Forgive to Defuse?

Designing a victory speech…
Sonny: The nightmare is over. 
Ray: But will there be violence?
Sonny: We could follow a Mandela approach.
Ray: Which was?
Sonny: He forgave his enemies. Even after 27 years.  Much more than four.
Ray: Diplomatic of him. If you don’t attack, it might defuse the antagonists.
Sonny: And there are many of them. So you need a speech of conciliation, of union, of peace.
_________
Voice-over
Diplomatic healing, rather than gibbering rage, will help make America great again and recover its dignity.

Ask not what your country can do for you...

Two speechwriters look for the quote…

Ted: This is where he says it. 12 minutes 30 seconds into the 13 minute 40 speech. 

JFK: “And so, my fellow Americans - ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”*

Arthur: Good phrasing. Might call it an unrhyming couplet. Did he make it up himself?

Ted: Borrowed and cobbled, more like. Meaning is pretty clear. Substitute “country” for “planet”, “community” or family”.

Arthur: Or even “company”. Could be a job interview. Like, “What can you do for us?”

__________

Voice-over

Implicit also in JFK’s 1961 inaugural speech is that we should try to give more than we take, that when you give, you also receive. The adult persuades, the child demands.

*我々、アメリカ人の諸君！

 国があなたに、何かをして呉れるのではなく、

 あなたが、国に何をして挙げられるかを、自身に問いかけよう。

You're either with us or against us

Joseph, veteran political speech analyst, is asked by an interviewer whether Barack Obama will be different from George Bush.

...

Joseph: If you look at the speeches they make, you see differences. George Bush uses a lot of the first person: “ I will not yield; I will not rest; I will not relent in waging this struggle for freedom and security.”

Interviewer: Whereas Barack Obama…?

Joseph: Barack Obama uses “We” a lot. “We face a lot of problems.”

Interviewer: So this shows a difference in style? George Bush tends to be unilateral, Barack Obama, multilateral?

Joseph: Definitely. And there’s another defining characteristic between them. George Bush, talking about terrorism, used the expression, “You’re either with us or against us.” It’s a polarizing expression. Black vs. white. No room in the middle for maneouvering.

Interviewer: Or dialogue presumably.

Joseph: Right. A zero tolerancy approach. Hard power. Barack Obama, on the other hand, is a proponent of soft power. It’s a multinational world. “I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.”

Interviewer: The speechmaker molds the leader we see?

Joseph: Partly. But an authoritarian, polarizing approach can also be a reflection of an insecure leader. They put up false dilemmas. Either… or… The secure leader listens and synthesizes. 

...