Vice President Kamala Harris found herself the subject of social media mockery as her explanation of the concept of “culture” drew criticism for being convoluted and lacking substance.
Speaking at the 2023 Essence Festival of Culture, Harris touched on various topics including small businesses and abortion. However, it was her attempt to define the word “culture” that triggered the most reaction.
In her remarks, Harris stated that culture reflects the current moment and serves as a means of expressing emotions.
“Culture is — it is a reflection of our moment and our time. Right? And present culture is the way we express how we’re feeling about the moment and we should always find times to express how we feel about the moment,” she said. “That is a reflection of joy. Because, you know … it comes in the morning,” Harris said, breaking into laughter.
“We have to find ways to also express the way we feel about the moment in terms of just having language and a connection to how people are experiencing life, and I think about it in that way, too,” she continued.
According to Webster’s Dictionary, culture is the “customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group.”
Twitter users swiftly pounced on Harris, lambasting her for what they perceived as vacuous statements. It’s hard to determine if anyone came to Harris’ defense after the video went viral as she was ripped apart by conservative outlets and critics flooded online spaces.
Comedian Tim Young likened her definition to a child giving a book report on a book they hadn’t read.
“Kamala Harris, wordsmith extraordinaire. I don’t even know how it’s possible to be this bad at public speaking,” wrote another Twitter user.
One user wrote: “More word salad! How did she pass the bar? Much less an English composition course. Wow!”
Others accused Harris of being the culprit behind the cocaine found at the White House on Sunday, July 2.
This incident adds to the list of occasions where Harris has faced mockery for delivering convoluted speeches. In the past, she has rambled about “the moment” and made references to Venn diagrams and yellow school buses.
Young also shared a video in a tweet on Friday, where the vice president tries to explain the significance of the passage of time and repeats the phrase four times in a span of seconds.
