The Oswegonian

The Independent Student Newspaper of Oswego State

Opinion

Talking about something for 25 hours is crazy

Last week, a U.S. Sen., Cory Booker, gave a speech that lasted 25 hours without stopping. Obviously, there were times when other people stopped to ask or question him, but he did not leave the stage for 25 hours. 

I saw this as impossible, so I started asking my friends, “What would you talk about for 25 hours?” I personally do not think I could do it. I would not go to the bathroom, eat or do any other necessary physical activity. Booker said that he prepared himself by fasting for a few days to avoid any of these physiological needs during the speech. 

That is the first point. Going 25 hours without any physiological needs would be very difficult for me. For example, when you speak for a long time, your mouth gets dry and you need water. But if you stop to drink water, the urge to go to the bathroom will come. 

The second point I also find challenging is what subject I could talk about for 25 hours without stopping. I do not even know if I know that much about a single topic. How many words would that be? Over 500,000 words? It was reported that Booker used 1164 pages of prepared material and shared over 200 stories of citizens during his speech. Obviously, he did not prepare everything himself, because that would take a lot of time. But, imagine having to read 1164 pages and 200 more stories of people. That is a lot.

When we prepare to write a 10-page paper for college, we already think and prepare a lot. The time it takes to write a good 10-page paper is long. It requires studying, research, interviews and much more. That is just 10 pages. Imagine more than 1000. If writing a 25-hour speech were mandatory, I think I would talk about soccer or something broader to expand on and connect with other things.

I would talk about all my opinions on soccer, favorite players, historical moments or any other moment that has marked my life. I would ask people stories about the sport that changed their lives or even a moment that has left a lasting impression on them. 

Even though there are many possibilities and it is a vast subject, I think it is tough to write a 25-hour speech. I feel like I would get tired in the first hour and maybe lose my words. I would get tangled up with all the questions I had already written and as time went on, I would get increasingly mixed up and tired of the whole process. Regardless of your political views, giving a 25-hour speech is impressive.

Photo by: Pavel Danilyuk via Pexels

Lucas Marques Silva

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