Joe Biden’s Body Language Stirs Controversy

Joe Biden's Body Language Stirs Controversy

A laugh, chuckle, grimace, grin, smirk, or goofy face are still not enough to described the exact expression on a man who dominated last Thursday’s vice-presidential debate. For a look that paints a thousand reactions, it worked amazingly for Joe Biden who made Paul Ryan speechless.

The vice president also came up with the two catchiest phrases of the night – "bunch of malarkey" and "bunch of stuff" – to paint his Republican opponent as untruthful.

People  may loved or hated his performance, it was still a decision that seemed to surprise along partisan lines and not to mention, that  facial expression gathered so many impressions from the viewers that in fact, created a tower of thoughts.

According to Katherine Hall Jamieson, a professor of political communication at the University of Pennsylvania, "I'm not sure what that was – a smile? Not really. Not a laugh, either, and actually not a grin. It was really just something that said, 'I have an answer to that and I'm holding it.'"

Another expert in the field thinks that even if some viewers were offended by the smiling, for lack of a better word, it helped Biden manage the agenda.

"I think it was part of an overall strategy to keep Ryan off stride," said Jerry Shuster, who teaches political communication at the University of Pittsburgh. "He really couldn't ever finish a thought."

While many found Biden's grins infectious, some found them immature.

"That mugging, those condescending looks – it was a complete turnoff," as told by body language expert Lillian Glass, author of the upcoming "Body Language Advantage. ''He was bullying, he was smug, he interrupted ... I think he lost a lot of his message based on facial gestures...from a body language point of view, he did not win this debate," she said.

Whatever you call it, that look really stirred controversy among viewers. May it be engaging or turned off as stated by many, it undeniably captured attention to everyone.

Posted by James Fried on Sunday October 14 2012, 4:21 AM EST. Ref: CNN. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Nation. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0