5/28/2022

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            So, you are a “Blue Hen.” When Dr. Assanis introduced you, I thought he called you a “Blue Head,” but upon googling “mascot of Univ. of Delaware” I realized that his Greek accent had interfered with my comprehension. Congrats on receiving such a nice honor from your Alma Mater & giving another decent commencement address.

            After listening to your speeches for a while, I have noticed that you like to say, “that’s not hyperbole.” That stands out to me because I’m not really sure what hyperbole is. I think I’m mixed up because mathematicians talk about hyperbolic functions which fall within the realm of trigonometry. Clearly you are not discussing the shape of a curve when you say, “that’s not hyperbole,” but since I find the phrase somewhat confusing, maybe it is hyperbole after all. A mathematician would call that a “paradox”.

            I’m sure you are familiar with the NYT’s 2019 analysis of your rhetoric where they called out your use of the “hyperbole” phrase, a Bidenism, one of several used to express your sincerity. Your sentence, “it’s not a joke,” often gives me pause because it suggests that sometimes you are joking. As a literal person, I don’t always catch people’s attempts at humor. When I catch myself being gullible, I wonder if I can trust the speaker. Should I trust you?

            Speaking of language, I’m sure you heard that the UN tried to develop a statement to push the Burmese junta toward peace, but they couldn’t agree on whether to use the word, “slow” or “limited” as the adjective to modify “progress.” I hope UN envoy, Noeleen Heyzer, gets a chance to visit there so she can persuade the generals to accelerate their progress.

            BYBS,

            RCA

PS –You said that you married above your station & then later in your speech you talked about women and men being created equal. Was that an example of hyperbole?