There is no distinctly American criminal class – except Congress
Mark Twain
Perhaps the reason I became an internist is because I notice details, differences or a divergence from the typical or standard.
Some years ago, I became interested in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) developed by the daughter-mother duo, Isabel Briggs Myers and Katharine Briggs. These 19th-century women researchers extended the observations of Carl Jung into a system for analyzing personality. I used the type indicator in counseling patients, helping them understand how they observe the world and how they interact with others. The Japanese use the MBTI with millions of workers to find the best fit in job situations.
I have tested myself and discovered that I am an ISTJ. Without getting lost in the psychological weeds, these letters demonstrate that I notice details. For example, I notice when a picture on the wall is a bit askew. And I operate from a baseline of logic more than emotion, and I am able to make decisions. The beauty of the Myers-Briggs typology is that it demonstrates your strengths as well as reveals areas where you are less adept and can be developed to make you a more well-rounded person. As an example, although I am right-handed, I can develop my left hand and become more ambidextrous. If you are intrigued and want to learn more about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, you can Google it or read the book “Gifts Differing” by Isabel Briggs Myers.
A dialect is a variety of language used by the members of a group (Webster). For instance, the Irish end sentences on an up note, giving their speech a lilting quality. Because many of our ancestors were from England, Americans end sentences on a down note like the English. Interestingly, Americans speak English, although we have never formalized this designation. For our 250th anniversary, I read that President Trump plans to make English the official language of America.
There are many regional dialects of American English. It is obvious that Southerners speak English differently than New Englanders. But the Southern drawl is more than the use of y’all since English does not differentiate between the singular and plural “you.” We Southerners like to be specific when describing a person or groups of persons. Professor Higgins in “My Fair Lady” insulted Eliza Doolittle’s London cockney and averred that “Americans hardly speak English at all.” But what got this ISTJ internist’s attention was the so-called “fried voice” or vocal fry.
I noticed this different speech a few years ago. However, this peculiar manner of speech actually began in the early 2000s and has become popular with young women. Interestingly, vocal fry has become a hallmark of millennial speech, especially in America. Pop singers like Katy Perry and Britney Spears and celebrities like Kim Kardashian, have made it their trait in music and communication, apparently influencing others. Supposedly, using vocal fry’s husky, shaky speech connotes a more relaxed, everyday speech.
I could try to describe such speech, which seemingly comes from the back of the throat with a throaty rattle described as the “opening of a rusty gate.” But it is better to watch The Five on Fox and listen to liberal, progressive Democrat and millennial Jessica Tarlov’s contrived, trendy vocalizations. You can also find examples on YouTube.
I’m no botanist, but I like to identify trees and wild flowers. My grandkids don’t share this penchant, but after showing them the distinctive white trunks of sycamore trees, they never forgot the lesson. Likewise, once you hear vocal fry, you will hear it everywhere. It’s that obvious.
Vocal fry may be trendy and hip among the younger crowd, but critics argue that vocal fry undermines the speaker’s credibility and I’d agree, because I find Tarlov insufferable. If you want more information on this quirky American dialect, I recommend you Google an excellent article from August 2024 by Melissa Girimonte.
I’ve lived long enough to know there are exceptions to almost any rule or absolute. One of my Oregon granddaughters will turn eight this year, but when she was two and a half and beginning to speak more fluently, we noted her cute, husky and throaty voice. No one in the family had similar elocution and she had never been exposed to the internet, Katy Perry or Tarlov. Retrospectively, I now know that she was displaying vocal fry, apparently spontaneously!
Although I pay attention and read widely, my observational skills failed me in 2016 because I did not appreciate how the world would change when Donald Trump came down the elevator of Trump Tower to announce his run for the presidency. In 2016, I did not recognize the significance of Trump, perhaps because I was retired from traditional medical practice at the time and going through significant health issues. But I was not the only one who overlooked the signs because most “experts” thought the man from Queens was not a serious political candidate, let alone the transformative agent for America and the world, which President Trump has become. How wrong we all were.
The status quo of Congress and Washington, D.C., has not changed since the time of Mark Twain or perhaps even longer. Historians debate whether events occur and leaders rise to meet the circumstances or whether leaders arise to shape the events of the world. In my opinion, Abraham Lincoln was an example of a leader arising in the crucible of America’s Civil War. Alexander the Great shaped world events. It is too early for history to define President Trump, but I predict he will be placed in the historic transformative class.
Of course, I am an average-sized fish in an average-sized pond, so my predictions will have little impact except on the occasional progressive Democrat who might stumble on this column and become infuriated by my words. But that won’t change my opinion and doesn’t matter because libs are mad all the time about anything or anyone who challenges their groupthink or speaks the patriot dialect.
