- + Ate voted on a point for the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
- + Dona voted on a point for the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
- + Ate voted on a point for the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
- + Dona voted on a point for the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
- + Dona voted on a point for the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
- + Ate voted on a point for the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
- + Dona voted on a point for the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
- + Ate voted on a point for the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
- + Ate voted on a point for the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
- + Ate voted on a point for the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
- + Ate voted on a point for the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
- + Dona voted on a point for the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
- + Simon.Podhajsky edited the debate The ICC should allow a defence of "cultural relativism" to the crime of recruiting and using child soldiers.
- + Ate voted on the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
- + Ate voted on a point for the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
- + Ate voted on a point for the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
- + Srnadabik joined Debatewise
- + Dona voted on a point for the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
- + Srnadabik voted on a point for the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
- + Dona voted on a point for the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
THE ELEVATED MEDIA HYPE SURROUNDING OBAMA’S INAUGURATION AND FORTHCOMING PRESIDENCY IS DUE TO THE FACT THAT HE IS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN PRESIDENT.
According to The Hollywood Reporter president Obama's inauguration was possibly the most widely viewed inauguration in American history. The build up was huge, the anticipation was huge, and the coverage was vast - from mainstream television channels such as CNN to cablers as diverse as BET, TV One, Al Jazeera and ESPN. There was also unprecedented social media activity with Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Flickr all getting in on the action. Is the cause of all this elevated attention and coverage the fact that people believe that 'change' is coming? Or is it solely becausethe event is the historic swearing in of the first African American president?
The elevated media hype surrounding Obama’s inauguration and forthcoming presidency is due to the fact that he is the first African American president.
Yes, because... As the first African American president of a country with a history of racial tension, it is obvious his race will be the main focus of media attention.
After centuries of brutal slavery, segregation, sharecropping and bussing (just to mention a few of the indignities black Americans have faced), the inauguration of Obama is the final proof that race is no longer a barrier to progress in the states. His rise to presidency will be lauded as the dawning of a new era of racial tolerance, and it is inevitably this idea, not Obama as an individual, which has been causing the majority of media attention.
If it were true that Obama’s presidency signifies the arrival of a new post-racial era, in which race is not a boundary, then surely the fact that he is African American ceases to be of significance, and media attention should not be drawn to it.
Vote on this point: As the first African American president of a country with a history of racial tension, it is obvious his race will be the main focus of media attention.
See history of changes to this point
The elevated media hype surrounding Obama’s inauguration and forthcoming presidency is due to the fact that he is the first African American president.
Yes, because... The media has not hesitated to highlight the significance of race throughout the election and now it therefore remains a key theme.
Almost every front page newspaper in this country and abroad has commented on the significance of Obama's inauguration as the day the first black president occupied the White House. British newspaper ‘The Observer’ published a whole magazine the weekend before the event devoted to the role of race in the UK in light of Obama's inauguration.
See history of changes to this point
The elevated media hype surrounding Obama’s inauguration and forthcoming presidency is due to the fact that he is the first African American president.
Yes, because... Obama himself had chosen certain aspects of the event to highlight the significance of his race
Obama's train ride to Washington tracing anti-slavery president Abraham Lincoln's journey was meant to emphasise the importance of Obama's inauguration as another chapter in African-American history. Through purposefully creating symbolism like this, Obama is inviting the media to focus on the importance of his race.
The elevated media hype surrounding Obama’s inauguration and forthcoming presidency is due to the fact that he is the first African American president.
No, because... The election was won on ‘change’ not race, and it is this change in general that the media are excited about.
Obama's charm, charisma, youth, and "X" factor have been the determining reasons for his popularity across racial lines, not the colour of his skin. There is no way Obama could have won the election without the support of Hillary Clinton's supporters, Latinos, Asians, and other groups of individuals. These people obviously didn't just vote for him just because he is black but because he represents a fresh brand of political philosophy. Obama won the election through proposing a set of drastic new changes and a fresh look on leadership, and it the possibility of these changes coming to fruition that is causing the elevated media hype surrounding his inauguration.
See history of changes to this point
Vote on this debate: The elevated media hype surrounding Obama’s inauguration and forthcoming presidency is due to the fact that he is the first African American president.
Modified:
06 Apr 2010
Point 1. As the first African American president of a country with a history of racial tension, it is obvious his race will be the main focus of media attention.
After centuries of brutal slavery, segregation, sharecropping and bussing (just to mention a few of the indignities black Americans have faced), the inauguration of Obama is the final proof that race is no longer a barrier to progress in the states. His rise to presidency will be lauded as the dawning of a new era of racial tolerance, and it is inevitably this idea, not Obama as an individual, which has been causing the majority of media attention.
If it were true that Obama’s presidency signifies the arrival of a new post-racial era, in which race is not a boundary, then surely the fact that he is African American ceases to be of significance, and media attention should not be drawn to it.
Point 2. The media has not hesitated to highlight the significance of race throughout the election and now it therefore remains a key theme.
Almost every front page newspaper in this country and abroad has commented on the significance of Obama's inauguration as the day the first black president occupied the White House. British newspaper ‘The Observer’ published a whole magazine the weekend before the event devoted to the role of race in the UK in light of Obama's inauguration.
Point 3. Obama himself had chosen certain aspects of the event to highlight the significance of his race
Obama's train ride to Washington tracing anti-slavery president Abraham Lincoln's journey was meant to emphasise the importance of Obama's inauguration as another chapter in African-American history. Through purposefully creating symbolism like this, Obama is inviting the media to focus on the importance of his race.
Point 1. The election was won on ‘change’ not race, and it is this change in general that the media are excited about.
Obama's charm, charisma, youth, and "X" factor have been the determining reasons for his popularity across racial lines, not the colour of his skin. There is no way Obama could have won the election without the support of Hillary Clinton's supporters, Latinos, Asians, and other groups of individuals. These people obviously didn't just vote for him just because he is black but because he represents a fresh brand of political philosophy. Obama won the election through proposing a set of drastic new changes and a fresh look on leadership, and it the possibility of these changes coming to fruition that is causing the elevated media hype surrounding his inauguration.