I pledge not to be a participant in the deification and mass worship of our President.
(Via David Bernstein.)
Defending the liberal tradition in history, science, and philosophy.
Defending the liberal tradition in history, science, and philosophy.
I pledge not to be a participant in the deification and mass worship of our President.
(Via David Bernstein.)
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The creepiness of the Obamatons is getting more and more frightening.
And many of these are the same people who cried out in fear over the paranoid belief that Bush would command a cult of the Religious Right. Nobody EVER created a "pledge" to follow Bush, and nobody even thought about doing it.
Creepy, creepy stuff.
CosmicConservative’s last blog post..How I hate phone menus?.
No one created a pledge to follow Bush?
Huh. What the hell did I sign then…
Cosmic,
no you’re right. Â a bunch of people pledging to adopt a sense of civic responsibility and be involved in their communities. Â creepy stuff!!
Well, to be fair, Ron Coleman noted some time ago a case of excess religious zeal for Bush.
I don’t think it reached quite this scope, though.
I’ll pledge that too, and up the ante by pledging to never do that for any President, just as I’ve done in the past.
If I wanted a God-King I’d move to ancient Sumeria.
I pledge to end slavery worldwide too.
I do that by pointing out that there are many pro-slavery and pro-genocide Muslim Brotherhood affiliates who are gaining positions of influence in the US government.
Like the head of American Muslims for Constructive Engagement (AMCE)
Via the PJ Media report titled: "Genocide Henchman leading Muslim Outreach to Obama"
In the 1990s, the extremist Muslim Brotherhood government of Sudan, led by President Omar al-Bashir, was continuing a genocidal jihad against the Christian and animist populations inhabiting the south of the country that killed nearly two million people and forced another four million from their homes. In July 2008, Bashir was indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes related to the regime’s subsequent genocide in Darfur.
As Bashir was waging his holocaust against the Christians during the 1990s, one of his closest advisors and top aides was Abubaker Ahmed al-Shingieti, who from 1993 to 1995 served as spokesman for Bashir’s government (as he was identified in a 1994 New York Times article). According to al-Shingieti’s own published résumé, he later served Bashir as director of public affairs for the presidency from 1995 to 1998, as the genocidal jihad against the Christians was at its height and Sudan was the hub of the international Islamic terror network. As reported by the New York Times, eight individuals charged in the New York landmarks bombing plot in 1993 were traveling on Sudanese passports…
..This is particularly relevant as al-Shingieti will be heading the U.S. Muslim outreach to the Obama administration as the president of American Muslims for Constructive Engagement (AMCE), a collaborative effort by U.S.-based Muslim Brotherhood front organizations to infiltrate our federal government. A recent open letter signed by al-Shingieti identifies him as AMCE’s president.
The power of the Cult of Personality. My, my, my.
While I can’t agree with all of the things these nimrods have pledged to do, I’ll be glad to see them get off their lazy asses and actually do something of service.
You know, like millions of normal, every-day Americans have been doing for over two freakin’ centuries!
So, why did they not want to be of service to America before Barack Obama was elected President?
Morons, the lot of them.
I pledge to hold these people accountable to their pledges.Â
In all seriousness, I’m not the least bit bothered by this kind of thing.  So long as it’s privately funded and not foisted upon children, I say go for it.Â
I do think it’s silly, bordering on stupid, but that’s about what I would expect from a bunch of celebrities. It plays right into the stereotypes I so love to mock.Â
I don’t really believe that any of those people are going to drink less bottled water.
Yep, Zach, it’s all about helping the community.
They just weren’t worth helping on November 3rd. They were Bush communities then.
Or did the communities just not need help until Obama was elected?
Or are they just so petulant that they won’t help their communities until the President gets down on his knees and begs them to?
My kid and I make a pledge of civic responsibility at every Cub Scout meeting. And our willingness to do so is certainly not based on the current occupant of the White House. Nor did we stop because that occupant changed this week.
It’s not the civic responsibility that’s the problem. It’s the pledge to be a "servant to our President." That’s just backwards. The President is a public servant. He’s our employee, not vice versa.
But this doesn’t even come close, in my opinion, to the creepiness of "My American Prayer."
Derek: Exactly.
The president ought to be pledging to serve *us*.
Of course some of the civic-minded pledges are things I support. But why does the election of the Obamessiah cause people to suddenly support worthy causes? What in blazes does he have to do with it?
Oh, and by the way, why so little on the slavery thing? During the past 8 years we’ve delivered tens of millions from slavery in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now we’re only going to get rid of a million in the next few years? How disappointing.
In any case: what do "I pledge to be of service to Barack (kiss muscle) Obama (kiss other muscle),"Â or "I pledge to be a servant to our President" have to do with it? Or melding all these pledges into a loving mosaic showing the new Messiah, Barack?
Hey whatever. If having their new righteous leader in the White House helps them become better people, then I suppose it’s a net plus. You have to wonder what they’ll do when he leaves office or disappoints them, though.
I honestly don’t think any President has had this much positive propaganda and fevered support since Franklin Roosevelt. I guess you could call that a good thing.
The phrase "fair weather friends" comes to mind.
Yu-Ain Gonnano: I have the same reaction to this video that I had when Michelle Obama listed all the things that then-Senator Obama would "require" of citizens if he was elected.
But, then, I also don’t think that people should expect government to solve their problems. Perhaps if I did, then I’d feel beholden, like the folks in the video, to give a little payback over and above my increasingly misspent taxes.
Yesterday morning on NPR I heard a report about Obama’s attendance at the traditional first morning prayer service at the National Cathedral. After a sound clip of a choir singing "He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands," the commentator (Steve Inskeep?) said something along the lines of "of course, that has a lot more meaning this morning than it would other days."
So, yes, liberals are in fact directly conflating Obama with Jesus.
This video and others like it make me say, in the parlance of my generation (or maybe just a couple of years after):
Ewwww, ugh, shudder, gaaaawwww.
Other than that, it’s fine, and I hope they follow through with their pledges of change.
Zach:
If you don’t see the creepiness of this, I don’t know what to say. It’s way creepy at a level that should disturb anyone who values rational thought and rational action.
As others have noted, what does Obama have to do with a desire to perform community service?
I suppose there is some remote possiblity that these cultists will actually do something positive for some communities, but the underlying messianic fervor of the whole thing is very troublesome to anyone who considers what it means about human psychology.
This sort of thing frankly bothers me. I thought the Clinton Cult was troublesome, this is exponentially more worrisome than the Clinton cult ever was.
Why? Because zealots are ALWAYS problematical. And that’s what these people are. Obama zealots.
As if it hasn’t been clear from other posts of mine, I find zealotry of any sort to be a demonstration of one of the worst aspects of human nature. Why? Because in ther zealous fervor it will not be enough for THEM to act, they will demand that YOU believe what THEY believe and will attack anyone who disagrees with them as heretics or apostates. That’s what zealots do.
CosmicConservative’s last blog post..Closing Gitmo (and other Obama actions)
Yu Ain, Dean, Cosmic, and others,
why is it so hard to accept that someone can inspire others to action without that inspiration being creepy. Â when the pope visited the states, there were tons and tons of videos of people who were inspired to be better people, to live better lives. Â is that creepy? Â is that bad? Â would anyone but the most feverish anti-catholic suggest that these people are not just unthinking automatons, but actively participating in evil as well?
of course we all wish that the celebrities in the video (and all of us) have always been perfect people, true paragons of virtue. Â however, the fact that it took obama trying to make it a national issue for these people to crave civic involvement is not evidence of their membership in the cult. Â note that i don’t deny that a cult exists (just as it existed for clinton, bush, reagan, –maybe not carter ;) ), but simply being inspired by obama or using his statements as a jumping off point for self-improvement isn’t ipso facto evidence of someone abandoning their sense of self.
when they demand or even suggest that you do the same under penalty of law, then, of course, i’m listening.
Zach:
Here is my problem. These people are essentially "pledging" their fealty to one man. Not to the country. Not to any principle. Not to a sense of civic pride.
It has been my experience that when people develop this level of obsession with a personality, they are pretty much by definition abandoning their own rational analysis in favor of following the dictates of that one person.
There was certainly among the right a deep admiration and appreciation of Ronald Reagan. But there were no "pledges" to do Reagan’s bidding. Reagan’s call to civic duty was a call to CIVIC duty, not a call to do REAGAN’s idea of civic duty.
I find this creepy and think it demonstrates a very fundamental flaw in the human psyche. And frankly it concerns me when people create such cults around any personality. Insofar as people reacted this way to Reagan or any other conservative, my reaction would be the same. I would be seriously creeped out.
CosmicConservative’s last blog post..Closing Gitmo (and other Obama actions)
CC,
 You’re still using the terms “rational†and “logic†with respect to this stuff.  You are correct that it isn’t logical or rational.  But a lot of people aren’t motivated by logic when it comes to certain issues or topics.  They are instead driven by their emotions or feelings. Â
That’s not necessarily a good thing IMO, but it is a fact of life.  If you continue to try to understand this stuff from a perspective of logic, you will be continually frustrated.Â
And I’m speaking with some experience here.  I’ve been a geek all my life, an engineer for the past 20 some years, and a manager of engineers for the past 12.  As a manager, I’ve had to learn to deal with some of the non-logical aspects of human motivation. And it’s been hard.Â
In the last few years, I’ve been studying Marketing, and learning about concepts like branding, brand loyalty, perceived versus true quality & value, etc.  From an engineer’s perspective some of that stuff sounds like bunk, and is even kind of scary.  But there is enough historical data to show that it is real, and it does work.  IMO, the psychology behind a lot of it isn’t completely understood, at least not yet.  But from a practical, results based perspective that stuff can make a difference.Â
When I watched the Obama campaign unfold from an engineer’s perspective, it made no sense whatsoever. The dots just didn’t connect, and there was no “there†there, so to speak.  But when I looked at it through my marketing glasses, it was freaking brilliant!
Â
Millions of people are responding positively to Obama the brand, and many of them aren’t making that choice by logic or reason.   That’s got the potential for good, and it’s got the potential for some very bad things too.  Only time will tell us how it will be played out. Â
Jay:
I am not challenging the reality of the cult phenomenon. Nor am I saying that I expect people to be rational.
I’m saying that this aspect of human nature is NOT POSITIVE, and that tapping into it is a very risky proposition that typically does not end well.
And I repeat myself, this tendency to develop a personality cult around a public figure is deeply disturbing to me on many, many levels.
Obama may be a wonderful person. or he may not be. The more people invest their emotional self-interest in deifying him, but more risk is introduced if Obama is NOT working in the public interest.
And based on his recent Gitmo executive order, among other things, I have serious doubts about his judgment. So now what I see is a cult arising around a desire people have to invest themselves emotionally in following the dictates of a man who I think shows very poor judgment.
The fundamental phenomenon is creepy enough. The actual application of it to THIS man has me deeply concerned at the moment.
CosmicConservative’s last blog post..Closing Gitmo (and other Obama actions)
Zach: So, now you’re saying Obama’s not Jesus, he’s just the Pope? %-)
Ah, whatever. Yes, it’s good when public figures inspire people to better themselves and their community. This strikes me as a weird level of it unseen in my lifetime for a politician, but whatever. I’m sure it’s mostly harmless.
I’ve no problem with being inspired by someone. But I don’t know of anyone who expressed such type of sentiment by pledging to serve Ghandi, or Martin Luther King, or Billy Graham or…
As I said before, as a citizen of the United States of America I serve no leader, no master. They serve me.
This deification of a political figure is a very concerning development in my most sincere and honest opinion.
If I were Obama, it would worry me. One of the things that worries me most is that it seems to excite Obama, not worry him. If or when he begins to try to tap into this Obama-worship, my concern will ramp up to a higher level.
CosmicConservative’s last blog post..Closing Gitmo (and other Obama actions)
My bet would be that disillusion will set in for most of them within a year or so. Either because the world doesn’t completely change after the first few weeks of warm fuzzies wear off, or, he sooner or later does something to piss them off. Then we’ll start hearing "I’ve lost faith in him" or, more likely, "I used to like him until…"
I hope you are right Dean, but I fear you underestimate the emotional investment of these people.
After all, they have clung to their irrational hatred of GW Bush for 8 years in spite of fact, rationality and common sense.
I don’t see them dropping their adulation of Obama unless Obama does something overtly and profoundly opposed to their fantasies. And I think Obama is not likely to do that. He may embark on policies that these people would normally oppose, but he will appeal to their worship in his rhetoric and rely on their proven ability to disregard reality in favor of a fantasy world of their own making.
CosmicConservative’s last blog post..Obama murders seventeen Pakistanis
Well I’d point out that many members of the hard left dislike him already. Now these are, so far, pretty much on the fringe, but they’re there. These are people who sat out the election, or voted 3rd party, or voted for Obama while holding their noses. It’s not one mass worship encompassing 51% of the popular vote.
He will keep some of his base but some will be displeased and disillisioned by 2012. On the other hand, if the country does well under Obama, I expect him to be able to win fairly easily with voters who didn’t like him the last time around.
I guess I’m saying this frenzied adulation probably doesn’t amount to the majority of those who voted for Obama.
I found a interesting blog by an Englishman who writes rather well. His Grace as he is known, the Archbishop Cranmer.
He strikes the nail directly on the head:
In terms of global viewing figures, the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America is likely to approach those for the funeral of the Princess of Wales. It has been hyped, spun, designed, stage-managed and cultured to perfection. Barack Obama became an icon without pausing for his image to be captured.
He is cherished, worshipped and adored like the most sacred of devotional objects. The expectations of fulfilment are colossal, so much so that Isaiah’s messianic prophecies reverberate around the world:
Today the Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.
Look, no one is talking about setting up shrines here. This probably has more to do with the fact that he’s our first African-American President, he’s the youngest President, and the younger generation now has someone closer to them in office that they feel better understands their perspective on things.
It is an event that shows a marked change in the voting population, our views of what the minority is able to accomplish, and transfer of power away from the paranoid cold war generation.
If this inspires people to believe in their country again and be more dutiful Americans then that is positive. This doesn’t stem from a cult of personality. I am sure that some of you had wet fantasies about Bush having that kind of effect on people, but sadly you did not get your wish. Instead your wine turned to vinegar.
Sour tastes breed sour attitudes eh?
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