Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Barak Obama is the new Lady Di

Well, it is official - Barak Obama is the new Lady Di.

I am in London today (Jan 20th) and I have been overwhelmed by the fawning by the London media over our new president's inauguration. The celebrity status bestowed on him and the genuine excitement that seems to attend his ascension is palpable. I haven't seen anything like this for many, many years - in fact, since the wedding of Diana to Prince Charles.

Since we often see most clearly through the eyes of others, I am forced to pause and reflect on what this means. I must admit that I have not been a fan of Obama and his political positioning, but this celebrity that Barak Obama enjoys is something that I believe must be considered. I don't suddenly agree with anything that I opposed previously, I now realize that I must come to terms with a level of emotionalism that is gripping parts of our country and our allies. All of this completely changes the political equation.

When an extreme celebrity acts "goofy" most of us excuse the behavior as just eccentric. When a Hollywood celebrity is caught with a gerbil or a prostitute, we think little of it - and still go to the next movie with little thought to the bizarre behavior we know has taken place. If a self-made porn film puts the celebrity in the news for a while, the world excuses it. If that celebrity spends their resources supporting causes on the looney fringe, so what?

The terrifying revelation that I have had is that Barak Obama is an extreme celebrity. There will be no odd sentiment that he can hold, no gerbil, no tryst, no betrayal, no act that will not be excused. There will be no action, regardless of how bizarre, that he can undertake that will not be overlooked. Among his fans, who are legion, he will be able to do virtually anything that chooses - with nary a consequence. (Lady Di lost little esteem despite some quite scandalous activities.) And this is the ominous change in the political equation.

Obama is beyond teflon, he is extreme celebrity embodied.