Horowitz personal manners
On David Horowitz's visit to University of Hawaii-Manoa last Wednesday.
Even my conservative/libertarian friends said Horowitz needs better people skills. They commented that seasoned politicians are better at it.
1) When Horowitz entered the stage, he was offered a lei. He refused to wear it. In Hawaii, that is considered rude. I knew right then and there that Horowitz gave a bad 1st impression.
Horowitz later said wearing a lei while speaking would make him uncomfortable. He should see the amount of leis at Hawaii school graudations. The graduate gets so much leis from friends & family that it can literally cover his/her face.
And here's Mark Burch on the lei
http://www.kaleo.org/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/04/23/426a084ba3349
Horowitz really displayed his true nature when he first walked into the auditorium. One of his group of supporters walked up to him and attempted to give him a lei. Horowitz snubbed this woman and humiliated her in front of the whole audience. His total lack of aloha and sensitivity was a disgrace.
Though Mark Burch is far to the Left, I'd have to agree with him here. Horowitz made a bad 1st impression. People can see that action as a sign of rude-ness and prejudice.
This is why you gotta to be aware of cultural practices when you're in unfamiliar territory. This is especially true when you have very controversial opinions. Horowitz may have good points on academic freedom, but his 1st impression at the speech (not wearing the lei) distracts from any good points he might've raised. It gave others the impression that he was a bigot.
2) On the applauseI mentioned earlier that Horowitz said he didn't like his speech to be interrupted by applause.
That is so stupid.
In fact, applause can be useful to any speaker so that he/she knows what really resonates with the audience.
The speaker can look back and figure out 1) what to leave out in the next speech [stuff the audience ignored/didn't applaud/didn't understand,etc] and 2) what to say again to the next speech [what got the standing ovations]
Let's look at an example of Horowitz's hero President George W. Bush. When President Bush says something that gets a standing ovation, he pauses and admire the applause. Whatever got the loudest applause is what he'll say again in his next speech.
