Ignorance is bliss?I just watched Will.i.am's CNN tribute to President Obama, and frankly, it really annoyed me. It paints this rosey picture of change and hope that is inconsistent with how the world really is. The fact that we have elected an African American into the White House is a historical sign of progression that we need to celebrate, but come on, let's face it, the world is really no different today than it was on Tuesday than it was on Monday. Just read the headlines.
What people fail to realize is that Obama is still an individual politician who is powerless to change the institutional culture that is the U.S. government. Sure the executive order to strengthen ethical behavior between the Executive Office of the President of the United States and lobbyist is a great start - but it rings hallow when we look at Robert Gates who was a well known lobbyist for Raytheon. When the results don't match the intentions and hypocritical exceptions are made, what we have left is not change - it's just empty symbolism.
And that's what I am concerned about - that this entire rose image of change is just a scripted symbolism of change that won't really happen. Yes it is early and yes I am hopeful that President Obama will succeed in bringing change to the country. But we must do so in an objective manner by staying informed on the issue first and not be pampered into submission by empty symbols.
