Or "first Pacific President" (Heh, Nixon and Reagan would be surprised, as might Taft - Governor-General of the Philippines, or Eisenhower, who served in the Philippines and the Canal Zone, all of them in policy positions vice just living in Hawaii or being a student in Indonesia) is busily rearranging our protocol status to that of... tourist. Apparently, no matter where we are, we Americans are to adopt a servile status.
At least, that's what I gather from the President's leadership regarding protocol.
We have no peers, except perhaps with the untouchables of India. We have only those who are superior to us.
This just makes my head hurt sometimes, so I'll let Greta explain.
While you can argue that the President is perhaps trying to rein in and correct what he perceives as an excessive hubris on the part of the United States in past years, this carries it much too far in the other direction.
At least, that's what I gather from the President's leadership regarding protocol.
We have no peers, except perhaps with the untouchables of India. We have only those who are superior to us.
This just makes my head hurt sometimes, so I'll let Greta explain.
Sigh. Either the President's protocol people are buffoons, and apparently untrainable, or the President is the same, or worse, a poltroon. Sigh. Neither is a good thing.
As a frequent commenter on this site related in email:
While living in Japan and stationed on a Japanese Air Self Defense Force Base, it was required to be aware of Japanese customs. We would salute their officers and they would bow; but we would still snap off an arm socket popping salute. Got to be a sharp troop to the locals.
The position of the head in a bow is very important in Japanese culture. A lesser must always bow lower then a superior. A superior may only bob their head in acknowledgement of a lesser's bow.
Obama is way out of line with a deep bow as shown on the news. He is not just showing respect he is showing subservience. The emperor is just a figure head of the Japanese culture and not head of state. Obama should have either shaken hands as an equal or slightly bent forward and bobbed his head with the proper verbal greeting if he wanted to greet the emperor.
In truth...the emperor should have bowed to Obama as the President of the most powerful nation on the planet and Japans greatest trading partner and protector of Japanese freedom. Obama is now perceived as a lackey of the emperor as he illustrated his subservience not his respect. The emperor still has a job because we allowed his father to continue the traditions. Who owes who what here?
As a frequent commenter on this site related in email:
While living in Japan and stationed on a Japanese Air Self Defense Force Base, it was required to be aware of Japanese customs. We would salute their officers and they would bow; but we would still snap off an arm socket popping salute. Got to be a sharp troop to the locals.
The position of the head in a bow is very important in Japanese culture. A lesser must always bow lower then a superior. A superior may only bob their head in acknowledgement of a lesser's bow.
Obama is way out of line with a deep bow as shown on the news. He is not just showing respect he is showing subservience. The emperor is just a figure head of the Japanese culture and not head of state. Obama should have either shaken hands as an equal or slightly bent forward and bobbed his head with the proper verbal greeting if he wanted to greet the emperor.
In truth...the emperor should have bowed to Obama as the President of the most powerful nation on the planet and Japans greatest trading partner and protector of Japanese freedom. Obama is now perceived as a lackey of the emperor as he illustrated his subservience not his respect. The emperor still has a job because we allowed his father to continue the traditions. Who owes who what here?
While you can argue that the President is perhaps trying to rein in and correct what he perceives as an excessive hubris on the part of the United States in past years, this carries it much too far in the other direction.
If you think Face is not important to Orientals one should stay home. Back when I was stationed in Japan, this Gaigin, was not allowed in certain restaurants and Clubs. We were looked down on because we were Caucasian.
You didn't shake hands unless a hand was offered first. You didn't talk directly at the person so your breath wouldn't offend, You covered your mouth when smiling or laughing; never showing teeth. Lots of stuff like that.
Obama should have shown respect for an elder with a slight bob of the head and a flowery greeting. That's it. That is what the Japanese would have expected. A deep bow shows a lack of understanding...OK...a stupid lack of understanding of their culture.
What a maroon.
Some say he's the Messiah, but he's a 21st-century, caring kind of savior. So instead of dying for our sins, he'll just run around apologizing for them...
{/snerk}
P.S. Horrible thought: you don't suppose he actually apologized for Hiroshima & Nagasaki when he was over there?
So, Eric, you laying this all at President Obama's feet, so to speak? You think he's getting good advice, but ignoring it?
Me, I think he's more typically an "ugly american tourist" than the eponymous types who earned us the sobriquet in the first place!
Fishmugger:
Watch the vid again and pay particular attention to Mrs. Emperor's facial expression. Does her face "close up" Obama bows or is that just me seeing things?
Mr and Mrs Emperor know that the POTUS doesn't bow, so they wouldn't bow so as not to embarrass Mr POTUS. When Mr POTUS bowed, they hadn't also bowed so there's fair big face loss or social snafu there.
I do think you can see the embarrassment in Mrs Emperor's face.
If he would do nothing, he would do nothing wrong. Instead, he is destroying our economy, destroying our health care system, abandoning our hard won leadership position in the world, and working hard to destroy our reputation, history and future.
He should bow to the American people and apologize to us.
i thought the chrysler management destroyed your economy, or was it bernie? Teh Chosen One is doing wonders for your reputation, by the way, which is useful when most of the voters of the allies fighting alongside you are against the war.
On another note, it's interesting that the only time Obama shows any sign of humility or humbleness is when he is doing so as representative of the US to another country; when his actions prostrate his nation rather than just himself. Given his mile-wide narcissistic streak, such displays are certainly out of character and unlikely to be spontaneous, so I find it hard to take this as anything other than an intentional effort to debase the US around the globe. It also fits well with the "Great Healer" narrative: He apologizes for and debases the "broken" US because "his" nation will be the one he makes, not the current US with its "flawed" Constitution.
Yes, but I originally thought that she was perplexed because..she never shakes hands. You are in the presents of the Sun God, her husband. You can nod to her and acknowledge her presents, say a few flowery words. These are not real people; they are symbols.
His protocol people know their business. Obie just isn't paying any attention, because, being a LightWorker and the Messiah and being raised in the mystical Orient and all, he intuitively *knows* what's correct, so us mere peasants (meaning, that part of the Universe that isn't Obie) should just sit back in awestruck awe at his awesomeness.
Awe, as in, "Awe, sh*t, there he goes again..."
She probably taught him *proper* Spanish -- the Mexican version of Spanish is sort of like the Bedford-Stuyvesant version of English...
But that doesn't mean that a mispronounced word can't change the whole meaning. For example, the German word 'ausfahrt,' if pronounced a certain way, puts one in mind of emissions control in one's quarters, not an exit off the autobahn.
I am sure Boq might have others...
Ya find anything else, let us know.
Took *forever* to bypass it when we were driving from Heidelberg to Ramstein...
1) Obama's protocol advisers are ignorant, and giving Obama the wrong advice.
2) Obama is ignoring good advice from his protocol advisers, because he believes he knows better then they do how he should greet other world leaders.
3) Obama is too stupid to follow directions.
None of these is reassuring.
As for this:
Who says it only has to be one of the choices, all three sound plausible to me.
I feel for the Japanese and in political terms Japan need strong allies right now.