Monday, November 7, 2011

Should You Cut The President Some Slack?

THIS ISN'T NEW but it is a modern classic. In the wake of Kanye West hijacking Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the MTV video music awards, President Obama called West a jackass.

The moment was videotaped as the president was being prepped for an interview. The president and the reporter were simply conversing as lights, cameras and mics were being set up.

The president asks for some slack after everyone laughs. Is it too late to ask that the statement be off the record at that point?

Is this news?

14 comments:

Ruth Garrett said...

No, this isn't substantial news I don't think. I heard comments about Kanye West from just about everybody I knew after that incident. But, because the president is a very prominent person in the public eye, people are quick to criticize what he says when he's not giving a formal speech. He should have known that camera's would be starting to roll at this point, but I think he does deserve a little slack. He was just making a joke, and for people to flip out about it is a shame.

Mary Kate Radomski said...

After that incident, I feel like most people were calling Kanye West a jackass. The fact that the president simply agreed with most of the American public is not exactly news, no. While it was slightly out of character and perhaps even inappropriate for the president of the United States to call someone a jackass, I wouldn't call it newsworthy. He called Kanye West a jackass in the same context that Chase Utley called the Phillies the "world f*****g champions." It was a slip of the tongue, and it was almost said in a conversational, comedic context. It was not a formal speech. We should not have to hear about it every time a public figure says a bad word.

Nick Filauro said...

First off, Chase Utley saying "world fucking champions" was definitely on purpose, and it's part of the reason he's so awesome.

Second, the President is a human being, and I honestly get sick of how formal and robotic world leaders always have to be. When Wikileaks revealed that the US government referred to Putin and Medvedev internally as "Batman and Robin" I thought it was hilarious. Obviously there should be a limit, but moments like this happen all the time, I'm sure. We just don't see it.

Rita Kraynak said...

I think seeing Obama on video saying "jackass" makes him seem more relatable to the rest of the citizens. Yes, when an interviewing is about to get started, it might be smart to watch what is said because cameras could be rolling, but with his title aside, he's just a regular citizen.

I thought it was pretty cool to see/hear him say that, just as I thought it was funny when he and Biden were on magazine/newspaper covers with the caption "this is a big f*****g deal."

I don't think he should be critiqued so heavily when it comes to his personality and the way he feels about other people. As I said before, he is just another person.

Anonymous said...

I remembered when the Taylor Swift and Kanye West incident occurred and I agree with President Obama, Kanye is a jack***. Although I am happy that the president thinks similarly as I do about the situation it is still not news. It does not affect the people of the United States if President Obama thinks Kanye is a jerk or a nice guy. The only reason the story could be considered news is because it involves prominent people, the President. However I still do not think it a story worth covering by the news. Plenty of famous people curse on television and it does not make top news stories. I think it depends on the circumstances and content the profanity is used, in President Obama’s case I do not think it was newsworthy. It is nice to see that he acknowledges that it is not appropriate for the President to curse, but at that point the word had already slipped out of his mouth with cameras recording.

Alexis Wilkinson said...

I do not think it is news, but because the President of the US stated someone, a celebrity at that, was a jackass was something people wanted to see. I think it was a way to get easy views.

Karina Cheung said...

I don't really believe it is news because he was just stating his own opinion. Most people thought that of Kanye after the incident. Everyone was saying it!

Anonymous said...

Yes, he has every right to call someone that, because Kanye West is a well-known rapper, and he had some nerve to disrupt Taylor Swift's speech. While President Obama is the President of the United States, he still is a human being who is entitled to his own opinions. What Kanye West deserves is some negative light, even if it is from the President.

Jane Quick said...

I don't think it's news, but it is his opinion. It's not a big deal that he said it although some people might think it is. He doesn't need slack because everyone probably agreed with him at that point.

Theizu Telewoda said...

Im glad that they caught this moment and showed that the President is human. They should cut him some slack for thinking that he's not but it really wasn't a big deal. Its too late for it to be off the record because nothing is truly off the record. Everyone was thinking it and had been saying it but because the President is supposed to be this near perfect robotic, almost God like figure, people want to get on him. He's not God and never will be. He's a human like the rest of us so let the man breathe. He's killed a fly in an interview before and that was talked about like he killed did something amazing. People kill flies everyday and they don't end up on the 10pm news. The man should be entitled to his opinion about Kanye; we all were.

Ibrahim Jacobs said...

Oh please. Obama may be the president but he is a person. If people are talking before the interview is set up, he should not have to ask for something to be off the record, because a responsible journalist would inform Obama when the cameras were rolling and when the interview is actually starting. Recording someone without their knowledge is highly unethical.

John Murrow said...

Why cut the president slack? He hasnt cut us slack and after three plus years of promises. I have heard skeptics saying that he has done well and he needs more time, but those people need to wake up to what is going on in the American economy.

Alexis Byrd said...

I do not think this is news. Obama is the president, but let us not forget he is still humans. Humans make mistakes. I think they should worry less about what people think of Kanye West, and more on stories that actually mean something to our country.

Anonymous said...

I don't believe we were even talking about the economy? The question was is what Obama said news and i say yes because hes president Barack Obama of the united states of America.Pretty High title,and anything he does is news. Especially something so out of character. Is it necessarily a bad thing? absolutely not. But it's still news because, like it or not, he is one of the most important and powerful men in the world.