Wednesday, September 9, 2009 8:33 PM CDT
COLUMN: Come one! Come all! Decide for yourself who's a clown and who's not
By PENNY WEAVER, News Editor
pweaver@jg-tc.com
I was surprised Tuesday when I couldn’t see President Barack Obama’s horns protruding out from under his hair.
I mean, sure, he probably left his trident at home, and he can hide his pointed little tail under a pair of trousers. But the guy has a short haircut — is this some Hollywood trick?
Perhaps I’m the only one who expected the president to look like the Devil himself when he addressed schoolchildren across the country Tuesday. Alas, he simply gave a chit-chat about working hard, studying and staying in school.
Booor-ing.
So what’s all the hullabaloo about?
As usual, it’s pure politics — and I don’t buy the contention of some that it’s racism. It’s simply people on the far end of the spectrum away from Obama who want to stir up any nonsense about him that they can.
And it is, most assuredly, nonsense.
Many presidents have given speeches to schoolchildren near the start of the academic year. Big deal. I suppose Reagan did that when I was in school, but I don’t remember it — that has been a couple of years ago, after all.
Conservatives simply saw a chance to stick a spoke in Obama’s bicycle wheels and they gleefully watched him kiss the pavement — almost.
I don’t believe that liberals wouldn’t have done the same thing to George W. Bush, if they’d thought of it. It’s no wonder most Americans just plain hate politicians.
So Obama-haters fanned the flames and accused the president of planning a propaganda presentation to America’s pupils. They made him out to be the Devil incarnate and stirred things up.
Then the prez gave a simple ol’ speech. Gosh, that’s anti-climactic.
Still, some school officials fell for the nonsense. They took the path of least resistance and, when parents called to complain (or even if they didn’t), opted to not show the president’s speech.
Some Charleston students saw the speech — the decision was left to individual teachers — but Mattoon’s school leaders didn’t allow viewings of it. In Arcola, officials also wimped out, sending a letter to parents to let them know the speech wouldn’t be shown.
That’s disappointing. I understand the administrators’ juxtaposition: Do they comply with some parents’ wishes and not show the speech, or do they overrule the hoopla, let children hear what should be a universally acceptable message, and suffer the fallout?
The text of the speech was released ahead of time. That should have made educators’ decision. No reasonable person could find some wild, out-of-line agenda in that text, so why not show it?
I’d like to have seen all the local districts lead by example. They could have set aside the politics of the non-issue issue and led with common sense.
Still, the overall hoopla is an excellent lesson in American democracy, politics and social wrangling for young people — perhaps too much of an honest example of how utterly ridiculous some ideological groups, on both sides, can be.
Yet if good old-fashioned reason and level-headedness ruled the day, we’d risk being awfully bored, wouldn’t we?
“Obama’s going to create death panels and let Grandma Moses die!” certainly is much more exciting than “One health care proposal would include an option for patients, if they wish, to receive counseling regarding end-of-life decisions such as living wills.”
See? I just lost you, right there.
It’s not just our politics that are a circus — and I don’t even mean the part of the circus where the guy with the shovel comes around, although that certainly can be equated with politics.
It seems all of society is a circus these days, each of a million groups being a clown in bright colors, waving, dancing, doing calisthenics, vying for the public’s attention. They may be political groups, or social groups, businesses trying to make a profit, or social networks hoping to rack up the best numbers. But they’re all whooping it up, trying to be the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.
I like to ignore the clowns and admire the big ol’ wrinkled elephant under the big top. And, probably like most average people, I also usually end up being the person with the shovel, so the bright lights and big colors of the main show are lost on me as I pick up the, um, pieces.
Well, this is all very entertaining, I suppose, but I get tired of the constant din, don’t you? The right hates the left, the left hates the right, blah blah blah blah.
I lean toward the left. But I can see some good points that the right makes, and I definitely do not like some of the left-wing thinking and behavior. Is it really so impossible for people to meet in the middle?
Ah, no, that would be like The Fat Lady losing 100 pounds and having to be billed as The Average Lady. Suddenly, The Bearded Lady buys stock in Norelco, and she’s the Clean-Shaven Lady. The Thin Man eats a sandwich, and now he’s an out-of-work Average Man.
I guess we’ll just have to let the clowns do their thing. That’s what clowns do. Let some of them paint President Obama — or whichever politician happens to live in the White House — as the Devil himself. There’s always someone who will.
I’m more bothered by people like America’s administrators and educators, who, this time, could have all risen above the fray and shown that some people really can put politics aside and let the prez just make a darn boring ol’ speech. It’s too bad they all didn’t do that.
But what do I know? I’m just another American at home with the remote in one hand, cringing as I listen to the arguing and the haranguing and the snarling.
My solution is easy. Lift up that remote with me, America. Find that “off” button.
Click!
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Mama says wrote on Sep 9, 2009 10:18 PM:
THE MIDDLE OF ROAD SANE AMERICAN LEAGUE might work.
In the past histories, politicians have been on tv once tv was invented and then the schools showed the PRESIDENTs speeches in classes. The first one I recall is WE LIKE IKE, DWIGHT DAVID EISENHOWER.
I am sure MIMI would let him know how his speeches sounded to her. My youngest son said he feels there has BEEN NO GREAT PRESIDENTS SINCE ROOSEVELT. He did say he thought Jack Kennedy was not given the BE ALL HE COULD BE chance as our President.
Young son watches history and wars channel. Keeping his past clean, he is planning on politics as a YOUNG MAN BRINGING BACK HONESTY IN THE POLITICAL RING. He is studying history and seeing ways to make things better and the disabled, poor, children not suffer nor even the MIDDLE OF THE ROAD FOLKS.
ANOTHER good column Penny. Food for thought. Of course you won't please all (but told son he not either even if fair, and honest when in politics).
I didn't see even a forked tongue on the President. That is what our ancestors said about the white race.
I am proud to have Cherokee ancestry,
French, English also.
In years ahead, we will SEE how good or bad President Obama left us as with past other Presidents.
Am sure Presidents have days IT ISN'T EASY BEING ME. I have those DAYS too. "