Friday, July 29, 2016
Don't Judge a President by His Weight
While reading Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman writes, "the shape of a man's body is largely irrelevant to the shape of his ideas when he is addressing a public in writing or on the radio...but it is quite relevant on television" (7). He basically states that in today's society, a fat presidential candidate would not be possible, since their image would be overwhelming. I highly disagree with this statement. I may be the only one who believes this, but I don't think that having a heavier person running our country matters as long as he's doing his job right. Would people really disregard a person's speech based on how they look, even if they had spectacular ideas? I could see why people would have their doubts and become skeptical of the obese presidential candidate, but at the end of the day, the way he looks doesn't matter. It's the way he plans to run our country that matters.
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While reading I found this idea particularly interesting as well, though I do not fully disagree with this statement. As much as I believe it is wrong to judge, in this case, a political candidate based on his appearance, in today’s society people constantly judge appearances. First-impressions have a huge impact on not only how we view others, but also how they view us. Despite the fact that President Taft was highly qualified, I feel American people today would be skeptical electing him based on fear of how other countries would view us. I feel Postman used this as an example to prove one way technology has altered society, as an overweight president would have never been viewed questionably prior to the use of technology. Media has set up stereotypes in our heads of appearance traits leaders should poses rather than wisdom they should hold.
ReplyDeleteLike Brooke, I partially disagree with Postman's argument. People often judge others based on their first impressions, and this is shown in today's world where job interviews are solely based on first impressions.People in the modern era will quickly judge a book by its cover. This judgment in society may greatly decrease an ugly or fat presidential candidate's chances of becoming the next president of a country. However, I still emphasize an individual's content over their appearance. A candidate may look good and beautiful, but do they have a plan that would benefit society? An ideal choice in today's society would be a beautiful candidate with terrific ideas to make America great. Judgment based on an individual's appearance needs to stop. If a presidential candidate expresses good ideas, a voter should vote for him/her and not be distracted by their appearance.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I believe Taft would have a good chance of becoming president even in present day. His ideas were very convincing, and I think people would acknowledge his views instead of dreading his appearance. It is just like the guys' tip regarding girls: Judge a girl by her personality rather than her looks/appearance.