Why we need to leave the Nobel committee (and Obama) alone

This week produced yet another public relations quagmire for President Obama as he became the surprise recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He can't enjoy it, unfortunately, as people around the world are shouting that he won the award for rhetoric, not accomplishments; it was given far too early in his career; the fact that it's been bestowed upon him undermines the credibility of the award itself.

Why would the Nobel committee open itself up to such criticism? It's not like they wouldn't have seen this coming. They didn't bestow the award on Obama early in his career - they bestowed it really, REALLY early in his career.

They obviously want the award to become less reactionary, patting-ourselves-on-the-back type of Oscar-style exercise and more of an actionable, political aid for the world's most influential people who are working tirelessly to improve peace and prosperity for the world's citizens. They want to transform the nature of the award itself, throwing their weight behind individuals who are leading us towards greater peace. The Nobel can then give credo and additional influence to start conversations that wouldn't have been held, or to open doors that would have stayed shut, for people like Obama and future recipients who are still in the midst of their work. Effectively the award becomes a communications aid rather than an Oscar bestowed on retired greats who live on vineyards and ranches and spend their days sipping brandy.

In a world this messed up, with countless problems facing mankind, who can blame them? It's just this type of action-oriented, open communications approach, rather than introspective reviews of our accomplishments after they're done, that the world needs right now.

I suggest that we calm down and be grateful that the Nobel might help Obama achieve some of his lofty ambitions. Let's be honest - there isn't an award on this planet that isn't a PR invention, and inherently subjective by nature. The Nobel is granted on the opinions of a bunch of eccentric rich people in Oslo - it's never been any different. If they can start to make things happen rather than just being a reason to open a bottle of bubbly and donate a few million to charity, personally I think that's a good transition. Let's not blame Obama for being the first recipient of this nature.

And finally: if the Nobel wasn't granted on rhetoric, then Al Gore never would have gotten it for his undoubtedly incredible contribution to the fight against climate change. He has worked tirelessly to spread his message, so he definitely deserved his Nobel, but all the same, it's not like ice stopped melting in the Arctic Circle when An Inconvenient Truth came out. And that, my friends is an inconvenient truth.

President Obama's back to school address: carry an umbrella in a media shitstorm

It's now four hours till President Obama's much debated back to school address. The speech, at 12 pm EST today and intended to be aired live to students of all ages, will focus on the importance of staying school. (You can watch it online at WhiteHouse.gov). Bizarrely, there has been a huge media and political backlash in the US from opponents claiming that Obama's speech is "political" and therefore unsuitable for children to be forced to hear in school. Crazy, right? Especially considering plenty of other presidents have given addresses to schoolkids. But this media shitstorm got so serious that many parents were surprised to find their kids carrying permission slips home which they had to sign to let Junior watch the address. Yeah.

Disclaimer: I worship at the Obama altar so this post is bound to be a bit one-sided; however, I grew up in Oswego, NY, in the days when the TV got wheeled into the classroom on a huge mobile cart for every important televised event, be it a presidential address, or the launching of the Challenger space shuttle. The latter event obviously went disastrously wrong and I still remember how shocked teachers were went it blew up in front of our very eyes, and how confused all the kids were as to what had just happened. I was in the third grade (about 8 years old) and didn't fully understand the enormity of what had just taken place.

We also stood up every single day at 9 am, without fail, put our hands on our hearts and recited the Pledge of Allegiance simultaneously with the entire school. I don't know how common this practice is anymore, but I loved it, and I believe patriotism is one of the things that makes America great.

So - Obama's had to deal with a media crisis over an innocent strategy to stress a very non-political education agenda. And meanwhile his opponents' claims that this is "political" are completely hypocritical because that is exactly what their protests are.

One friend on Facebook described this as "a wholly embarrassing chapter in American history." I couldn't put it better myself.

Obama's media team expertly put the text of his speech online 24 hours before it will be televised to ensure a) any journalist covering it has no excuse not to get his words exactly right; b) to convince any naysayers that his address is actually for the good of children and not pushing some sneaky agenda; and c) to demonstrate just how pointless these weeks of debate have been.

Another masterful move in media manipulation from the Obama camp, the main reason being that his strategy is simple and follows the laws of common sense. It's a media strategy that seems remarkable only for its lack of complexity, but still, it's something that other world leaders could learn from: "carry an umbrella in a media shitstorm." It's not a bad lesson for schoolkids to be reminded of, either.