Remind me of what the real issue is?
“Doesn’t it seem like everybody just shouts at each other nowadays? I think it’s because conflict is drama, drama is entertainment, and entertainment is marketable.
“Finding consensus and common ground is dull! Nobody wants to watch a civilized discussion that acknowledges ambiguity and complexity. We want to see fireworks! We want the sense of solidarity and identity that comes from having our interests narrowed and exploited by like minded zealots!
“Talk show hosts, political candidates, news programs, special interest groups… they all become successful by reducing debates to the level of shouted rage. Nothing gets solved, but we’re all entertained.” –Calvin, the six year old boy from Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes.
Yesteday Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel peace prize for 2009. There is a very honest question that surfaced almost immediately: does he deserve it?
The answer honestly seems to be that he clearly doesn’t. More obvious choices appear to be perhaps those who have accomplished a lifetime of conflict resolution as opposed to someone in their forties. Not that President Obama is a violent man, or that he might not one day be more deserving. But in only eight months into his term and his priorities clearly focused on a vigorous overhaul of the health care in America and the troubling economic situation, his “peace” resume is fairly limited.
The Norwegian Nobel Prize committee said that their decision was basically an early vote of confidence in Obama intended to build global support for his policies. They lauded the change in global mood wrought by Obama’s calls for peace and cooperation, and praised his pledges to reduce the world stock of nuclear arms, ease American conflicts with Muslim nations and strengthen the U.S. role in combating climate change.
The award has garnered respect by being given to figures who are almost universally known and respected for their impact on peace, such as Mother Theresa and Mahatma Gandhi. Since Obama’s peace works have been limited to either his public organization work or plans for the future, there is a suitable amount of controversy surrounding the award.
As for Obama, he was shocked to receive the award, as were most experts. The president had this to say regarding the prize:
“I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many transformative figures that have been honored by this prize,” he said. “I will accept this award as a call to action, a call for all nations to confront the challenges of the 21st century.”
How did America respond? Was it with civilized discussion? RNC Chairman Michael Steele had a political regurgitation of Republican talking points; Obama hasn’t done anything, he hasn’t shown fiscal responsibility, he hasn’t fixed the economy yet, etc… Nothing really referring to how this should be a proud moment for Americans regardless of political alignment, just a loud abrasive swipe at the guy Steele is against.
And Steele was hardly alone in his entertaining yet hardly suitable comments.
At the same time, the left made comments about how Obama had brought back dignity to the international political stage, and how the right wing should just be proud of their country. This award was– in their collective mind– a celebration of the passing of former president George W. Bush’s imperialistic shoot first diplomacy strategy.
To me, this is yet another example of how loud and unthinking we are. Why is the right wing mad? Why is the left wing suddenly ashamed of the right wing, who said basically the exact same thing that they did the day before? Obama didn’t think that he was worthy of the award; it was simply given to him. What affected the left and right?
None of us can get so caught up in every frantic news cycle. I have painfully read through the hateful comments from the conservatives in this country the last few days. Why is this another reason to hate someone? Why is peace a bad thing? Why is everything this man does so evil? You need to ask yourselves how you arrived at such powerful convictions that you are against everything someone does; that you would rant about how awful he is on the same day that he’s literally been given the Nobel peace prize.
Maybe Calvin was right. Maybe the rest of the country sincerely enjoys the yelling, loud, thoughtless debate that avoids the real issues and brashly battles slogan versus slogan. But I’m with the six year old on this one. I’d like to see a boycott of populism, volume and yellow journalism, and a return to boring old decent reporting.
