Lessons from the Scripps Spelling Bee

Watching the finals of the Scripps Spelling Bee earlier this month was frustrating—not because the contest was poorly run or because the competitors weren’t engaging or bright. But because the ABC commentators wouldn’t shut up.

The pronouncer would pose a word to one of the students, and we would listen blissfully (as I realized later) to the contestants ask for the word’s definition, its pronunciation, its origin, and its use in a sentence. These exchanges were fascinating, as we observed the students processing each word.

But as soon as one of the kids asked a repeat question, the commentators felt free to let loose and tell us their observations and their thoughts, making it impossible for us to hear the students. Each time this happened, the spell of the bee was broken.

Talking heads of every sort—whether in sports, news, or the bee—rob listeners of the pleasure of puzzling out something alone. Maybe we want to watch the spectacular catch at home base in silence. Maybe we want to think about what we think about the oil spill. Maybe we want to hear the origin of the word one more time.

Unfiltered experience is hard to come by these days with so much non-stop talk. A little silence now and then, with room for our own reflections and ideas, might make for more thoughtful responses. By minimizing the role of knee-jerk talking heads, we could create a less predictable, less polarized society with a more informed populace.

The result? A new and improved C-O-M-M-O-N-W-E-A-L.