Barack Obamah said something he regrets this week. He compared himself and his poor bowling to the level of the “special Olympics”. That’s a comment in poor taste. This kind of thing can happen to any of us, has happened to a lot of us — just not on national television.
In this case, grace is the word.
Two things stand out to me, though.
The first is that –unless the laughter was canned — the audience
got a good chuckle out of Obamah’s comments. What does that say about us the audience?
The second has to do with the fact that I think we should extend “grace” to Obamah. He does not strike me as a bully or as the type of guy who made fun of others as a kid. But what is amazing is how full of grace the media has become since January 20. If George Bush had made this gaff, imagine the outcry in the news. Imagine Olberman!
But, in this new era, grace is the word.
Amen.
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March 24, 2009 at 4:57 am
Deana
As a parent of one who we’re not sure he could even make it to the Special Olympics, I didn’t take offense to it. It was a slip…something he could have said in another way. I think it has brought a whole lot of unintended attention to our world of the special needs/disabled community. A world that for so many years has been shoved under a carpet and ignored as just different, or retarded, or stupid.
I honestly think people are just looking for things to pick at.