I admit, I laughed out loud when I read Sarah Palin’s speech endorsing Donald Trump for president.

But the speech wasn’t funny – contrary to all the searing send-ups on the internet, including Andy Borowitz’s Jan. 22, 2016, piece in the New Yorker. 

Incomprehensible might be a better word for it.  In fact, her inventive language (“squirmishes,” anyone?)  brought to mind Lewis Carroll’s poem, “Jabberwocky,” from Through the Looking Glass:

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun

The frumious Bandersnatch!”

And so on.

But Palin is no literary genius. Not only was her speech not amusing, it was intellectually disturbing. And embarrassing, considering her national audience. Make that international.

To the former vice-presidential candidate, however, I’m sure its wonders were quite amazing. To me, she’s the product of too much self-esteem and too little ability.

Only a “hopey-changey” liberal would dare find fault with such a speech.

Well then, call me “hopey-changey.”

Because communicating, and communicating well, is one of the biggest reasons we bother educating children.

It’s why we babble and coo at our babies, and read toddlers endless stories, and listen to their woes with empathy. It’s why we help them with their spelling words, and teach them to make outlines and write paragraphs with topic sentences that are supported by facts and examples and anecdotes.

It’s why we teach them to check for spelling and punctuation, word-usage and sentence structure. Because if they don’t learn the rules, they won’t know when they’re breaking them.

And then the fun stuff happens when we get to help them practice their oral reports, so they can stand up in front of the class and make organized and logical presentations. They learn what is true and what is eloquent, and the difference between fact and opinion.

We do these things because we want to instill a desire for excellence in our children. Not perfection, but a sweet striving. Forget the ribbons and accolades for everyone, regardless of merit. Forget the cheaply-won trophies and awards.

Why does excellence matter?

Because ultimately children grow up. And people will expect them to be capable of expressing themselves, talking about what they know and think and feel with competence. In a way that actually make sense and identifies them as rational thinkers.  Not some crazy character that’s just gone through the looking glass.

But Sarah Palin doesn’t seem to care about excellence in communication or anything else, for that matter.  In fact, the Tea Party as a whole can’t handle the notion that knowledge is worth attaining.

Why is this?

Because learning anything new is really hard when the rational-thinking brain has to compete with fear. And Tea Partiers are just like a bunch of Henny Pennys whose sky is perpetually falling. Sadly, they can’t seem to help it.

Here’s how it works: when people are fearful, their stress hormones run amok. Especially cortisol. The more anxious and afraid people feel, the more their brains get used to hanging out at the far end of the stress continuum, up there near fight/flight or freeze.

What does fear have to do with academic excellence?

Plenty.

In order for the part of the brain that is responsible for rational thought to function well, people need to feel safe. Indeed, they need to grow up feeling safe, and see the world as a good and safe place.

Without the feeling of emotional and physical safety, the brain connections necessary for calm, rational thought are not made. The older people get, the more these patterns are reinforced, and the harder it is to turn it around – as plastic as the human brain might be.  But this isn’t new information.  In fact, it’s been around for a while.

Unfortunately, those who need it most – fearful, mediocre people with too much self-esteem – don’t really care.  FFG

Resources: For more information on the effects of toxic stress on the developing brain, go to www.developingchild.harvard.edu.

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