How do you feel about the Clapping of hands for about ten minutes straight, as the President makes his entrance, for the state of the union address?
Asked by
babaji (
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)
January 30th, 2010
everybody claps for ever it seems as he makes his entrance.
it seems just like one of these game shows on the tv where the audience claps through all of the credits etc. Don’t you think it is all a bit much?
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45 Answers
I wouldn’t waste one clap on him.
Who cares? Honestly, does everything have to be a big controversy? It’s just clapping. People have the right to do it.
It’s the presidential edition of the price is right. “Barack Obama come on down”.
LOL all I could think was . Don’t their hands hurt ? I hate being asked to clap for so long.
I think they should clap but not that long. It seems over done and stupid.
They kept interrupting his speech with way too much clapping >_<
The beginning of it was fine to me though.
Clapping and standing is a traditional way of showing respect. When we lose even the semblance of respect, there’s little holding us together. Would you rather they have collectively mooned him?
Personally, I would want to moon GWB because of his policies and personality, but I think that even I would stand and clap out of deference to the office of President.
@laureth
I would never give respect to a man who has showed that he is racist against whites. The only reason he’s President is because America as a whole (I didn’t vote for him) was more worried about making history than hiring the best person for the job. He’s barely qualified to manage a Burger King and we expect him to run a country? I honestly believe that if it wasn’t for Obama’s skin tone, Hillary Clinton would (and she should) be in office.
@Self_Consuming_Cannibal – I don’t care if he’s black, green, or purple, I personally voted for him because I thought he was a better man for the job than anyone else running for the job. Like I said, I don’t care one whit for GWB, but I would stand and clap anyway: yes, even a liar responsible for such human misery as GWB.
@laureth
What if GWB went to a church that preached racism for twenty years against black people and pretended he didn’t know about it until he was running for President and the media found out? Would you still stand and clap?
If someone gets my respect, it won’t be because of a title or job they have, it will because they deserve it.
@Self_Consuming_Cannibal – Yes, actually, I would, especially if he were the President. [shrug]
On the other hand, I would not have voted for Jeremiah Wright for President.
@Self_Consuming_Cannibal Dude you have no clue wtf you’re talking about. Turn off fox news, and stop listening to those psychopathic right wing talk show hosts. Do you know how many crazy religious white guys in Bush’s past have made quotes about “Crusading” around the middle east? Even during the Iraq invasion. You’re never going to find a guy who hasn’t got some crazy person in his past… I mean look at your entire family, they have you to worry about now :P
You can have a difference of opinion, that’s what makes our country strong. But Obama isn’t evil, he’s not racist against white people (in fact for a guy who hates white people, he’s got an awfully cracker filled cabinet), he’s not making death panels, he’s not doing any of that BS they jam down your throats.
Why don’t you watch the Q/A he had with the house Republicans friday… uninterrupted….. It really shows you what a mess the political parties have made of demonizing the other side and making their own constituents (like you) think the other side is off doing terrible things… when really they just have a difference of opinion. Seriously, it was the most well mannered, eye opening to the stupid crap thing i’ve seen in a LONG time.
@westy81585 holy shit dude!!!!!!! you deserve a 10 min clap my man. you get a standing ovation from me.
@westy81585
You can say what you want but for 20 YEARS Obama went to a church where multiple racist things were said about white people. You don’t think he’s racist? I’m not saying Bush wasn’t racist, but I didn’t for vote for Bush either, but that was a poor attempt at changing the subject. That’s all anybody can talk about when Obama is being bashed, “Bush this, Bush that” because there’s not much good that you can say about Obama. Since he’s taken over, the deficit’s up, unemployment’s up and he’s sent more troops overseas.
What was that he said he’d do if he was elected? Oh that’s right, he said he would send the troops home. Instead thousands more go over! I guess he’s from Afghanistan or the troops are, because we know our savior Obama can do no wrong and he said he was sending them home.
Yeah, Obama has a lot of white people in his cabinet for two reasons:
A. There’s a lot more white people in Congress than blacks
B. Because the public has their eyes on him now. Just like he didn’t care about going to a church for 20 YEARS where multiple racist things were said until he was up for election and the media found out what was being said.
I don’t pretend to know everything that happens in Obama’s life, but I think he’s racist not for one “mistake” but for 20 years worth! You act like you don’t think he’s racist, that’s ridiculous! If I went to one Klan meeting I bet you’d think I was a racist, wouldn’t you?
You know we can disagree but there’s not need to get personal about things and talk about my family having to worry about me.
You don’t see me throwing around the “N” word, so what gives you the right to use the “C” word. Maybe you’re racist towards whites as well. That would explain your hostility towards me.
Ok one piece at a time.
– Deficits up…... Yes our deficit is up. But ANY economist (liberal or conservative) would’ve/could’ve told you it would be up regardless of who was in office. For starters, about half of the deficit increase was due to automatic economy boosters that have been in place for decades, that are triggered when certain economic things happen… they’re meant to slow or stop economic collapse, and Obama, nor anyone else, had anything to do with them. The remaining deficit increase on his part is largely due to the stimulus bill… But again, ANY economist would’ve told you a massive stimulus would’ve been necessary…... And you’d be ridiculing him for doing nothing to keep unemployment from hitting about 20% right now were it not for the stimulus slowing the job losses.
-Obama said he’d bring the troops home…. No, Obama said he’d end the pointless war in Iraq, and focus on the important war in Afghanistan. Our current troop levels in Iraq are about 80k lower than they were when Obama took office, and all of our combat troops will be out by the end of 2011. In Afghanistan we’ve seen an increase of about 30k, and all of those troops should also be out by the end of 2011….. So first lets do the math and see that there are now 50k less US troops overseas fighting…. And second lets realize that if all goes as planned, ALL of those troops will be home before Obama’s first term is up.
-I’m sick of hearing this Obama is a racist BS. ONE THING was heard from his pastor (and it wasn’t even racist against white people… he was just upset with America wasting money on wars and not spending money on it’s own poor people… a complaint many in America share…. and I challenge you to find more proof that anythign racist was said…. proof that wasn’t made up by Glen Beck), a guy who wasn’t even the minister at his church for the whole 20 years…. and suddenly he’s racist? My grandma still uses racist slurs against polocks, jews, black people, and a few other minorities…. I’ve been visiting her for 24 years…. does that make me racist against them?
-The personal things about your family, i was joking on… you may notice the ”:P” at the end there, implying I was sticking my tongue out.
-and the C word? ........ And I never implied that you are racist… Just poorly informed because you actually believe this nonsense that Obama is racist.
@babaji I think you may have started an itsy bitsy political war…:P
Well there’s a difference in seeing your grandmother (I’m not saying anything bad about her), but you don’t control who you’re related to, but you can control what church you go to and what offering plate you put your money into.
“But Obama isn’t evil, he’s not racist against white people (in fact for a guy who hates white people, he’s got an awfully cracker filled cabinet), he’s not making death panels, he’s not doing any of that BS they jam down your throats.”
There’s where you used the “C” word, it should be treated no different than the “N” word, and you know all hell would break lose if I used it. I never said that you said I was racist, I said maybe you are, because you have no problem using the C word.
If you’re in a car heading towards a cliff at about 100mph, and ten feet from the edge of the cliff you switch drivers somehow, it’s not really the new driver’s fault that the car tumbles. The events were put in motion before the second guy was driving. So yes, deficit and unemployment are up, but the highest rise was in the first quarter of Obama’s year in office, before his policies were able to do much. He can jam his foot on the brakes, but the economic travesty is not his fault.
Also. What @westy81585 said.
Hold on, I’m trying to find the video of Obama talking with the Republicans in Baltimore Friday…. I’m serious when I say I think you should watch it. The problem with our politics today is that both sides have so demonized one another, that the people like you and I think the guys on the other side are bad people, or idiots, or crazy, or racist, or whatever….. and they talk about this during the Q/A…. and I think it really helps clear up a lot of stuff.
@laureth Agreed…. Just shy of 2 million of the jobs lost in the last year, were lost in the first two months of Obama’s term…. before any policy he put into action could actually get to work.
@laureth Ooh hold on now, purple or green? You gotta draw the line somewhere! To hell with purple people! Unless they’re suffocating, then help’em.
How do I feel? Eh. I’m with @Self_Consuming_Cannibal; ten minutes of clapping for the man’s not worth the effort.
@SABOTEUR
His blackness is irrelevant, isn’t it? Tsk tsk. I thought that we were more progressive than that.
Report to your kommissar for supplementary programming.
@Nullo Well the actual 10 minutes of clapping is really only justified for Chuck Norris, the Dhali Lama, Oprah (because she demands it, and we dare not anger the Oprah), Ron Jeremy, Guns N’ Roses prior to 1990, the inventor of hot pockets, and that guy that safely landed that crashing jetliner in the Hudson river last year.
I think they more just do it because it would be awkward if the president was just walking to the podium for 10 minutes shaking hands and saying hi to people… in silence.
@Nullo Yeah, I know his blackness shouldn’t matter. I don’t really expect you to understand the significance, but I’m old enough to remember when blacks on tv were a novelty. When a “colored person” came on tv, the family would gather around watching it in awe. Eddie Murphy joked that the only way a black person would get elected is if white people got drunk and voted for him as a goof…only to be shocked the next day at the results.
For us (black people), a black president was inconceivable. To live to actually see a black man get elected is beyond words. And as much as you may disagree with how many of us (blacks) feel, the election of Barack Obama goes far beyond any concept of how a lot of people think politicians “should” be considered for office.
So, yeah…Obama has a a whole lotta clappin’ coming his way…about 200 years worth by most accounts…whether y’all like it or not.
I don’t want to clap for him at all. Just like I’m not going to clap when a company CEO comes on stage that laid off 10,000 people and then wants to talk about their quarterly earnings report. I see nothing to really clap about.
If I were going for pure historicalness, I’d have been a Hillary supporter. As a chick, I’d love to vote for a chick, y’know? But I thought she was not right for the job. And that, my friends, is what is more important.
@laureth
You are right about the whole car heading towards a cliff at 100 miles an hour ordeal, I’ll give you that much. I don’t expect Obama to fix eight years worth of idiocy (By GWB) in one year, but when does the responsibility fall on Obama’s shoulders. In his 2nd, 3rd, 4th (or if he gets re-elected)5th, 6th, 7th or 8th year?
I think that he won’t get any credit for the state of the economy until it’s good (if it ever gets good). That’s just like religion. If something good happens God (Obama) gets the credit, if something bad happens Satan (GWB) gets the credit.
So when do you personally think Obama should be held accountable for the state of the economy?
@Self_Consuming_Cannibal I think you’ll see Obama and the Dem’s held accountable as soon as this November during the mid term elections. And by that point, it would be majoritaly their fault if things haven’t been fixed. Not saying that fixing things would be easy for anyone…. but they’re “on the can” so it’s their job too fix it. And if they fail, you’ll probably see the Republicans retake both halves of congress.
If they succeed though, the Dems will either increase their leads in both halves, or lose a few but maintain control.
@Self_Consuming_Cannibal – I would look at the effects of the stimulus package and other policies he’s caused to be passed. If the effects of those are bad, I will hold him accountable in the court of my head. :) I am not sure that I can place a timeline on that, because some things take longer or shorter times to come to fruition than one might expect. For example, learning that some of the deregulations that caused the collapse were put into effect on Bill Clinton’s watch means that I’m holding Clinton accountable long after his term ended.
The clapping is a ritual and the main purpose of rituals is social cohesion.
@westy81585
Wow your last post was intelligent, non-insulting and there were no racial slurs in it. +5 lurve. I’m not a bad guy, I just don’t appreciate racism or disrespect.
@laureth
So do you think the economy’s current state is more because of Nixon, Raegan, Bush Sr., Clinton, or Bush Jr. (we’ve established you don’t think Obama can be held accountable at all)? Or should I go back further?
@mattbrowne
I agree that the clapping is a ritual, but it’s not usually done for 10 minutes straight. +5 lurve
@Self_Consuming_Cannibal – I think it’s largely the result of policies put into place during several of those administrations. I think the fact that it’s not totally in the crapper can be attributed to Obama, at least so far.
I seem to recall the Right calling it “Obama’s recession” as soon as he won the election, though.
@laureth
Now as much as I dislike Obama, it is dumb for people to refer to it as “Obama’s recession” as soon as he won the election. +5 lurve
Actually, having read this and done a bit more research into it. Regardless of what Obama (or anyone else) does, it looks like most experts are saying we won’t be out of this til at least 2015…..
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_gdp_unemployment
Or 2012 according to some people haha
@Self_Consuming_Cannibal – Applause is a ritual. Have a look at this:
World Record for Longest Applause
Thunderous clapping echoed around the Vienna Staatsoper on the warm summer evening of July 30, 1991, for one hour and 20 minutes, setting a new record for the world’s longest applause ever. The audience, who had just reveled in a performance of a lifetime by Placido Domingo in Othello, responded by rising to their feet and clapping through encore after encore – 101 curtain calls to be exact!
Applause still is a ritual.
@mattbrowne thanks for the wonderful picture, that must have been one awesome perfomance!
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