9th
Polarizing Rhetoric :: A War of Words Over a Peace Prize
I’m not sure what was more surprising, that Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize or the polarizing response to the announcement.
It was a touch after 7 a.m. this morning when I took a peak at the headlines on my phone browser at the Omaha airport (headed to New Mexico). I read the headline reporting that Obama had won the Peace Prize, but it didn’t register—was feeling pretty sleepy at that point.
I scrolled through my Twitter feed and suddenly it did register. The tweets were already popping, mostly laced with disgust and sarcasm, with a few congratulatory sentiments sprinkled in.
When I looked at my Facebook feed and saw the endless stream of status updates venting their reactions I wasn’t sure what to think.
I mean, Obama is a significant leader in today’s world for a number of reasons:
- Though some may argue that he’s not exactly the paradigm of a modern civil rights leader, he is undoubtedly an important symbol in the civil rights movement.
- He has taken a strong stand for nuclear disarmament, something that many people in today’s world have little understanding regarding how crucial this is.
- Unlike the previous US administration, Obama is committed to diplomacy and dialogue, a courageous and humble show of strength in leadership.
Of course, those are just a few highlights, and, many will argue they are either his only highlights, or may even disagree that they are important in and of themselves.
I realize none of those reasons seem to merit the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize. In fact, much of the criticism about this award coming too early in his tenure is more than fair. But let’s not put too much credence in a prize that was never awarded to Mahatma Gandhi due politicized fears of angering the British empire during its dying days (let alone a prize that most Americans would be unable to name the last 3 recipients of anyway).
I guess reading the tweets and Facebook status updates got me concerned. Why the hate? How come we have thrown so much oppositional energy behind our political stands? Is there an honest way to resist cynicism in a two-party system that successfully divides?
The announcement seemed to be a trigger for some people to continue to pile on their frustration with a Democrat in the office. Others, like RNC Chair Michael Steele just used it to take cheap shots, rather than celebrating that an American received the honor.
What I’m left wondering is if this is either a warning shot from the rest of the world to dial down the American trend of picking fights and starting wars every 4-7 years, or if this was not so much an affirmation of what Obama has done, but an indictment against what the previous US administration did.
Whatever the case, Obama’s speech was fantastic—humble and self-effacing, giving the credit back to the American people’s intention to make the world a better and more peaceful place.
And it’s a little funny to watch the rest of the world celebrate and congratulate Obama while we peeps here in America vent and argue over our reactions.
