February 27, 2005
General:
A serious question
By Jack GrantDuring the recent visit by President George W. Bush to various parts of Europe, I have had an opportunity to see live a large number of press conferences and other events where the President and whoever he was visiting (President Jacques Chirac of France, the European Union in Brussels, Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom, etc.). In other words, instead of being limited to the typical "sound bites" and highly scripted situations, there have been several instances where President Bush was forced to speak extemporaneously. After seeing the President speak on serious matters with a demeanor that implied he was sincere and not joking, I have a question that is not based upon partisan beliefs or political inclinations:
Is there some kind of disorder that causes a person to smirk or twist up the corners of the mouth in a way inappropriate to the situation such as when they are trying to be serious and emphatic?
I have written before about how the "Bush smirk" along with his general body language leaves a very negative impression on me, but after seeing these extended events with the smirk appearing in the midst of speaking about things that the President appears to be very sincere and serious about, I must ask if there is some physical cause for this inappropriate facial expression.
Does anyone out there know?
Posted by Jack Grant at 21:08 on 27 February 2005It (the smirk) pains me too. Could be a nervous tick thing. He needs to lose it.
Posted by: John G. at February 28, 2005 03:30 PMHe may have learned the 'grin and bear it' approach to human relations. So, those smirks and laughs are nervous or anxious reactions to a situation be prefers not to be in.
Posted by: EG at March 1, 2005 02:48 PMI have read in several places (don't ask me which ones... I don't remember!) that, from a biological perspective, laughing/smiling evolved as a mechanism employed by those who felt threatened to indicate that they were no threat to those around them.
Being extremely uncomfortable in certain social situations myself - where I smile a lot (sometimes inappropriately) - I can very well imagine that it might be a similar situation for "W".
As much as I may understand it, though, I have to admit that it is not something you'd like to see in the leader of your country!
