Saturday, November 14, 2009

Who's in Charge of Protocol?

Seriously, isn't it a bit unseemly for the American President to be bowing like this before the Emperor of Japan? While I understand the "the bow" is customary in Japan, the depth of the bow is wholly dependent on each person's status; the deeper the bow, the lower your status.

In Japanese culure, the depth of one's bow is highly calculated and symbolic.

Obama is bowing to this imaginary "Emperor" as though he were a common Japanese citizen, or perhaps the garbage collector!

As an American President, a simple head nod would have been more than sufficient in the interest of politeness. The depth of this bow is absolutely demeaning to the The Office and our country.

Lest you think I'm exaggerating, note how other world leaders handled the same situation (H/T IMAO):


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