I have been a little hesitant to blog about Obama's gesture to Japanese Emperor Akihito. But I'm a bit confused as to why this is such a big deal. So he bowed, what's the deal? I mean really, why is this even a story.
Just so you know, there were three former Presidents who bowed and no one then thought it was a weak move on behalf of the U.S. All of a sudden, now we are weak because our President bows. Bill Clinton also bowed to Akihito; Nixon bowed to his father, Emperor Showa and Eisenhower bowed to French President Charles de Gaulle. And guess what, none of those gestures lead to the fall of American power overseas. I am sure the President did it in as CNN's Donna Brazil puts it "in kindness and goodwill" to an aging Emperor.
Just so you know, there were three former Presidents who bowed and no one then thought it was a weak move on behalf of the U.S. All of a sudden, now we are weak because our President bows. Bill Clinton also bowed to Akihito; Nixon bowed to his father, Emperor Showa and Eisenhower bowed to French President Charles de Gaulle. And guess what, none of those gestures lead to the fall of American power overseas. I am sure the President did it in as CNN's Donna Brazil puts it "in kindness and goodwill" to an aging Emperor.
So really, why is this even a story. In America, you can shake our hand or don't, say "What's up" or don't and we don't really care. But in other countries, their culture, their way of life, their gestures mean a lot and what we may think is not a big deal, is a very big one to them. And maybe President Obama didn't need to bow, but to an aging Emperor, it probably meant a lot.
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1 comments:
Amelia you're absolutely right... I lived in Japan and learned that when you meet someone, especially the Emperor, the correct thing to do is bow. That's the Japanese way of saying "Nice to meet you." Not only that the lower your bow, the more gratitude and respect you're showing. Go job Obama!
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