I do not have a problem with this. To me it is showing a sign of honor and respect.
“To me it is showing a sign of honor and respect.”
And superiority... he just said, without speaking a word, that Japan is superior to the USA.
I do. In the Japanese culture how each person bows when meeting is important. Men of equal rank exchange equal bows. In this case, one is an actual head of State while the other is the figure head of State, but close enough that they are kind of equals.
But the bow that Obama gives is, again, a subservient bow. It lowers the U.S. to being beneath Japan.
It is a very big diplomatic problem.
In Japan, bowing has finesse. This is the equivalent of grabbing a guy’s hand, pulling him against you, putting your arm around him while shouting at the top of your lungs, “Well, GD! I finally get to meet me a genuine bigshot! How’s it going, Old Buddy!”
I do.
And so should any other American that fought in this nation's wars.
We bow to no man, nor do we demand any to bow to us, even if we whipped their ass.
Obama is a simpering fool, and he flushes our nations pride and self-respect down the toilet of idiocy on a daily basis.
Anyone schooled in the art of diplomacy (as the POTUS should be) would know the customs and traditions of the country one is visiting.
In Japan, he signaled subservience and allegiance to what many Japanese consider a living deity.
He did the same thing in the mid-east, when he bowed to that so-called "royal" goat herder.
Pray for Obama...see Psalms 109:8.
The President of the United States should NOT bow to any King. However, I don't consider Obama a legitimite president, so he can prostrate himself before any penny-ante princeling or two-bit dictator that crosses his path.
If that's a sign of honor and respect that would mean every single leader that Akihito has ever shook hands with showed him disrespect, since Obama seems to be the only leader of a country that has ever bowed like this.
Are we really to believe that this is the first time a leader of a nation showed Akihito respect? Or is this the first time a leader of a nation has showed subservience to Akihito?
In Japan the bow is a sign of respect. Take away the handshake and what he is doing is showing his inferiority to a superior. The picture shows Emperor Akihito giving a slight bow (maybe 10 degrees?) while trying to maintaining eye contact. That is the proper way for equals to greet each other.
When I was stationed in Japan long ago I had a high status position and much of our time was spent on “People to People” projects. I became used to the greetings. When meeting the local prefect governor, mayor, chief of police and superintendent of schools we would exchange greetings in the manner of the Emperor. We were equals. Other, lower status people would greet me with more pronounced bows. The lower status the deeper the bow.
President 0bama’s groveling greeting was nearly the bow of a peasant to a lord. The next step down would for him to be on his knees with his face on the floor.
Obama is a head of state, i.e., President of the United States. He is an equal of the Emperor of Japan, not a subject. The Emperor did not bow in submission to Obama. This is a major diplomatic gaffe and reflects poorly on this country. It has nothing to do with honor and respect.
Yeah, there’s nothing like the honor and respect shown to the people who barely two generations ago were burning American POW’s to death in shallow ditches.
Put me in front of the Jap...I’ll spit in his face the same as if he was Hitler’s heir. Japan got off way too lightly.
I remember what my Grandfathers did, why don’t you? My maternal Grandfather shot down 5 Jap planes as an AA gunner on a Destroyer in the Pacific, when the crazy bastards were trying to crash their planes into his ship. Too bad he died before you and Obama could capitulate. He would have enjoyed it so much. Maybe we should find Hitler’s remains so Obama can bow to them, too.
“F” the japs. And yes, I still hold a grudge.
Its funny, I have a jewish neighbor who lost relatives in the war in europe. She asked me one day why I would still not buy a Jap car. I asked her if she would every buy a BMW. She was aghast and said that it wasnt the same thing. I told her to go to Manila Army Cemetery and tell that to my uncle.
She got it then.
What a total disgrace this President it. Respect is one thing. Bowing is quite another.
My wife is Japanese I have a problem with this. You only bow this low when acknowledging a superior in japanese culture. Peers range from a head incline to a slight shoulder move. One more example that his protocol people are idiots.
A mutual discreet bow to someone on his level (PM for instance) is one thing. A head nod bow of respect is one thing. A really low bow like this is fracking ridiculous.
It is inappropriate for one head of state to bow or curtsey to another head of state. They are equals on the international stage. Every head of state from the Prince of Liechtenstein to the Chairman of the Chinese People's Republic has that status.
Ask yourself, would Queen Elizabeth bow to Emperor Akihito? Would Akihito bow to Elizabeth?
A head of state loses the option to show personal deference, honor, or respect to another head of state, because they are no longer judged merely on their own personal character by such actions, but are judged on the world stage. Every diplomat in the State Department gets training on international protocol. Military members stationed or deploying overseas get similar training. Deference, even with allies, no matter how well intended, can be dangerous in international relations.
Obama is not an ordinary citizen, he is not even a Prime Minister, he is a head of state. He has yet to act like one.
Are you delusional? American presidents don’t bow. He isn’t an American and he hates America. He knows the other bow caused his support to wane, so he does it again to make it appear that he didn’t just to the Muzzies. I’m so onto his tactics.
BTW.. I still think Obama is a loser!!!! :)
Have other presidents bowed to Japanese dignitaries?
To me the low bow says, please forgive us for all the destruction we caused at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, if I were there we would have negotiated a settlement.
“To me it is showing a sign of honor and respect.”
But when is a “royal” required to ever show deference to the elected leader of a republic? Why on earth should *anyone* show respect to any royal? What a joke. Appointed to the job solely by heredity?
It amazes me that this happens at every gathering of leaders who have fought their way up, and to varying degrees represent the clearly expressed will of their peoples. A “royal” walks in,, and they all pretend like a wisened superior has arrived. Its silly to see a president act like that.
Remember King George?