Quick Post

Well, some of you may already know but I have been in the process of interviewing for a job this past week and I have to complete this very challenging project for my interview, which is why I didn't post yesterday. I will just keep this short and sweet because I've got to get back to work.

The big story in the media this week was the G20 Summit hosted in London and the Obamas meeting the Queen. The media on both sides of the pond seemed to be ready to pounce on anything they considered to be a break in protocol and I think they were a bit unfair in their judgements of every action taken by the Obamas when they met Gordon Brown and the Queen. I wasn't sure why, Obama is always accused of being "too popular" in the media, which I think is what created the criticism in the first place. This was London's time to shine, a chance for Gordon Brown's government to redeem themselves and the Obamas came in and stole the show. I suppose I might be a bit bitter as well, and the British media definitely were.

I had to laugh that Obamas' gift of an iPod to the Queen which was loaded with photos and video clips of her was reported in the media as being an arrogant gift. However, in the next breath it was revealed that the Queen gave them a photo of herself, yet it was explained away as being just "the customary gift for dignitaries" so it wasn't judged so harshly as the iPod. So if I am reading this correctly, what the critics mean is that if the Obamas gave an iPod to every dignitary they met it would make it okay? I doubt they would agree, but it seems like a bit of an unfair double standard and I think it is very much the American way to treat people as equals. I think when you know you are going to get a framed photo of someone as a gift, an iPod is a clever symbol of American culture to give as a gift. I think one thing that this week proved is that the far right media's constant whining about Obama being a "rock star" couldn't be further from the truth, and the media aren't afraid to put him to the test. 

Here is a little article from Mental Floss about the proper protocol when meeting the Queen (got this from my friends over at Anglotopia). My personal feeling is that if you aren't a subject of the Queen all bets are off. It certainly may not be the traditional or even polite thing to do, but I feel a bit bad for the Queen that she is always treated so formally and I think she might need a hug or a high-five every once in awhile.