The spoken word and the art of rhyme have always been crucial tools in communicating and reaching generations. William Shakespeare used these resources to speak to people in the 16th century. The Beatles incorporated song to reach the youth of the 60’s. And modern artists, such as Kanye West, are using their love for technology and their urge to speak their thoughts in order to become the voice of a generation. Now it is Max Shafer-Landau’s turn.
Max is a delegate from Wisconsin who spoke in rhyme during the early committees. He made the decision to craft his opening remarks speech into a creative, catchy spoken rap. This unique course of action was chosen in an attempt to stand out from the crowd and be different. According to Shafer-Landau, after hearing countless proposals with redundant introductions, “you’re going to want some change.” When asked if he feels if his method was effective, he claimed that his decision may possibly have been too effective. After committee adjourned for the evening, Max came to the conclusion that his fellow delegates may have paid more attention to his rap than his actual proposal.
The committee members who actually listened to the lyrics of his rhythmic ballad came to realize how truly innovative and unique Max’s proposal was. The main idea of his proposal was to split the United States of America into two separate sovereign entities. This proposal appears to seem outrageous and quite ridiculous to a vast majority of delegates at CONA; however, it is an extremely original and debatable notion. When questioned on his proposal topic, Max explained that he wanted to shock his fellow delegates during his time at the Conference on National Affairs.
At the 2009 Wisconsin Youth in Government function, the bills were simple and all revolved around the same central topics. Therefore, Max desired to create a radical proposal that no one else would think of. Shafer-Landau’s quest to find originality has caused him to become the topic of discussion among many delegations. This instant fame has caused a multitude of delegates to request follow up rap performances at later committees. Regardless of how well-liked his introduction speech may have been, Max’s college advisor recommended that he should retire from rhyming and stick to traditional speaking. This recommendation was made to help Shafer-Landau’s proposal to be taken seriously in later committees.
If you were not fortunate enough to witness the rapping delegate, there were multiple teens that caught the footage on camera. It is only a matter of time before Max Shafer-Landau transitions from CONA legend to YouTube celebrity.