– FHA Bailout
– Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
– ACORN
– Health Care Reform
– Commercial Real Estate’s coming troubles
– Net Neutrality
– Consumer Protection Agency
What are we talking about this week? The Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize.
Obama’s “winning” the Nobel Peace Prize has dominated much of the blog and even mainstream media conversations, but does it really matter? At all? If so, to whom? A quick look at Google Trends shows the worlds’ real focuses – and the Nobel Peace Prize is nowhere near relevant (but for the recent few days) – sharing company with iraq, health care, the recession …
Reading the recent discussions and articles about the Peace Prize, one thing becomes clear: It doesn’t matter. It’s great that the world looks more favorably, but the President has yet to truly accomplish anything significant (much the same can be said of Congress).
The world’s indifference doesn’t diminish the Peace Prize’s irrelevance.
To see what matters to the world:
How about some context? Let’s add “football” to the mix:
I hope to sell one hundred billion dollars of real estate this year, buy an island, retreat and retire. Do I get a prize for hoping?
Let’s add the Prize to the pile of irrelevance and move on to issues that matter.
I’m glad we’ve gotten that out of the way. Now let’s collectively move on to things that affect us.
Lani Rosales
October 11, 2009 at 11:29 am
Okay, but you have to admit that the hardcore Obama supporters’ making a joke of this prize is pretty entertaining and watching the “we brought you into this world, we can take you out” mentality unravel. Even Huffington made a slideshow of those who have not won, noting it was undeserved.
But fine… Football 1, Nobel 0. The topic is already losing ground and disagree or agree with the process, it doesn’t improve or destroy any politician, so I agree- it’s irrelevant.
Jim Duncan
October 11, 2009 at 11:41 am
I also ran the Trends with American Idol, but football made my point so much more effectively. If we hard somehow transform the meaningless drivel and insignificance that has been associated with this award into something useful, we’d be on to something.
But distractions such as this are one part to politicians’ maintaining their power and influence.
Bob
October 11, 2009 at 3:43 pm
While I agree with the irrelevance of the Peace Price, I thought Obama handled it well. And I think its good when the words “Peace” and “America” are used in a positive manner by others in the world because that IS what America is ultimately about.
Craig Barrett
October 11, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Irrelevant? But Jim, President Obama almost swayed the IOC to bring the Olympics to Chicago in 2016 😉
Ken Montville - MD Suburbs of DC
October 11, 2009 at 8:16 pm
You know, some Real Estate professionals make a big deal about production volume or dollar volume. Many Brokers make a big deal about it. “John Doe did 200 transactions for $125,000,000 last year.” Who cares? The Broker and the person getting the award and recognition. A few peers look up to him/her and real estate gurus sell tons of product around it. Is it relevant in the search engines? My guess is it might be less than the Obama Nobel Peace Prize.
Sometimes, it doesn’t matter what the search engines say. The prestige and, hopefully, good will that the prize engenders is relevant enough in my book.
Brian Block
October 11, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Jim, funny, but the first place I found out about the Nobel Peace Prize was on Facebook and something you posted! I was still in Lynchburg and just saw the FB post on my phone and just figured it was a joke. Little did I know that I would return home and find out that BHO had actually been selected!
Lani Rosales
October 12, 2009 at 12:11 am
What I love that you guys are all doing is referring to the Office as PRESIDENT Obama. WTH is up with journalists on ALL cable stations calling him Mr. Obama (not President Obama, not Mr. President, or otherwise)?
Regardless of political affiliations, this irks the hell out of me, how disrespectful of the Office! Does that bother anyone else?
Kevin Nuut
October 12, 2009 at 2:08 am
You are polling the Internet for relevance? Is that an oxymoron? Also, which is more irrelevant, the peace prize or people blogging about it’s irrelevance?
Paula Henry
October 12, 2009 at 9:31 am
It’s very telling what concerns “the people” and what should concern the leaders. Not to say the leaders should start talking football, however, if they did, they would find a common ground from which to start.
And yes, Lani – it does bother me.
Jim Duncan
October 12, 2009 at 9:58 am
Kevin –
Thanks for the comment. I don’t see the oxymoron – what is a more relevant assessment? Blind surveys or commentary and comments by those who stand by their opinions?
I’d put the peace prize at a notch above blogging about its on the scale of relevance.
Craig Barrett
October 12, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Yes Lani, it bugs me a great deal.