During his vacation in Hawaii over the holidays, President Obama walked into a local ice cream store to buy a treat for his daughters.
He was wearing flip-flops.
The media went wild. Fashion experts analyzed his choice of footwear. Even presidential historian Jane Hampton Cook said, “I can’t say I’ve seen a president’s toes before.” But in my opinion, when you step back and look at the real picture, this was an ordinary guy wearing an ordinary pair of sandals. What do people expect him to wear? A suit and tie and formal shoes like he does for work? I remember during his presidential campaign in 2008 that he was hounded for forgetting to wear a flag pin during one of his speeches. I was a little disappointed that people made a big deal about it when there are so many other important, pressing issues to think about and discuss in this world.
I also feel somewhat sorry for him. Vacations are supposed to be for relaxation, and goodness knows that the President needs it. Being the President of the United States is undoubtedly a stressful job, and having people around him fuss about his shoes probably didn’t help. Obviously he has tolerated harsher criticism, but I think most of us forget that he is a human being just like the rest of us that needs a break from time to time.
What are everyone's thoughts on this? Do others agree with me that this is bordering on ridiculous?
4 comments:
I totally agree with you, Sarah. Yes, the president is expected to be professional during professional times...but not on vacation! Unless he did something outrageous, like wear an offensive tee-shirt or walk around with no clothes on, I don't think this should matter at all.
I agree with you both, Sarah and Jessia, I think this is just another example of the media trying to make something out of absolutely nothing. The president has feet! What a revelation! Yikes, if we were even half as interested in foreign policy as we are in the president's wardrobe the American people may have a decently respectable reputation in the eyes of the rest of the world.
Although to be honest, my eyes immediately darted to the blog post about Obama's flipflops, so I guess I shouldn't really be talking either.
The people in the media need something more to do than this...Who gives? Maybe if more attention is spent on smart things, the respect for the media would go up.
I agree with you, Sarah. I don't think people should be making sych a big deal about what the president wears during his vacation. I also agree with Jessia on the example she gave about the offensive t-shirt. Give him a rest people!!! He's a human being just like the rest of us!!!
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