"The bandwagon of my own uncertainty."

This has been a favorite video of mine for a few weeks now. I keep going back to it because it's hilarious and very poignant at the same time. Check it out:

This guy is Taylor Mali. He's an incredible slam poet and English teacher. This won't be the last time I post a video from him. His style is very conversational and easily accessible.

But it's not just his style that makes me love this poem. What he's talking about is the state of our generation's communication. He asks if we are "the most aggressively inarticulate generation since, ya know, a long time ago."

I feel this way with poetry sometimes -- in writing it, but also in talking about it. Sometimes when I write, I have trouble being honest. I hit around what I'm trying to say with all this metaphor and figurative language without ever actually addressing what it is I want to say. And in talking about poetry, I often find that I hide the fact that I write poetry. Or I talk vaguely about it, without ever really revealing that I love it.

Now that's not exactly what he is talking about here. He is talking more about day to day life and using language effectively... and not sounding ridiculous. But, as writers, his message is strong. What if we actually wrote the way we speak? Would someone who reads it actually know what we were talking about? Would they know that we knew what we were talking about? I'm not so sure.

"Like, operant conditioning, ya know?"

Sometimes it's hard to break those habits, but that is all it is. A habit. Social conditioning at it's best. As writers, we have to overcome those habits and speak, as Taylor says, with conviction. You often hear about your voice being heard. What good is your voice being heard if you aren't actually saying anything? And what if you're saying something, but you're saying it incorrectly or incoherently?

Taylor's poem really makes me think about my communication. I definitely fall in the "ya know?" trap in an effort to convey an idea. But what is it? Filler. Filler and the need for some sort of response in order for me to be secure in what I'm saying. If I need that much convincing, I probably shouldn't be saying it. There's a lyric: "Ain't it like most people? I'm no different. We love to talk on things we don't know about."

So there's some food for though. Let me know what you think about Taylor. I would love to see him perform, but I don't know if he tours often. I highly recommend his other stuff; he's incredibly talented.