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Hillary Clinton's attempts to be "just folks" by telling the crowd that she isn't all that good at foreign languages.
First, I very much doubt that's true; she went to Wellesley in the 1960's, when the elite colleges required at least a year of a foreign language before graduation. She may not *remember* whatever she studied, but this "aw shucks, I'm not all that good at it," strikes me as disingenuous.
Second, I really dislike what seems to be an attempt to do what bright women have done for years to seem less threatening: downplay her own abilities to curry favor. She was the graduation speaker, which means that she was one of the top students at one of the top colleges in the United States. Whether she was good at a foreign language or not, you can bet that she got top grades in all her classes. She should be playing up her intelligence and her abilities, not denigrating herself.
YMMV, and I'd feel this way regardless of which candidate I supported.
First, I very much doubt that's true; she went to Wellesley in the 1960's, when the elite colleges required at least a year of a foreign language before graduation. She may not *remember* whatever she studied, but this "aw shucks, I'm not all that good at it," strikes me as disingenuous.
Second, I really dislike what seems to be an attempt to do what bright women have done for years to seem less threatening: downplay her own abilities to curry favor. She was the graduation speaker, which means that she was one of the top students at one of the top colleges in the United States. Whether she was good at a foreign language or not, you can bet that she got top grades in all her classes. She should be playing up her intelligence and her abilities, not denigrating herself.
YMMV, and I'd feel this way regardless of which candidate I supported.
