From hip-hop namedrops to an international deluge of newborn babies named in his honour, it seems Barack Obama is everybody’s homeboy. Young, handsome, charming, and fiercely intelligent, this groundbreaking U.S. president-elect just might be the most popular person on earth.
Unsurprisingly, the media has become saturated with Obama-related content since his November 4 victory, drooling over every discernible aspect of the future president’s future life. The New York Times wonders which elite private school will win the trust—and tuition—of Barack and Michelle (with whom we are on very much a first-name basis). On the subject of those darling girls, what sort of puppy would best befit presidential poochdom? Everyone from “Dog Whisperer” Cesar Millan to The Globe and Mail has weighed in on this very important matter.
The Obamas’ recent visit to the White House was heralded worldwide, and a familiar dose of TLC was applied to its detailed coverage. The Minneapolis Star Tribune noted that Barack appeared undaunted and reserved on a tour of his new digs, proclaiming the office upgrade “very nice.” Fashion bloggers have had a field day critically deconstructing the aesthetic significance of Michelle Obama’s red White House dress, debating, between praise, whether to forgive her for that black widow election night number.
Roughly two weeks into the post-election euphoria that is Obamarama, it’s difficult to pull back. After all, we endured many months of edge-of-your-seat campaign trail drama to get to this point; how can we possibly let go now?
It may be premature to wean ourselves from our delight, but it’s time to recognize that the promise of a new era isn’t quite enough to sideline all other current events. The world has kept turning since election night. A peek into the world outside of the Obama bliss bubble requires a bit of initiative and a lot of bravery; after all, nothing dissolves elation like a good hard dose of reality.
What is happening beyond Barack can be frightening. Ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo has progressed from critical to dire in recent weeks, resulting in death, disease, and displacement on a massive scale. Tensions between Russia and the West are rising, complicated by volatility from the former and distraction on the part of the latter. Then, of course, there’s that little matter of the economy.
Submerged in an age of uncertainty, Barack Obama is both our favourite spectacle and the Annie to our wearied morale, reassuring many of us that the sun will, in fact, come out tomorrow. Until then, we have today—and, unfortunately, there’s more to it than our buddy Barack.
