Obama winning the Nobel Prize makes me fear the world does not take take our country and its first Black president seriously. Giving Obama the Nobel Peace Prize just 8 months into his presidency (a term in which he really hasn't accomplished much) is the equivalent of patting a child on the head in an effort to encourage. Indeed the former President of Finland said "I see this as an important encouragement."
My point is that the world still sees Obama as a "boy"--both young and inexperienced and barely in political puberty, but also the same way a cop in Alabama might pull you over for DWB. Granted the latter is mostly here at home (Bill O'Riley, Rush Limbaugh, etc.) but the attitude still exists. With Obama still cutting his teeth on the global stage, it's almost as if the world is coddling him like a soccer mom would her child in their first soccer game. "It's okay honey, just run toward the goal! Eventually you will score!" As an American and as a Black man I'm slightly offended by this. Sure I'm happy to see that there are actually those out there that want Obama to succeed. But treat him like a man--admire his ideas (and ideals) by pressuring other world leaders to buy in.
Giving Obama the Nobel Prize is supposed to have this effect. It's supposed to give him "clout" on the world stage, the same way it did Gorbachev in the 90s. I'm not buying. Giving Obama the prize at this stage devalues the American Presidency. The American people and the world are already starting to tune Obama out mainly because he's talking so much. Obama TALKS (as often as possible) about universal healthcare, disarming nukes, condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and sending more troops into Afghanistan. As Obama continues to talk and more attention is lavished on him, it becomes less important when he actually has something real to say. Arguably talking is Obama's greatest strength, (it certainly leads to the perception that he can do something), however with the world view of the West generally and America specifically being what it is, we have to lead by example before anyone begins to hear what Obama says. America has to disarm it's own nukes. We can't continue to blatantly side with Israel in the Middle East. We can't condemn "extremists" for "atrocities" and then send in drones to bomb villages and kill innocent people.
Certainly Obama has taken the anti-Bush approach in that he's not reacting in knee jerk fashion. Even in the Somali pirate scenario in the spring Obama took a few days to send in the Navy Seals. Taking the first year to get a lay of the land is certainly understandable. Talking about what needs to get done and taking ones time to strategize the best way to achieve it isn't a bad idea. But it is NOT Nobel Prize worthy. Bringing national attention to Jim Crow? Organizing a revolution such that the world would take notice and pressure the United States to change it's racist practices? Uniting a group of people under one cause? MLK won the Nobel Prize for these things. While Obama inspired a new generation of people to get involved in politics and participate in the democratic process (arguably the only reason he would be nominated within 12 days of being sworn into office) he certainly hasn't achieved much else yet. He's still running towards the goal, trying to score. Now the whole world knows it thanks to the Nobel committee.
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