sprinter Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 (edited) :gang: :wacko: :bowdown: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12...se-royalty.html http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington...hito-japan.html Edited November 16, 2009 by sprinter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suv_guy_19 Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 I was wondering when this would come up. You know, I find it funny. The US is really the anti monarchy, and yet the three countries that the US is closest with (the UK, Australia, and Canada) are all monarchies....with the same Crown (though separate in equal in the 3 countries)...that was the reason the US was formed in the first place. Sorry, just a rather amusing observation for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian_05_SEL Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 :gang: :wacko: :bowdown: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12...se-royalty.html http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington...hito-japan.html Just because some people are too ignorant to understand and respect the customs of a host country doesn't mean that the President has to act high-and-mighty with other heads of state. If he took the position of "I'm better than you" with the Japanese Emperor, people would probably accuse him of being arrogant. Bowing when being introduced to someone is a sign of respect in Japan, not a sign of subservience. The Japanese only consider it an act of submission if you bow while down on one knee, or "kowtow". What you saw was very simple: President Obama expressed to the Emperor (using a traditional Japanese custom) that he was pleased to be meeting him face-to-face. Any other interpretation of the bow is just plain old bias and propaganda. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retro-man Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 What a freakin' non-issue. I suppose you'd like him to swagger in and wink like Bush II, or perhaps just barf on them like Bush I. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cocheese Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 What a freakin' non-issue. I suppose you'd like him to swagger in and wink like Bush II, or perhaps just barf on them like Bush I. How about he just act like the President of the United States and have a clue about what he is suppose to do. Guess they should have set the teleprompter up so he could have read that and known not to do that. I'm not sure what is worse, this clown's actions, or the minions who apologize for him every time he screws up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 or perhaps just barf on them like Bush I. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprinter Posted November 16, 2009 Author Share Posted November 16, 2009 How about he just act like the President of the United States and have a clue about what he is suppose to do. Guess they should have set the teleprompter up so he could have read that and known not to do that. I'm not sure what is worse, this clown's actions, or the minions who apologize for him every time he screws up How true http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091116/pl_af...lomacyasiaobama "I don't know why President Obama thought that was appropriate. Maybe he thought it would play well in Japan. But it's not appropriate for an American president to bow to a foreign one," said conservative pundit William Kristol speaking on the Fox News Sunday program, adding that the gesture bespoke a United States that has become weak and overly-deferential under Obama. Another conservative voice, Bill Bennett, said on CNN's "State of the Union" program: "It's ugly. I don't want to see it." "We don't defer to emperors. We don't defer to kings or emperors. The president of the United States -- this coupled with so many apologies from the United States -- is just another thing," said Bennett. Some conservative critics juxtaposed the image of Obama with one of former US vice president Dick Cheney, who greeted the emperor in 2007 with a firm handshake but no bow. "I'll bet if you look at pictures of world leaders over 20 years meeting the emperor in Japan, they don't bow," Kristol said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xr7g428 Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Hard to kiss ass without bending over... LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalepsy Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Obama He wasn't bowing, he was bending over for a royal mounting. I'm sure the world is ready and willing to have a subservient US President Hard to kiss ass without bending over... LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 You people are about as smart as a bag of wet cats. That wasn't about you; believe it or not, it's not all about you, sometimes. It wasn't even for the devout Shintoists that are Japan and would have been enchanted by the respect shown. That was for the Chinese to ponder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikem12 Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 (edited) I was wondering when this would come up. You know, I find it funny. The US is really the anti monarchy, and yet the three countries that the US is closest with (the UK, Australia, and Canada) are all monarchies....with the same Crown (though separate in equal in the 3 countries)...that was the reason the US was formed in the first place. Sorry, just a rather amusing observation for me. none of those nations is a true monarchy. The Emnpoer and the Queen are are part of the heritage. Niether can raise taxes, declare war or direct the government business. They are pretty much institutions of the government with little or no power.. Edited November 16, 2009 by mikem12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suv_guy_19 Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 none of those nations is a true monarchy. You don't want to argue with me about my own Constitution and system of government.....you'll lose...all 3 are Constitutional Monarchies with Parliamentary Democracies, much like Japan. The Queen holds executive power but does not exercise it. The parliament (led by the prime minister) exercises executive power (as allowed by the Queen), but does not hold it. Almost nothing in a Commonwealth Realm can happen without being done in the name of the Crown. At least in Canada's case, the way our laws and Constitution are written, the country has zero legitimacy without the Crown. Oh, and it isn't just tradition. The Queens representative in Canada almost fired the Prime Minister last year. It wouldn't have been the first time it happened...and it won't be the last. The funny thought still stands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retro-man Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 (edited) How about he just act like the President of the United States and have a clue about what he is suppose to do. Guess they should have set the teleprompter up so he could have read that and known not to do that. I'm not sure what is worse, this clown's actions, or the minions who apologize for him every time he screws up Yeahsurewhatever. I see you got the "teleprompter" memo from Rove and gang. It probably didn't occur to you that Obama won the primary and presidential debates without using one, but whatever works for you. Edited November 17, 2009 by retro-man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joihan777 Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 Obama, in my view, may be the only president that makes Carter looks good... but that doesn't mean bowing is bad. The leader of one nation is respecting the tradition of the culture of the leader of another nation. Just as our president receives a 'handshake' from a foreign leader where a bow is customary, he gives a 'bow'. It doesn't mean 'America submits to you', it means 'America respects you'. It is perfectly appropriate. To think otherwise is, sadly, ethnocentric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 Poor Angela, and what an embarrassment. How ignorant, how gauche. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Greene Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 (edited) Showing respect is not a sign of weakness. It's a sign of strength and confidence in a relationship with global friends and partners. It takes class for the strong to show respect to weaker powers. I think it's about time for a gesture like that. The world knows who is the strongest power. We don't have to constantly remind them with arrogance. I also don't see this as a democrat or republican thing. Obviously I'm not schooled in the correctness (as noted below) of how he did it, and maybe he isn't either. But, to me, he just showed respect. I think that's how the rest of the world is taking it also. Edited November 17, 2009 by Ralph Greene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalepsy Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 It depends on a few things. It is polite to bow if they bow first. You show subservience by bowing lower and not making eye contact. The deeper you bow, all the way down to your knees, it demonstrates your low level to the individual standing in front of you. Generally if you are in a position of power or leadership, you nod instead or just a slight bow of acknowledgement. There is no custom to bow to royalty if you are not their subjects. Obama, in my view, may be the only president that makes Carter looks good... but that doesn't mean bowing is bad. The leader of one nation is respecting the tradition of the culture of the leader of another nation. Just as our president receives a 'handshake' from a foreign leader where a bow is customary, he gives a 'bow'. It doesn't mean 'America submits to you', it means 'America respects you'. It is perfectly appropriate. To think otherwise is, sadly, ethnocentric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark B. Morrow Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 Thanks Retro Man. You made my day and the argument. BTW conservatives, Eisenhower and Nixon also bowed to the Japanese Emperor during their terms. That was the same Emperor that we defeated in WWII. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
napfirst Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 (edited) Most of those pics Retro are photo shop.....I couldn't care less if he bows....I wish he's stay home long enough to get something accomplished.....other than adding a trillion $'s to the debt since Jan. or lower the unemployment numbers as promised........ Edited November 17, 2009 by napfirst Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suv_guy_19 Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 So nap, you think it would be a good idea to stay away from APEC (which contains many of them most powerful nations economically) and it would also be a good idea to not go to two of your largest trading partners while you're in the neighborhood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang84isu Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 I heard about this today on the radio. What a total non-issue. You know what Japanese headlines were saying about the bow? How much of a nice and respectful person Obama is. Those making a big deal about this are the type that never travel the world, or they take their arrogance with them wherever they go. I lived in Italy for half a year while studying abroad and saw plenty of American tourists over there that had complete disregard for Italian culture. Italians tend to be laid back and less in-your-face, yet you would see these throngs of American tourists talking as loudly as they could (and it's not like Italians don't know English), no regard for others on sidewalks, and acting like the world owed them everything when they were in a store or needing service. Rare attempts were made to speak the language...they expected English. This mindset that being respectful equates to "weakness" per Dick Cheney is exactly what is wrong with modern America. The world stereotypes us because we live up to these stereotypes, and yet Obama does the right thing by being respectful toward Japanese tradition and the right wing talking heads use it as an opportunity to jump on his back. Ridiculous. You know had he done the opposite, the clowns would have said he had no respect for the Japanese. This is what American political culture has been reduced to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bored of Pisteon Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 (edited) Actually, I think Mr. Obama should kneel before Zod. Just a matter of time... Edited November 18, 2009 by Bored of Pisteon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bored of Pisteon Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 (edited) Poor Angela, and what an embarrassment. How ignorant, how gauche. how bloody hysterical! was there oil involved?..........oh shes not a Saudi....lol Edited November 18, 2009 by Deanh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retro-man Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 (edited) Most of those pics Retro are photo shop.....I couldn't care less if he bows....I wish he's stay home long enough to get something accomplished.....other than adding a trillion $'s to the debt since Jan. or lower the unemployment numbers as promised........ Which ones? Which ones are Photoshop Nap? Re. the economy, I think it would do a lot of people well to get a little perspective: This article link appeared in CNN Money yesterday. Flip through the charts on each indicator, and mentally superimpose a line down the point on the chart that corresponds to Jan. '09, when Obama took office. In each case - almost across the board, you will see that we were about 2/3 of the way down the slide before he took office, continued the plunge a bit further, and have since leveled out or climbed. I am not prognosticating about what will happen medium term, or long term, or what the effects of current economic policy are going to be - but some people seem to remain in denial about how we got here. Do I wish it were all turned around already? Of course I do. Do I have 100% faith in everything that's being done to remedy it? No. I am pretty damn sure though, that all the mud being flung at Obama is both misplaced, and premature. This cartoon from a week before the inauguration: Edited November 18, 2009 by retro-man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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