Yesterday we saw the first black man in the history of the United States be sworn in as President. For many this was a monumental achievement in the arena of human rights and the turning of a page in the history book of America.
This incredibly publicized event was viewed by 7.7 million people online (stat care of Akamai Technologies Inc.) and innumerable others throughout the world on TV and in person in Washington.
Given that this inauguration and inevitably, Obama's presidency, has had more publicity and more hype centred around it than any other President in the past, is there a chance that his policies, actions (and inactions), choices, manner, and relations will suffer or in some way be influenced in a way that will negatively impact the political significance and agency he claims to bring to US and global politics?
Think about the 10 glitzy balls he and his wife 'had' to attend and schmooze their way though after a long, emotional and draining day. Consider Obama’s goal to be the most transparent president ever, drawing back the red white and blue shroud that has masked and enabled so much deception throughout presidencies past.
Will his administration's efforts to socially network their way into the hearts, minds, and voting ballots of the country really serve his purpose? Or will his ubiquitous media presence actually hamper his ability to function as a figure of power and decisive action? There is certainly much to be said for being accessible to the people of your country, but does all this attention allow him to do his job any better?
One must wonder how the status update, "Barack is going to bomb a small village in Kandahar to bits" will go over with the online community of pollyannaish Facebookers and fans. Though this fictional status update may not be directly related to his agenda, these types of decisions are the daily doses of reality faced by presidents; loved by the people or not.
Will these sort of inevitable and difficult decisions jar the American people out of a half-century-old doctor's dream? Or will they entrench the supportive cries of those who always knew he'd do what it takes to raise an American phoenix from the ashes of a recession?
Sound off...
Tay
Obama is a president elect to “Generation why” as Kennedy was to the boomers, and “Generation why” is very influenced by the media.
ReplyDeleteLet’s remember that Obama is a president, and not a celebrity. I feel his media presence will not hinder his ability to be a great leader and president. Only that it will profoundly influence the people’s opinions of him through the media. They portray him almost as a Messiah, and he has won the hearts of many, through his ideology and moral leadership.
He portrayed great audacity and vision in his inauguration speech. The fact that he is black is irrelevant to me personally; I feel that if you are striving towards equality we should not dwell on his skin color so much.
I have hope that Obama will bring back noble politics, but let’s not forget there are many hard decisions at hand. I personally am apprehensive to see how he handles them. I end this statement with a simple quote. “Actions speak louder then words”. God speed President Barack Obama.
-Bob Fulton
I thought it was really interesting that Obama had an interview aired during the Super Bowl pre-game show. Has any other president done this? If not, then Obama is continuing to show that he is able to get into the mainstream media spotlight unlike any other president.
ReplyDeleteThe amount of attention that he is getting during this "honeymoon" period is astounding. I was standing in a magazine store the other day, and I couldn't believe how many magazine covers he was on!
Tay, you ask if his ubiquitous media presence will hamper his ability to do his job. I don't think so, at least not in the short term. I think he is almost bizarrely charismatic (I know I'm sucked in by it), and his influence over the media (and therefore the public at large) will be a necessary tool to help him achieve the change he wants to make.
In the economy that we are in right now, I think human psychology will play very big part in how quickly we will recover. And yes, Obama has been largely all hype so far, but the hope that he offers is all that's needed to change people's attitudes right now.
Later down the road, when he is forced to make unpopular decisions, or the economy is not recovering, or people start feeling Obama overload from seeing his face plastered everywhere, that is when things will get very interesting.
For now, he still provides me with a lot of hope for positive change. After all, he gave a "shout-out" to American troops during his Super Bowl interview. The president! Gave a shout-out! How cool is that?