Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Where do people find the time?

I am just amazed at how people find the time to react and respond to frivolous things.

First there was the issue of Obama's bowing to the Emperor of Japan. It is regarded as being obsequious and showing "weakness". Bloggers and analysts seem to be having a field day over this. What struck me is the huge number of vitriolic comments people are posting on these blogs/articles. Get a life people! Obama was following protocol. In India, you greet by folding your hands in front of your chest (aka "Namaste"). In Japan, you greet by bowing. If other world leaders did not do this in the past when greeting the Japanese Emperor, it only means that they did not do their homework on Japanese customs and culture. Don't make this a political issue. Surprisingly, the excellent speech that Obama gave after this greeting has not received any air time in these blogs.

Next, there is the issue of Newsweek's cover on Sarah Palin. Once again, it blows my mind that 400+ people found the time to respond to this and submit comments. At the outset, I wonder if Sarah Palin and her Going Rogue book deserves this kind of attention (she is no longer running for VP, you know). Sarah Palin has not offered any political insight concerning policy (other than parroting the party line). Come on people, get offended that she is being taken seriously - not for what she is wearing.