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American President bows before Japanese Emperor

An interesting flashback, brought to you by ABC News and Life Magazine:

An “an academic with expertise about the Japanese Empire” had the following to say about Nixon’s bow:

At their 1971 meeting in Alaska, the first visit of a Japanese Emperor to America, President Nixon bowed and referred to Emperor Hirohito and his wife repeatedly as ‘Your Imperial Majesties.’

Yet, (and?) Nixon gets the bow right. Slight arch from the waist hands at his side.

Obama’s handshake/forward lurch was so jarring and inappropriate it recalls Bush’s back-rub of Merkel.

Kyodo News is running his appropriate and reciprocated nod and shake with the Empress, certainly to show the president as dignified, and not in the form of a first year English teacher trying to impress with Karate Kid-level knowledge of Japanese customs.

The bow as he performed did not just display weakness in Red State terms, but evoked weakness in Japanese terms….The last thing the Japanese want or need is a weak looking American president and, again, in all ways, he unintentionally played that part.

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31 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - November 16, 2009 at 7:28 pm

Categories: Politics Tags:

The Overthinker

“an academic with expertise about the Japanese Empire”

Ah. That narrows it right down…..
http://www.eurasian-sensation.blogspot.com Eurasian Sensation

People read way too much into these things. When you are the most powerful man in the world, you can afford to humble yourself. It is only right-wing Americans who obsess over whether their President looked weak or not.

At least Obama didn’t vomit sushi over the Prime Minister like one of his predecessors did.

http://dreamingartemis.blogspot.com dreamingArtemis

heheh. People are reading way too much into this.

http://dimesfornickels.wordpress.com/ William George

Nixon, now THERE was an America-hating president on an apology tour.

Sayyyyy~ Did anyone look at HIS birth certificate closely? I can’t imagine anyone who’d go have dinner with the red Chinese being a true American…

pixel_bomber

But you have to admit if you are going to bother bowing in the first place that is how it should be done. When you do it half ass it seems like you either don’t know or don’t care.
Richard

That should his campaign slogan for 2012: “Obama, only slightly more inept than Nixon!”

The Overthinker

How about: “Obama: Even More Bent Than Nixon!”….

Blacknimbus

http://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/19/weekinreview/the-world-the-president-s-inclination-no-it-wasn-t-a-bow-bow.html

I wasn’t aware that the NYTimes was a “right-wing” publication.

It’s sad that people are so defense when it comes to this President. This is one of many protocol blunders this White House has committed. Just because he isn’t GWB doesn’t mean that he is immune from diplomatic criticism.
Lostfiniel

Although I think this seems a bit overly-dramatic, Obama does need some better cultural advisors. He’s flubbed several cultural exchanges now and the ones I know are with close allies.
m

Nixon shamed out of office. Obama is a lot taller than that fellow he bowed to, he bent over a long way so his head would be lower than the emperors. Obama wants to show his attitude of I’m guessing what he’s trying to pass off as humility, but it comes of as weakness in times that are more turbulent than ever. It might be taken as humility if he were capable of making decisions about difficult things, but he’s just doing what he always did: voting “present” and spending money.
USA ex-Canadian

Nixon’s bow was in correct proportion to the Emperor’s, not something like 50 degrees. Nixon’s bow was similar to the ones Japanese themselves give to each other, not one reflective of obsequiousness.
Travis

Weakness? Really?

I was under the impression that this is what you do when you meet an emperor – you bow lower than him, because he’s the emperor, and to do otherwise is arrogant, or at least half-assed (which is what Nixon looks like he’s doing – the half-assed half-bow).

If there’s any criticism to be made here, it’s that the US was founded as an anti-monarchist country. And that’s a most valid point – but I don’t see anyone making it.

If you’re going to put aside the notion of the US as an anti-monarchist nation, which it would seem that we are, then we (meaning our president) should bow low before the Emperor.

People in Japan, from salarymen to elevator ladies to high school students and their teachers, bow as low as Obama did on an everyday basis, to each other, to strangers, to business partners, to customers/visitors… it’s not a sign of weakness; it’s proper etiquette.

USA ex-Canadian

Let’s see . . . Nixon’s bow was “half-assed,” but Obama was showing respect so as not to appear “arrogant.” Spin, spin, spin. An old Jewish proverb goes like this: “Fifty percent humility is still 100 percent arrogance.” I’ve been in Japan many times. The only people I’ve ever seen bowing like this were students to teachers (as one did to me) or comic underlings in lousy movies.

USA ex-Canadian

Whoops . . . The proverb should be “100 percent humility is 50 percent arrogance.”
pixel_bomber

If you are refering to my comment about a half assed bow I meant Obamas was since he did it while shaking hands. If the president of the US is supposed to be the most powerful man in the country shouldn’t he just bow at the same level as other world leaders or figureheads? I heard some people talking about humility. Humility might be a good trait in some people but that’s not something I want to see from a world leaders.
If the leader of your country is going to take the time to pose for pictures/video greeting other world leaders or dignitaries you want him to look at least as confident as those around him. In a 3 second video or a photo, humility looks a lot like weakness.

The Overthinker

“humility looks a lot like weakness”

And that is America’s biggest problem. In an effort not to appear weak, it come off as arrogant.
pixel_bomber

And that is America’s biggest problem. In an effort not to appear weak, it come off as arrogant.

Maybe you are right, I really don’t know. But lets face it parading in front of the media is part of a leaders job nowadays. Does any country want their leaders to make themselves appear smaller or humbled by leaders from other countries? Wouldn’t most people want the their representative to be viewed as an equal to whoever they are posing with? I have no evidence to go either way in this argument, but I feel it’s completely logical to desire to be treated as equals. A picture has to stand on it’s own. You can’t expect people to have the nuances of each moment explained to them. If you see a picture of a guy deeply bowing to another you just assume that the non-bowing guy is superior. People may have various opinions on this particular instance, but I still maintain that an image of equality is more desirable than an image of humility.
k9

if president obama did the same thing before hatoyama, it would be big problem for USA. as far as i can see, he just bowed before a passe elderly gentleman in the international power game. (ex-president nixon too.) i think americans will never feel that US groveled at japan from the photos as long as they have decent knowledges about japan and JP royal family.
pixel_bomber

“as long as they have decent knowledges about japan and JP royal family.”

You’re kidding right? I’m betting some people would be surprised to hear that Japan has a royal family. People are concerned with more important things, like American Idol.
pixel_bomber

“And that is America’s biggest problem. In an effort not to appear weak, it come off as arrogant.”

Overthinker: I refuse to acknowledge your point. I was going to type a scathing reply to humiliate you on the internet. But I have decided to take the high road and spare you this time. So don’t be so quick to judge Americans next time pal.
k9

pixel_bomber
please delete JP imperial family from the list of current royal families in wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_family
The Overthinker

“I was going to type a scathing reply to humiliate you on the internet.”

You are wise to avoid trying. You would only look like an idiot. But do tell me where I used the word “Americans”.
pixel_bomber

“You are wise to avoid trying. You would only look like an idiot. But do tell me where I used the word “Americans”.”

It was a typo… stop being so arrogant!!

You know I was kidding right?
The Overthinker

No. I had no idea. Seriously. Body language and tone of voice are totally lacking in blog threads.

My reference to looking like an idiot was that old saying about arguing on the internet being like participating in the Special Olympics, rather than an assumption of arrogance.

Vonskippy

So exactly what century (BC) do you need to live in to care about some archaic form of greeting?

Obama was trying to be polite – nothing more, nothing less.

What’s next, will we talk about who had the firmer handshake?

The better necktie? The pretty wife?

Grow up people. Worry about stuff that matters.

The Overthinker

“The pretty wife?”

No contest, if you check out photos of the Empress from fifty or so years ago. She was damn cute.

Richard

And the editorial cartoonists are having a field day with this:

http://www1.ibdcd.com/image/toon_111609_FULL.jpg
gaijin

It’s interesting that the mass media hasn’t paid attention to the fact that the Emperor of Japan is shaking his hand while Obama is bowing. The emperor is meeting him on equal terms and showing equal respect by the western handshake. I doubt he shakes hands with Japanese people who bow before him.

The Overthinker

Yeah, well, both of them tried to respond the way they thought they should under the circs, hence this rather clumsy compromise. I am surprised they didn’t sort it all out in rehearsals.

oro_the_dog

funny. Japanese= i already expect pixellation when the panties go down lol.

The Overthinker

I really hope neither Obama nor the Emperor lost their panties doing this….

American President bows before Japanese Emperor

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