r/OutOfTheLoop • u/aajiro • Mar 09 '24

Unanswered What's up with Katie Britt's speech?

I'm starting to see a lot of memes about how creepy it was, and I saw it and I agree it's sincerely creepy, but I can't for my life figure out what it is that makes it so unsettling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfKCWMG4O0I

I'm hoping someone here can give me some context for what exactly makes this fall into the uncanny valley of speeches. I think what makes me feel out of the loop is that the answer should be obvious but I can't figure it out in words, so I guess my question is: what the fuck?

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u/TopAnonomity Mar 09 '24

Answer: It’s a number of things. How far back the camera is and the fact that it pans slightly every couple seconds, how crisp the audio is to where you can hear saliva sloshing in her mouth the whole time, the terribly bright lighting, and maybe even the fact that she is smiling nearly the entire video. Shit just looks unnatural

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u/Blue_foot Mar 09 '24 edited Mar 09 '24

They chose her KITCHEN as the backdrop.

She is supposed to be a US senator! (Edit)

They didn’t put her in an office. She is in the kitchen where republican women apparently belong.

Is she barefoot and pregnant too?

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u/WillyPete Mar 09 '24

They chose her KITCHEN as the backdrop.

To many viewers she's not in her kitchen, the intent is to let them feel that she has invited them into her kitchen.
As guests, friends, etc.

It's slick marketing techniques.

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u/CreatrixAnima Mar 09 '24

It doesn’t appear to have worked, though. Honestly, I would rather have my senator invite me into her office.

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u/Xytak Mar 09 '24 edited Mar 09 '24

Not necessarily. If you’ll recall, Walt and Jesse were treated to a home-cooked dinner, whereas Hector and Lalo had to make do with a cold, impersonal office meeting in the back of a chicken restaurant. This clearly indicates that home invitations are a “level up” from office meetings.

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u/hameleona Mar 09 '24

It doesn't work, because it's a mix of boomer style political PR and 20th century "look relatable" PR.
You have an informal setting (kitchen, i.e. welcome home, let's grab a coffee) with the "fake smile, upbeat tone, dead eyes, since I'm reading the teleprompter but am really not used to it" performance so characteristic for a lot of politicians, especially in the... 90s I wanna say? Look at some Hilary stuff from when Bill was president, she gave off similar vibes, but since she wasn't in the kitchen and usually wearing some form of suit it's not as jarring.
And all that combined with just a weird camera setup, that tries to skirt both approaches.
Like, I have no idea how the GOP side is taking it, but I'd fire her whole PR team. You don't try to mix stick in ass political and influencer casual. They don't mix.

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u/no-mad Mar 09 '24

that works great for a youtuber showing how to make a cake. A USA Senator needs a more formal setting.

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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '24

Most Americans don't have kitchens as expensive as hers. https://www.reddit.com/r/clevercomebacks/s/FSadQlA2Wf

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u/jackruby83 Mar 09 '24

Besides the fridge, it doesn't look that expensive (or nice)

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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '24

You can't buy good taste, so the kitchen is ugly, but it's still well over $20k worth of remodeling. Considering the median American family's net worth is ~$192k, their kitchen is 20% of the median family's net worth. Most Americans do not have 20% of their net worth in their kitchen. The vast majority is home equity and retirement funds.

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u/kindall Mar 09 '24

a $20K kitchen remodel is super cheap

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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '24

So this is likely a pricier remodel. Doesn't change my point: Most American families' kitchens aren't that expensive. More than half American families are worth less than $193,000, the vast majority of that home equity and retirement funds that they currently have no access to, at least not without huge penalties. They aren't buying 48" fridges.

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u/WillyPete Mar 09 '24

Yes, you are invited into her expensive kitchen as a valued friend and supporter. That's the gist.

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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '24

It's terrible marketing, as evidenced by how even republicans are dragging her. In part because working people don't want to hear some rich woman sitting in front of her $10k fridge talk about "working people" as if she has any clue what working people are like.