Obama Must Bow to the Power of Public Opinion

Right before visiting China, Obama paid a visit to Japan’s imperial couple, greeting them with a deep bow. This provoked intense criticism from many individuals in the U.S. mainstream media, including the Los Angeles Times, NBC and CNN, among others. While these media outlets offered opinions that referred to Obama’s act as shameful, public opinion polls have shown that 63 percent of the U.S. population believe Obama did not do anything wrong.

What perspective should we take? Actually, the views of both the mainstream media and the public make sense. From a legal standpoint, Obama is the U.S. president. When handling foreign affairs, his personal conduct is not simply that of a private citizen. He represents the image of the United States of America. The significance of his politically symbolic role overshadows the expression of his personal feelings. According to international convention, small countries are equal to big countries in terms of their sovereignty and dignity. This is all the more important when a superpower must face its “little brother” ally! The mainstream media is one of the means of political control exercised by the elite and it seems the elite naturally expects political common sense to be observed.

　

However, the public may not necessarily have the same amount of knowledge [as the media elite]. They are likely to consider people from the perspective of social and human relations. For instance, an individual belonging to a younger generation will show respect toward another of an older generation. Additionally, they may not be sensitive to the political implications that accompany one’s personal preference. It is for this reason that people consult with political and legal analysts and other experts to understand the reality of an issue. Given the fact that Obama is very popular in the U.S., many are able to interpret his gesture of bowing as an act of courtesy.

The mainstream perspective of the U.S. media elite and that of the masses, as evidenced by public opinion polls, is divided. This is significant and relates to the foundation of U.S. society. Thomas Jefferson once said: “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” This stems from his desire to restrict power and is based on a simple democratic ideal. The protection of the freedom of the press [Editor’s Note: The author literally writes “power of the media”] has been outlined in a constitutional amendment. In practice, the media has really become one of the four types of power, working alongside the legislative, executive and judicial powers.

All forms of power have a natural tendency toward expansion and media power is no exception. Civil rights provide a practical way to limit media power in U.S. society by allowing a pluralistic exchange of information. In addition to obtaining information from the media, people can also access all sorts of political information and points of view by voting, participating in political party activities, holding demonstrations, and frequenting social groups, academic salons, classes and the internet. So, when the media vigorously criticizes Obama, the masses may not necessarily agree. This acts as a safeguard against the dangerous tendency of the media to use public opinion to control government and social situations.

However, all of this is not to say that the authority of the media should be suppressed. Practically speaking, in addition to balancing the other three forms of power, the media also uses the perspectives of elites to restrict the blind and ignorant arrogance of the masses. For instance, the media can remind people that the Obama craze does not mean the public should tolerate any sort of behavior from him. In reality, this creates a relationship between the elite and the masses whereby one restricts the power of the other to shape public opinion in U.S. society. This interaction between elites and the masses is precisely the foundation which preserves social balance and development.