Obama bowing againFollow

Maybe not the mayors, but we all know Gov. Richardson is just waiting for an opportunity to strike. You will only realize too late the folly of your inaction.

When the time comes, don't say I didn't warn you.

We all want to know but will never understand.

Ah well, I choose to believe Obama was actually holding in a sneeze on the way down just to let it go when he met the major, thus surprisingly and ironically disrespecting the mayor. After all, who really cares about Tampa other than practitioners of a violent and outdated method of wealth acquisition.

See, gbaji has been to Asia. He's an expert.

I bet I could find someone who is.

You heard it here first folks, bowing during a greeting is the equivalent of stripping down to your underwear when you go to a friend's house.



Edited, Feb 2nd 2010 4:24pm by bsphil

Eh, I think we're going to see po-tay-toes and to-mah-toes on this one. I look at the man from the Western culture and see the consummate gentlemen saying "What can I do for you today?" Sure there are mooches and ******** who are going to assume they have advantage in the situation, but that'll just make it all the harder for them when crash and burn because reality knows who has the real power.

As for the fitting in, again, sure some people will say "What an idiot" but I believe (not going to make an assumption for "most people") that many foreigners would be pleasantly surprised, especially considering the intelligence of the person in question, that a North American was willing to quit being so goddamned proud of himself for 2 minutes and at least make a gesture. It's like mutilating a sentence in Spanish, sure the Brazilian will laugh at the mistake but he'll also be pleased you spoke to him in something other than randomness.

As for the randomness I don't know, I don't pay that much attention to every time the pres gets off a plane but I will say the Presidential Staff probably knows more about proper times to strip down to skivvies than you, me, or the whole internet combined.

I've never actually heard anyone from these nations say that they think Obama did anything wrong. I've never seen news editorials from the foreign presses saying Obama did anything wrong. The notion that "OMG OBAMA BOWED WTF???" is pretty much solely a Republican talking point. Which is why they have the fall back on things like "Sure, they won't say it but you KNOW they're thinking it! It's true!!!"

I made this same point back during Obama's trip to Japan. I looked at a half dozen Japanese papers for editorials or columns about it and no one said a word. They were infinitely more worried about Obama's views on the US bases in Japan or relations with China or nuclear energy or trade or anything else on earth than how Obama bowed. People from Japan I've spoken to or seen opine in various threads on the topic were likewise uninterested. Same as during the UK trip -- Brits that I spoke to couldn't have given a rat's *** about Obama's dealings with the Queen from an etiquette standpoint. Aside form a couple tabloids, no one said a peep except on this particular side of the ocean.

Ironically, the one column I did find in a Japanese paper about Obama's bow was purely about how some Americans were throwing a hissy fit over it. Not an article from a Japanese viewpoint, but about how idiotic some Americans were being.

Edited, Feb 2nd 2010 8:07pm by Jophiel

Everything South of the US is Spanish. When will you learn.

I'm not terribly fond of the man, but isn't criticizing EVERY SINGLE THING HE DOES a little petty?

Ah, so it is.
Really though, I am getting a little tired of:
ZOMG OBAMA LOOKED A GIRL'S BUTT!
ZOMG OBAMA HAD A BEER AT A BASKETBALL GAME!
ZOMG OBAMA FARTED AND IT SMELLED BAD!

I made that last one up... or did I?

Bowing isn't subservient, it's respectful. People give head nods to others all the time. What the **** do you think that is? It's a minor bow.