A Non-Policy Comparison of Presidential-ness

I just watched President Bush give a press conference, followed immediately by Barack Obama delivering a speech on foreign policy. The contrast between the two is staggering.

Mr. Bush's press conference consisted of him rambling from topic to topic, never spending more than three minutes on any one idea, and leaning lazily against the podium so much that the camera actually had to follow him by moving laterally. His cavalier attitude, both in stance and speech, certainly does not give off an aura of even being vaguely presidential. His responses to reporter's questions were barely on topic. When asked to suggest when the economy might turnaround, he responded "I'm not an economist! Look at all these reporters, saying recession this, recession that, as if they were all economists!". What?

When asked if oil companies had fully explored the millions of acres they have under contract now, rather than opening up even more offshore drilling, Mr. Bush responded "You know, you don't have to drill on top of a reef anymore. They can drill, uh, horizontally. Like in Alaska, you can have one pad, and drill horizontally. We have the technology." What?

He also blamed the economy's woes on trade - specifically, with Columbia. Because Columbia is the lynch pin of the American economy. His complaint was that Columbia was placing a tariff on imported American goods while America did not on imported Columbian goods. Or as he put in, "You can buy stuff from Columbia duty free, but they're charging more for American goods. That's not fair. I don't understand that." What this man doesn't understand could fill the Pacific ocean.

It was then that he revealed he's 62 years old. This person is 62 years old and is on a podium, giving a press conference as the acting President of the United States of America, and he's blustering on, hardly answering questions some times and utterly failing to address them at others. He's exhibiting a shocking lack of knowledge or understanding about how the world works at any level, and he's leaning like a drunk. It was shameful. The only time I've seen an old person act like that is when he's three quarts drunk at a shady bar. Mr. Bush was acting like a damn fool.

Barack Obama, on the other hand, gave a thirty-minute speech while standing straight-backed, spoke clearly and intelligently, even inspirationally at time. It is true that he was giving a pre-written speech, but Mr. Bush could not hold a candle to Senator Obama in terms of acting presidential. When I listen to Senator Obama give a speech, or take questions from an audience, or debate another politician, I see someone who would hold the office of President with respect and dignity, and would be a role model citizen. I, yes I know it's trite, but I see hope. When I see Mr. Bush, I am embarrassed. I am just plain ashamed of him.

Well Hello There

Culture is a weird thing. It can be defined any number of ways. For example, culture could be the collective beliefs about how to interpret the world. Or culture is the how a group of similar people interact. Or culture could be more specific, such as having a developed intellectual and artistic knowledges or abilities. However you define culture, I think broadly we can all agree that culture is a social phenomenon; that is, culture requires at least two people.

Now a group of people of any size can "build" or create culture. The drama club has its own culture. The baseball team generates its own culture. A neighborhood can have culture, and so can a town, or city, or region, and so on. Culture can be attributed to occupation, location, lifestyle, religion, or any number of qualifiers. And as such, one person can be measured as either a sum of these various cultural influences, or be seen as existing in different spheres of cultures, like a Venn diagram or something.

Culture determines what one deems important, what one values. If you are acculturated to an athletic climate, for example, you would value physical prowess and skill in sports. If you belong to an intellectual culture, you have a different set of values. Other cultures include agricultural verse industrial, familial verses communal, international versus local.

We live in a multicultural society in the truest sense. Ease of travel and an abundance of wealth means that it is possible to live almost anywhere in the world and within almost any culture. Individuals and groups, having much more freedom about where to live, will often choose a location that offers them the best opportunity for a good life. That means jobs, security, and freedom. For many, that means the United States of America.

We've all heard of the melting pot of America. Immigrants from all over the world arrive in America and become part of our cultural stew, being absorbed into the mix and adopting most of the characteristics of the stew, perhaps adding just a bit of their original flavor. But that analogy is out of date now. Modern models of America's culture deem the United States a 'salad', where each cultural leaf exists independently, not mixing into a relatively homogeneous whole.

To be cosmopolitan is to be culturally adaptable, to feel at home in a variety of cultures. If America is now a salad and not a soup, than Americans must become cosmopolitan. Otherwise, America will become more fragmented, dividing into culturally unique territories. This is accelerated on one hand by the rising cost of travel, meaning more people will remain in their local community. On the other hand, this individualization of the American countryside is and has been severely hampered by national corporations who stress conformity in their product at every location. Think Applebee's and Old Navy.

So, where do you want to be? Do you desire an America that is culturally whole, or a country that consists of unique stations? Think of your cultural adaptability - some cultures are very easy to adjust to, while others are discomforting and sometimes frightening. I can attest to the latter. After 19 months living in Southern California I still do not feel comfortable here, meaning that once I find a culture I like I'll probably stay there for a while. I love to travel, to visit other cultures, but perhaps I need to find a home culture first.