Mcom 100w M/W 1:20-2:45
IMHO #1
Word Count: 386
A recent offhand comment by President Obama on a national television talk show brought to light the harming power of words. On Thursday, March 19, 2009, President Obama appeared on the 'Tonight Show with Jay Leno.' During the interview, which addressed various political issues, Obama commented on his poor bowling skills. At one point he said his bowling skills are "like Special Olympics or something." Immediately after the interview, he was quick to apologize to the Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver before the show was aired.
The public response to this incident caused quite a political buzz. Special Olympics President and CEO J. Brady Lum said that Obama's comment has proven to be "an incredibly important and seriously teachable moment." Many people took this to be a major political misstep for President Obama and felt his comment was shameful. Others felt that Obama just showed his human side and made an innocent slip of the tongue. Interestingly, this incident happened just two weeks before the Special Olympics' launch of it's new campaign to get Americans to rethink the use of the word "retard."
In my humble opinion, President Obama, while human, should have been more careful in his word choice before a national audience. As a major public figure with worldwide influence, he is held to a higher standard. All of America is hanging on every word he speaks. While I can understand President Obama's desire to show his humorous side, I was surprised to see he appeared unaware of what he had said. Obama clearly didn't realize the hurtful nature of his words until after the interview. Conversely, I thought that Jay Leno was immediately aware of the inappropriateness of Obama's comment. I do not think President Obama should be condemned for this comment but he clearly should take this as a lesson to be better prepared in the future.
In his defense, I was impressed that he took immediate action to admit his mistake and apologize. It is a good lesson for all of America to learn. We need to think before we speak. Words have the power to hurt and once spoken cannot be undone. To millions of people with intellectual disabilities such comments are cruel and offensive. While unfortunate, Obama's comment has helped raise awareness of this important issue.
Links to article:
2. CNN article on issue: Obama mixes politics, comedy on ' Tonight Show'
3. CNN article on issue: Special Olympics takes on use of "R-word'
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