I remember reading about these debates from Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death". Which of course is all about this subject you're addressing. Funny how he predicted all of this in 1984, where this book started, from a talk he gave at the Frankfurt book fair, commemorating George Orwell's 1984, which foretold where we are now as well. Anyway, I was similarly struck by how amazing it was that people used to gather, debate, and talk like this. Their speeches were not even scripted apparently. They memorized this stuff and had the brain power for it!
This was top of mind because I just reread Amusing ourselves to death. What's the longest speech you've ever given? Think you could hang for three hours straight?
I’ve gone to about 2.5 hrs, and yes, 3 wouldn’t be hard, but it’s really not hard to do once you’ve taken the time to find your best stories. Storytime is something Einstein should have studied and created a formula for, because stories introduce an alternate timeline into the universe that allows us to tolerate and digest lengthy stretches of time with the generous oblivion of sleep even though awake. It’s why an audiobook makes driving your uhaul across the country seem like a pleasant thing. But apparently those debaters were carrying on about principles, values, and ideals and keeping crowds riveted. The next time someone asks me where I would go if I could travel back in time I’ll tell them about these orators.
It's funny you mention that. I'm trying to get my thoughts out on paper about this topic I just heard about from Morgan Housel recently: best story wins. But maybe I should just direct people to your writing on the subject since you're much more qualified than me.
I remember reading about these debates from Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death". Which of course is all about this subject you're addressing. Funny how he predicted all of this in 1984, where this book started, from a talk he gave at the Frankfurt book fair, commemorating George Orwell's 1984, which foretold where we are now as well. Anyway, I was similarly struck by how amazing it was that people used to gather, debate, and talk like this. Their speeches were not even scripted apparently. They memorized this stuff and had the brain power for it!
This was top of mind because I just reread Amusing ourselves to death. What's the longest speech you've ever given? Think you could hang for three hours straight?
I’ve gone to about 2.5 hrs, and yes, 3 wouldn’t be hard, but it’s really not hard to do once you’ve taken the time to find your best stories. Storytime is something Einstein should have studied and created a formula for, because stories introduce an alternate timeline into the universe that allows us to tolerate and digest lengthy stretches of time with the generous oblivion of sleep even though awake. It’s why an audiobook makes driving your uhaul across the country seem like a pleasant thing. But apparently those debaters were carrying on about principles, values, and ideals and keeping crowds riveted. The next time someone asks me where I would go if I could travel back in time I’ll tell them about these orators.
It's funny you mention that. I'm trying to get my thoughts out on paper about this topic I just heard about from Morgan Housel recently: best story wins. But maybe I should just direct people to your writing on the subject since you're much more qualified than me.
If you can point me to that quote by Morgan Housel I'd love to see the original reference!