That word is so odd. I rarely see it used in a non-academic sense (e.g. I have been described as articulate, because I'm good at expressing complex arguments, etc), except when either being racist (describing, say, Native Americans as articulate, with the implication that it's surprising they could be articulate at all, SINCE THEY'RE SAVAGES AND ALL), or describing Obama - which, at least for most of the cases I've seen, carries the rider "... for an American president" rather than "... for a black man."
It's so rarely an actual compliment. (It's not even one for Obama - he is exceptionally well-spoken, it's true - probably the best speaker on the world stage right now - but given his immediate predecessor, the bar for "articulate", it is not high.)
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That word is so odd. I rarely see it used in a non-academic sense (e.g. I have been described as articulate, because I'm good at expressing complex arguments, etc), except when either being racist (describing, say, Native Americans as articulate, with the implication that it's surprising they could be articulate at all, SINCE THEY'RE SAVAGES AND ALL), or describing Obama - which, at least for most of the cases I've seen, carries the rider "... for an American president" rather than "... for a black man."
It's so rarely an actual compliment. (It's not even one for Obama - he is exceptionally well-spoken, it's true - probably the best speaker on the world stage right now - but given his immediate predecessor, the bar for "articulate", it is not high.)
... Oh look, it's time for my ADHD meds. *cough*