.

It IS flipping over the other way these days though, and with the advances in technology and the size of our nation, I can't blame people. But it would still be nice if people weren't afraid of having a brave, militarily experienced man as President... not that I'm suggesting anything ;)

-Joe
-Joe

[MountAlipaz]

So since McCain's IQ is 138 and Obama's 130, who's smarter?

[LikeaRollingStone]

You're absolutely right. Obama's commercial about McCain and the Keating Five was very positive and focused on positive solutions. You'd never see the Democrats going negative. Never. Ever.

By the way, how does the Kool-Aid taste?

[joezafro]

Dude, I love the cherry Kool-Aid. It makes great popsicles, too.

=)

Now, although I'm gonna have to disagree with you on "You'd never see the Democrats going negative," I'm not one to point the finger in one direction, either. I use both fingers, and point in both directions.

Everybody is so partisan these days. This election seems to be more of a popularity contest than anything else. I don't trust either party anymore, because they're attacking each other more than the problems in this country. Grow up, before a second Civil War breaks out.

I want my children to grwo up in the UNITED States of America...
-Joe

[joezafro]

Oops, typo...

-Joe

[Frannyvida]

Typical Repub, Likearolling stone, how about a stone around our necks for the past 8 years?" Kind of like your name "the wolf in sheeps clothing", or as in your current Leader pulling the wool over your eyes as in closing your eyes to a problem. Well it worked for awhile, but the jig is up.

[maxboredanski]

boy you childish libs sure can make crap up ,how about a fact once ,obama will not provide any information about himself such as birth certificate proveing place of birth ,and has by far less experiance than both other candidates, he has only proven that he has spent a lot of time with people that are not the type of people i and most of america want any where near the presidancy ,firing squade maybe! im average america and not as elite as you small minded libs ,and palin seems to be a good person not an elitist like libs are so no wander you dont like her!

[PrairieDog]

How about a "firing squad" for traitors who sent 4000 Americans to their graves for a pack of lies?
After due process, of course.

[maxboredanski]

your just a loone

[Petesdaddy]

You can see his birth certificate here: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/06/obama-birth.html
Or just Google it.
How do you assume to know what most Americans want?
Palin may not be an elitist in your eyes but she has been found to have betrayed the public trust in her current office as governor.

[maxboredanski]

if that was a fact there would not be a court case brought by people in his party !how can you assume im wrong? and again look at the facts

[ChicagoCindy]

"proveing"? "experiance"? "presidancy"? "squade"? Besides your complete inability to spell beyond a sixth-grade level, you can't punctuate, capitalize, or even form a correct sentence. Perhaps you should spend less time posting such baseless BS and more time working on your GED, there, genius.

[maxboredanski]

exactly elitist i work for a living and it is not writing sorry im not as good at spelling as you because that realy important in the real world you should be correcting text messages for everyone to!

[JessicaLindsey]

At least he has enough intelligence to think rationally, even if his spelling may not be up to YOUR standards. Lay off, child.

[dennybop]

More violence-talk. When Obama's elected what are these folks going to do? The political discourse in this country has sunk so low that many of these people are going to feel justified in carrying out anti-democratic action. These people think they represent the majority of Americans, and they very simply do not. They believe every Obama voter is a "liberal" or a friend of terrorism. This talk of "firing squads" treason and terrorism have been stoked not by the McCain campaign, but by the likes of Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Prager, Hannity and Coulter. These are the real un-American operatives in our society.

[maxboredanski]

the statement was in regards to the people that hes been around ,and was going to put lol ,but didnt think you would no what it meant ,how do you assume that the majority does not?

[FloaterBall]

I guess it must be elitist to learn to spell, capitalize and punctuate properly.

[JessicaLindsey]

Or childish enough to grade someone's blog commentary. A++