The President stumbled just a little. We meant notre Président du coeur, the American one, not the one who got all bent out of shape jogging and who has been prescribed a vacation. (Someone who has to have a heart attack scare to convince themselves to lighten up and go on vacation can’t really be all that French. Slow down, Mr. Sarkozy, you’re President of vacation paradise – the French concentrate on “discovering” their own Texas-sized country every year as much as foreigners do – and it’s the kind of place that inspired Disneyland – except being the real thing.)
When his friend Henry Louis Gates locked himself out of his own house, a mishap that lead to him being handcuffed for disturbing the peace, Obama was asked to comment. His first reaction was memorable – he said, “well, if I tried to break into my house…” then he realized where he was – and he let out a nutty little laugh and said, “well (if I tried to sneak in) here I’d be shot!” Whatever he does from now on in, whether anything he does goes right or wrong, we will always love him just for that moment.
Afterwards he said the police had been “stupid,” and went on about it – and later realized he’d started a media furor – (something that is as easy to do as starting a brush fire in August in the California hills) – and had to go calling up the people involved. It is all ending with “a beer at the White House” with Mr. Gates and the police sergeant. It’s said that Barack will serve Budweiser. Fine. It’s not our favorite, but it’s American (think of the furor that could start up over Heineken or Kirin), and yes, we accept that people submit to long train rides or even planes paid for by the taxpayer just to drink a beer at the White House.
But here are the real questions. Who is this neighbor that called the police, who doesn’t know that one of the most prestigious authors and scholars in the country lives a couple of doors down - and doesn’t believe the man on the porch lives on her street whoever he is? And why automatically choose beer when Obama doesn’t particularly like it? Did he ask the cop if he wanted wine or juice?
2 commentaires:
He seems to like Bud he took one at Superbowl ;)
And do You know all your neighbours ? Are you sure no one famous is around ? I'm not.
Mathieu B.
I like what you're saying and I think the point really is why was all this such a hullabaloo in the first place? I think it was just an illustration of the fragile grounds Obama has found himself on as a blackman who is always a president and the whole incident is more a situation comedy than an actual incident because the real, gritty tensions here about race are still blistering and alive as ever but have nothing uch to do with either of these famous men. It's inner city stuff,with anonymous faces and I sure wish they got headlines instead of the beerfest.
Very enjoyable and intelligent blog here! I like it alot!
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