Here we have Obama again debasing the presidency, and the United States by extension, with what is apparently going to be standard procedure for this rogue whenever he meets with a foreign Monarch, dictator, whatever. But what does it all mean?
See Auster's article, Obama marks the path for future West/non-West relations here, where several readers, including yours truly, offer their perspectives, and/or theories. Sorry y'all, I'm generally not a big conspiracy theorist, but I just don't trust this dude and those that advise him at all. I think they're all criminals, and accordingly think and act like criminals. Of course they're way better at it than your average, low-level petty criminal scum. But of course this makes them worse and more dangerous than your average criminal scum.
Also, and as a side note, I take serious exception to Daniel H.'s comment stating "I didn't think that he [Obama] could go lower than Bush but he has." I've seen some form of that statement made around the blogosphere numerous times over the last several months, and every time it just gets under my crawl. What did they think Obama was? Why in the name of heaven did they believe that Obama, with the boatload of baggage he carried to the presidency, was going to be somehow better than Bush, who, whatever your differences with his policies, is at least an American born-and-raised? It just kills me when people say stuff like that. I personally had a lot of issues with Bush while he was president, namely his constant reiteration that Islam is a religion of peace, his right-liberalism/neoconservatism, his fiscal policies, NCLB, the Patriot Act, etc., just off the top of my head. I mean, the list is long and distinguished. But to say or imply that you somehow thought that Obama couldn't possibly be any worse is just, well ... ridiculous.
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ReplyDeleteThe form of the bow means that he's not really bowing to the Emperor of Japan. That's totally a Muslim style bow. Locking out both knees in that fashion is totally alien to the way every other culture bows.
ReplyDeleteIn particular, showing respect inappropriately is considered overtly insulting in Japan. America is acknowledged as the only nation to ever conquer Japan. For the American President to bow to the Emperor is basically saying that wasn't a big deal, which is the essentially denying the entire historical tradition of the Japanese.
I'm pretty sure that doesn't actually cancel out the total mockery of Japanese concepts of honor and pride the bow represents, but then again Japan is still in a transitional period, culturally. The Islamic bow somehow or other gained some currency with the out-caste classes a while back...I think that may only make things worse, though. Because in that case it clearly denigrates the position of Emperor of Japan within Japanese tradition itself.
Hopefully, the Japanese are willing to just consider Obama a rube with no sense of cultural protocol. Even if they don't...they're still the defeated survivors. It's not like they can actually do anything about Obama being offensive towards them.
He hasn't bowed to the Queen of England.
ReplyDeleteChiu, that's very informative. Thank you for sharing.
Chiu,
ReplyDeleteI knew there was something particularly ... Islamic about that bow. Which is why I asked initially at VFR, tongue in cheek, "where'd he learn to do that?" But anyway,...
Mom, you make a good point that had somehow evaded me. I think you may have hit the ball out of the park for my theory.
Correct me, but wasn't his first bow to the Saudi King? His second, like unto the first, is the one we have pictured at the top of the entry.
The theory that Obama is making this bow to 'cover' for his bow to the Saudi King in a "I don't just bow to Islam" sort of way...it makes too much sense of a completely senseless act. Remember when Bush I threw up on the Japanese PM or something (well, you know, at a dinner with the guy)? Nobody tried to make out that it was some kind of deep laid plan, we all just hit our heads and said 'Doh!'
ReplyDeleteOr were secretly delighted, but still not thinking it really meant anything other than that Japanese food is not for the weak digestion.
Anyway, it looks like the Japanese are going to pretend the Islamic bow to the Emperor (certainly a mixed message if it meant anything other than Obama being an idiot) never happened. I'm pretty sure that's the best course of action from their perspective. From the perspective of America...one of the Secret Service guys needs to be issued a cattle prod for the next time Obama does this. It's the only way he'll learn.
Dammit! And there I thought I'd, maybe for the first time ever, nailed one. But then you come along and blow it out of the water like it was nothing more than a service-boat on an ill-fated mission.
ReplyDeleteWhat's a guy to do?...
;-)
Chiu,
ReplyDeleteA cattle prod or a shock collar? With the latter the secret service agent can simply push a button from a distance, and no one but him and Obama has to know anything about it.
Yeah, yeah, I'm going with the shock collar. :-)
Well, I do take the fundamentally contrary view of Obama, in that I don't believe that Obama's proposed redesign of America is a complete novelty which is being pushed through on the basis of his insuperable political genius.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the main real effect of Obama has been to (accidentally) tear aside the curtain and show Americans what is really going on...and has been going on for some time now. Obama hasn't fundamentally changed the direction of America, he's only woken up the American people through his ineptitude in trying to execute plans designed by more subtle minds.
Obama is connected to the movement to subject America to totalitarian government...but he is not the originator nor a particularly adept agent of the overall plan. He was supposed to be a figurehead, but nobody told him that and so he's been trying to actually captain the ship.
Ah, I couldn't agree more. And I've said it numerous times before -- he and the leftists are simply too eager for their own good. If they'd back off some (i.e., stop provoking Americans to take action), people would most likely go back to sleep since they really don't want to be bothered with this crap to start with. They have other fish to fry, but now they know (or are beginning to realize) that the big fish here must be fried before they can go back to frying their little fish in peace. But they're still not quite aware of what they're ultimately in for, I should think.
ReplyDeleteI think, that in meetings like this, the protocols for the meeting(bowing, shaking hands etc.) are agreed upon in advance.
ReplyDeleteSO, either Mr. Obama is a totally arrogant rube who doesn't have to listen to his protocol officer and cares nothing for disrespect he is showing to the citizens of America through such actions, or he is making a deliberate statement with these bows.