Top 10 Barack Obama Revelations

Revelation #1 - Congratulations America, Racism No Longer Exists



It must be tough being the first black president of America. Because it is such a monumental first, it's hard not to focus on race and keep our attention on more important issues. This is exactly what Obama set out to do though for his campaign. Obama has been know to say that if he lost his campaign, it would be because of the mistakes he made, not because of his race. But is Obama actually doing more damage to racism in America than overcoming it?

Obama could possibly do damage to black equality by suggesting that racism no longer creates barriers to black equality. In Street's book, Barack Obama and the Future of American Politics, he notes “White people are just thrilled when a prominent black person comes along and doesn’t rub their noses in racial guilt. White people just go crazy over people like that” (172). By purposefully straying away from the prominent race issue, Obama is saying that racism no longer exists in America, when in actuality there are still many barriers in the road black equality.

Revelation #2 - A Landslide Victory on the Bunny Hill
Many believe that Obama’s rising was a magical, almost astronomical phenomenon. It took Obama less than four years to go from the Illinois State Assembly to one election away from holding the highest seat in the country. So how could such a feat happen in less than four years?

http://rt.com/files/usa/news/world-s-10-biggest-political-sex-scandals/sex.n.jpg

Street talks a lot about the luck Obama had at the beginning of his campaign. Early in his senate race, his republican contender withdrew due to a sex scandal. Because it took so long for the Republicans to find a replacement, "You could argue that if the Republicans had a viable candidate, there would be no Barack" (xxiv) says Ron Walters.

Revelation #3 - Middle-Class Millionaire. Obama's secret funding

https://donate.barackobama.com/

In February of 2008, Obama set the single-month fundraising record of $50 million. This is very surprising to me since Obama, from the start, has been open about declining donations for his campaign from major corporations. He would rely solely on small contributors.

Despite his declining of funding from Washington lobbyists, Obama, at that time, had become a millionaire. This was largely overlooked because of his "declining" of large contributors, and that Hillary was seen as the candidate with money.

Revelation #4 - Obama's Youtube Channel in Competition with Talking Cats
Obama was smart with his campaigning by staying up with the times and connecting to a larger audience. JFK did it with the television, Obama is doing it with the internet. Of course we're not just talking the internet here, we're talking about social networking. Yes, Obama reached out to the social networking world through Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.



Though it's effective, was Obama's reach to the social network just a marketing campaign? Some would argue that just because he is using YouTube and Twitter and Facebook doesn't mean that his policies are still in order. It's an image enhancer meant to appeal to the social network demographic. I do feel though that there is one problem with this marketing campaign; What do you watch, the talking cats or Obama?

Revelation #5 - A Celebrity Among Us
Obama is a celebrity, plain and simple. Sure, he's our president too, but he's also a celebrity. This I feel is a fairly new phenomenon, where politicians are famous. Not to let the politicians off the hook entirely, but I feel that this is due to television. With the amount of flooding of facial images of one person, over and over again, you're name is bound to reach the world. With a more close look at it, you could even blame the news agencies for turning Obama into a celebrity. Obama and Hilary got more face time on television from the news agencies than all of the republican candidates combined.

http://www.vanityfair.com/

We have faith though. We're used to television enough to get over the famous factor and look at the issues at hand, right? When asked about Obama, some students from the University of Iowa said "Oh, he's just so cool. He's on television all the time and he's just really excellent. Nobody ever heard of him before and then boom - there he is, like… I can listen to him all day" (Street 168). Well, I guess that proves it, Obama is more of a celebrity than he is a president.

Revelation #6 - Democrats VS. Democrats
Many voters during the election were strongly opinionated. It was one of the most heated elections of our time, with one of the biggest voter turnouts so far. However, we might of overlooked that getting more voters voting means more crazy people involved in politics. When asked, many Obama voters said that they would rather vote for McCain than vote for Hillary if she won. The vice versa was also true for the Hillary fans.

http://a.abcnews.com/

This just goes to show you how strongly opinionated we have become in politics. Instead of a joint, participatory democracy, where compromise is almost a necessity in order to accomplish anything, people would rather sabotage their opponent at the cost of four years with McCain.

Revelation #7 - Climate Change. The Polar Bears Can't Hear Your Bells and Whistles Because They're Dead



At the conclusion of Street's book, he talks about some of the major issues Obama would tackle if he had been what he considered 'progressive'. One of the issues Street talked about that caught my eye was climate change. As we all know, climate change is a hot topic circulating around our generation. Throughout his speeches, Obama did bring up and discuss climate change and what America can do to help it.

So far however, Obama has been all bells and whistles. There were many topics that Obama talked about during his campaign to make him seem truly progressive, a break from the 8 years of republican follies. Hope. Change. However, many have criticized Obama for being the most conservative progressive there is. Instead of acting on the policies he so eloquently talked about in his pre-presidency speeches, he just used them as a means to come across more progressive. Better start taking pictures of those cute little guys now before they're gone.

Revelation #8 - Foreign Policy, Trans-continental Hustling
From the start Obama was against the Iraq war. He strongly opposed it during his campaign, and when it was set that we would invade Iraq, Obama wasn't around to place blame on later. He has a clean record with Iraq and that was a strong enforcing point in his campaign. But just because he's anti-Iraq doesn't mean that he is anti-war.

Embedding of the video was not allowed, so here's a link.

The Democratic Party is far from being the liberal, anti-war, peaceful party that some might think. In fact, members of the Democratic Party have said that "If we have to use force, it is because we are America; we are the indispensable nation. We stand tall and we see… into the future" (Street 132). I think many voters assumed that because he was anti-Iraq and appears multicultural that Obama was synonymous with peaceful foreign relations.

Revelation #9 - How Can I Be Racist If I Voted For Obama?

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/01/28/at_harvard_law_a_unifying_voice/

Though Obama ignored the race card in order to play his own cards, many of us still focused on race. We might not of focused on race in order to make a presidential decision, but as a means to say something about ourselves. Many blacks used their vote to show that their loyal to their race while many whites used their Obama vote to show that their not racist.

It's funny though how grouped in Obama was with the black American community. In fact, he actually did not rise within black America, but instead went to Harvard and was fairly well off. For the white demographic, Obama supporters tended to be mostly highly educated. I can imagine that they were saying something along the lines of 'I can't be racist, I voted for Obama'. Street talks about this point noting that whites are "calmed and 'impressed' by the cool, underplayed blackness and ponderous, quasi-academic tone of the half-white, Harvard-educated Obama"(82).

Revelation #10 - What's an Obama?
What a catchy name, Obama. Something you really don't hear every day. Well, that is until he became our current president. But what's in a name? Does the unfamiliarity and funniness of the name hold any weight in the election? Many would argue yes.

Despite being black and having enormous luck during his campaign, Obama is successful because he's, well, Obama. There are some things he can control, like his word usage stances on policies, but there are other things he can't, and that's his name and appearance. Lets be honest, Obama is a fairly attractive guy, given our presidential history.

http://www.commondreams.org/

Street notes that Obama uses his "skinny guy with a funny-sounding name from the South Side of Chicago" appearance with the "log cabin" view we normally tend to see in politics in order to create a successful campaign.

Address #4 - Do You Remember Halloween?

Oh what a holiday. I was talking about halloween with a friend earlier in the weekend and we were discussing that transition faze you go through when you stop trick or treating. We wondered, once you get too old to trick or treat, what exactly do you do on halloween? For most people, I think that age is about the time that you start to discover alcohol. Of course that's what you do. So long sugar high, hello hangovers. Of course, this means the all important halloween party that someone has to man up and throw while turning a blind eye as their house gets trampled by the untamed beast that is festive friends. This year, it just happened to be my house. This of course means some preparing for the festivities, such as carving pumpkins and making decorations.



The big project I decided to put on my table was my front yard graveyard. You might of seen my progress in a previous post, and my procrastination held me up to finishing it as people were starting to filter in. Perfectly measured out and mathematically near perfect, I was quite pleased with my work. Now, I consider myself a creative person, but I will be the first one to admit that I am no good at freehand drawing. However, I did always excel in math during high school. We may tend to think of our brains as built into separate parts, such as the musical and 'creative' brain, the limbic, while the rationality and 'intellectual' brain is the neocortex. I feel though that I have found a way to connect the two by using math for creative purposes. I feel that the brain shouldn't be thought of as different gears working together, but one big gear that can work given the right medium. This medium for me was headstones.





So, after all of that partying, do you remember halloween?

Project CENSORED Address: Cuba does good?

For this Address, it has been my job to research the story of "Cuba Provided the Greatest Medical Aid to Haiti after the Earthquake" to see if it really is a "censored" story. Here is what CENSORED 2011 had to say about it.

"Public health experts say the Cubans were the first to set up medical facilities among the debris and to revamp hospitals immediately after the earthquake struck" (64).

"One major international news agency's list of donor nations credited Cuba with sending over thirty doctors to Haiti, whereas the real figure stands at more than 350" (65).

"Western media are programmed to be indifferent to aid that comes from unexpected places. In the Haitian case, the media have ignored not just the Cuban contribution, but also the efforts made by other Latin American countries" (65).

"When the US requested that their military planes be allowed to fly through Cuban airspace for the purpose of exacting Haitians to hospitals in Florida, Cuba immediately agreed despite almost fifty years of animosity between the two countries" (66).

"In late January 2010, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton thanked Cuba for its efforts in Haiti and welcomed further assistance and cooperation" (66).

Obviously this is perfect breeding ground for censorship within the media. The US and Cuba haven't necessarily been friends and to portray Cuba in a good light just wouldn't reflect on America so well. So, after a bit of research, I actually did find some interesting articles covering this story.

Chavez courts Haiti with aid to broaden anti-U.S. kingdom


Cuba's Aid to Haiti Ignored by the US Media?



In fact, all you have to do is type "Cuba Haiti aid ignored" into Google and you get a full page of news articles covering this story. So would I call this a strictly censored story? No and yes. No because of the amount of information I was able to find on the story, and yes because of the fact that I had never heard about this story until I researched it. It is not a common discussion among people. It is not a fertile meme. But why is this? I believe it's because people tend to get the majority if not 100% of their world information from major news networks who have expressed a sort of self interest. Because we don't further our searches on news beyond channel 3, we aren't hearing all of the information on certain subject matters.

Midterm Reflections: Has it moved from your Short Term to Long Term Memory yet?

http://www.abacon.com/slavin/t60.html

1. After studying media for eight weeks now, I've learned that repetition and structure helps move ideas from your short term memory to your long term memory, hence the daily quizzes. I've also learned that the media I see daily has been scientifically broken down to such a psychological measure that we can quantify how persuasive and effective a piece of media is.

2. One of the most important things that I have learned so far is not to accept all arguments against t.v. as solid factual statements. I started out reading about media with Jerry Mander's "Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television" and came away hating t.v. Now I've learned to critically analyze those arguments that I agreed with and see the flaws within them. I've expanded my knowledge and resources on the subject to form better opinions.



3. One thing I would do differently the first half of the semester would be to be more familiar with social media and use it in an opportunist way in order to better myself for the class. Knowing about what I'm learning about before I learn about it would help build connections between the psychological aspects and real world participation. Yes, that would mean I would probably have a twitter account.

4. One thing I would like Rob to do differently is focus more in depth and spend more class time on the readings we have instead of having us read it and then just give a paragraph blog post on what we read with little to no discussion on what we posted or the ideas brought up in the book.

5. The power tools have been useful by showing us the psychological means in which they break down media to make it the most effective on the consumers, such as the 29 persuasive techniques. However, it does feel somewhat like brainwashing with the constant repetition of them in order for us to memorize word for word what is on three sheets of paper.
The quizzes are a good means to make sure we stay on top of our homework and absorb the necessary information we need to come away from this class as intelligent media analysts.
The course blog has been one of the most useful tools of this course so far. It is a nice online meeting place for the course where I can find all the information I need on assignments and thoughts of fellow classmates. Instead of fumbling through my folder trying to find a syllabus to see what is due next, I can easily check the blog and know what I have to do for the course without any hassle.



My personal blog, The Nurre Address, had been a surprisingly fun adventure for me. I have never run a personal blog before, so I was fairly hesitant on posting on it since I feel most blogs I see tend to be self revolving and uninteresting to other people. This has stayed true for me, but I now have a different way of looking at blogging. Instead of creating content for the internet, I enjoy creating content for myself. Using what happens in my daily life, whether it's a new band I got into or decorating for halloween (post coming soon), it gives me a means to take that and present it in a creative manner that people may happen upon.
The books have been very interesting. As I stated in question 2, the books have helped shape my new view on the media world today. They have expanded my resources and knowledge I feel more than any other tool we have used in this class. "Amusing Ourselves To Death" has been my favorite so far, being along the lines the the Four Arguments book I had read in a previous year. Feed, however, was a different story. I understand the important themes it raises and the knowledge we can gather from it, but the book itself as a novel annoyed me greatly. From the "futuristic" slang to the in book advertisements, it was something that I had to force myself to read while all the time I was cringing.

Address #3 - Arnold Schwarzenegger, body builder, movie star, governor, and supporter of feed?

Person 1
Remember the internet when it came out? Well that's nothing compared to feed!
Announcer
FEED!
Person 1
It's the hottest new crave!
Announcer
FEED!
Person 2
You're life will be better and you will be more successful if you just get with feed!
Announcer
FEED!
Person 1
Scientist agree unanimously that feed can greatly benefit your health and social life.
Announcer
FEED!
Arnold
This is Arnold Schwartzenegger. Feed. Do it.
Announcer
FEED!
Person 2
Do you or your loved ones have trouble staying in touch? Feed brings them into your brain!
Announcer
FEED!
Person 1
Feed. Unifying the world one brain at a time.

Address #2 - The Itch For Change

No, this doesn't have to do with anything political or is Obama fueled. Recently I was talking with a friend and she noticed about how I have been showing her some new music recently. I aptly responded, "well, it was about that time" in reference to me listening to something new. Taking a lot of pride in what I listen to, it is hard for me to open up to new music that I do not know. However, I am at a constant battle with my music stinginess with my desire to not play out the music I have and explore new genres and artists. I feel like it's a cycle that I go through where it "gets to be about that time" where I start exploring the possibilities out there. It could be some type of unsatisfied desire from my limbic brain that pushes me to expand my music interest, or it could just be that I live in the hyper active era of history where change and gratification needs to be made more rapidly, I'm really not sure.

What I do know is that the band Love has grabbed me and has been in my rotation for these past few days. You can learn about them from their wikipedia page here. Basically they are a racially diverse 1960's pop/psychedelic/rock/folk band from the states. Here is a great song which has really caught my attention and grasps their great sound.

Address #1 - The Preamble

My name is Matt Nurre and I grew up just outside of Cleveland Ohio. I am an inspiring Filmmaker going to school at Champlain College in Burlington Vermont. This summer I enjoyed having my friends from Ohio tour up to Burlington and play a show in my basement. They all play a variety of music. You can find some of their music here. I like that the internet is a collection of knowledge based on users, but I don't like that it has consumed peoples lives so much that they have to be on it all the time. Professionally I would like to stick with my major and work in the film industry.

My profile pictures is a snowflake because the first tattoo I got was that very snowflake. Snow is definitely a part of my reasoning as to why I came all the way from Ohio to Vermont. Sometimes I think silence and peacefulness is a necessity to sanity, and snow always brings that to me.