Sit up straight, please

September 18th, 2009 at 10:27am Linda Grist Cunningham

Let’s start with the obvious: Body language can be a screamer. We watch what others say with their hands, with the way they hold their heads, the way they sit in a chair.

No one misunderstands the difference between a listener who sits up straight, leans forward a bit and makes interested eye contact — and the one who slumps in his seat, arms and legs akimbo with a smirk on his face. First one? Respectful. Second one? Disrespectful.

We had seven guests at our Thursday Editorial Board meeting. Each of the seven had been invited to talk with the board about the proposed “cap-and-trade” legislation in Congress. The format was similar to a simple debate, each side presenting timed information with responses from the two “sides” and then questions from the Editorial Board.

I learned a lot about cap-and-trade, about the contentious issues underlying the legislation. I am grateful to the seven for taking almost two hours to help us wade through the complicated legislation. We will continue to research before we take an editorial position.

That said, there was one lasting and disturbing impression: About halfway through the 90-minute meeting, one of the seven apparently decided it was OK to disrupt other speakers by slumping and wiggling in his chair, huffing and puffing, rolling his eyes and wiggling his hands and feet. This from a 60-ish man in a suit with an important job and a big title and a strong message to make.

His actions were those of a recalcitrant teenager. They were disrespectful, embarrassing and shocking. And they were deliberate. He stopped just short of behavior that would have made me ask him to stop. And, he knew that, too, because he’d do something, then look to see if I were watching.

Childish.

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