Bad Lip Reading Clips, while comedic, also makes one feel uneasy. The voice in the video looks like it is coming from the individual when it is understood that the video had been dubbed to make it seem like they are saying comical things. Voice is something personal to the individual, whether one believes in Barthe’s idea of voice coming from “deep down in the cavities, the muscles, the membranes, the cartilage” of the individual— also known as the grain—or one believes in Aristotle’s idea that voice comes the breath hitting “the soul resident” of the body (Barthes 505, Aristotle 670). It becomes unsettling to hear a computerized robot voice coming from a human’s mouth. The robotic sounding voice leads us to fall into the uncanny valley. The uncanny valley occurs when a humanoid object, which appears almost truly human or strangely familiar to a human, causes observers to feel strange and repulsed. The voice of a computer gives one a very different feeling then when “someone in flesh and bone who emits it” (Cavarero 522). The voice of human is strong but limited. Society has trained people to think, act, and speak in certain ways that are suitable for certain situations, making the bad lip reading live footage clips feel more uncomfortable. However, the cinematic lip reading to Star Wars, including nonhumans and music, makes is easier to watch and trust since one is not listening for the flaws; the setting, often used comedy allows for it because of viewer expectations. While the political stage adds comedic value, it also makes the sound untrustworthy. With sight being very linear and direct, sound is more nebulous; so while the video is easy to trust the words are not, making the viewer second guess the presentation. Overall, while the videos are entertaining, the uncanny value and setting makes the viewer feel uncomfortable.
