MoEnzyme
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Barack Obama - the man and the meme
« on: 2008-12-28 15:21:21 » |
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Now that the election is over and the new year closes in, I'd like to start this thread on Barack Obama, as a person. Having never met the man, to me he comes through as a very cool head - "no drama Obama" seems to convey the man and the meme nicely. In my lifetime in this nation, this could be a truly new experience. He seems like possibly the sanest president we've ever had. I mean some of them had a sane public face, but once we get them in hindsight we realize some very deep flaws in their personalities, dramas, conflicted nature, denial of reality, some bordering on insanity, dogmatic anger, paranoia, manic-depression, etc.
Now I'm not saying that Obama is perfect, he has his flaws of course. His apparent inability to give up nicotene, breaking promises to family, etc. But they seem like rather ordinary kinds of flaws. I sometimes begin to wonder if he wouldn't given an opportunity, given the stresses of the presidency, given that he's a rather handsome man anyway, and given the aphrodisia of being the most powerful politician in the world, given that many women openly crush on him in terms that can border on erotic, and many would no doubt take it to the "real level" if given the opportunity . . . I'm just saying. Unlike Clinton, he's obviously not a proven lech as Clinton displayed the pattern long before the presidency. However, that kind of rapid gain in status brings its complicating aphrodisia.
But beyond those kinds of possibilities and speculation, I really see him as a basically sane person in how he deals with political and personal situations. His mom was an atheist, and although he has clearly embraced Christianity, in his political rhetoric he often includes "people of no faith" as well, which is a refreshing change from every other US president in my lifetime.
In this thread, I'd like to avoid cutting and pasting, and get down more to our personal feelings and impressions of the man. I think we've all gotten such a heavy dose of media about the man, that it seems best to me if we keep it to a couple-sentence quote and link if you think a reference is necessary. I'd rather hear your direct impressions for the sake of this thread.
Thanks
ps. a couple of thoughts after reading the above: I note that for a minority politician or celebrity (with the possible exception of comedians) to rise into crossover appeal, they basically must assume this no-drama kind of temperment. Obama isn't the only example. Colin Powell, and Tiger Woods spring to mind. Whites, because they still remain politically dominant on the other hand get more leeway. We've been ruled by angry white men for so long, I suppose we are conditioned to accept that, whereas similar behavior out of another ethnic group tends to evoke negative stereotypes. It will be interesting to see if the soon-to-come demographic demotion from absolute majority status, will be accompanied by better behavior from white politicians? One can only hope. There are some angry minority political leaders in the US no doubt, but they don't tend to ascend far beyond local politics. The Rev. Jesse "castrate him" Jackson made an interesting run for president, which he of course lost.
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