Obama slams the iPad, iPod as ‘distractions’
Here’s a soundbite that’s sure to get people people talking, which will get attention for mentioning Apple products but can perhaps be best summarized by saying, “Don’t play Farmville.” Or, put another way, guns don’t kill people, people kill people.
Over the weekend, President Obama gave the commencement address at Hampton University that probably would have gone unnoticed except for a few choice words on the subject of technology overload that reference Apple’s always buzz worthy iPad.
“With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations — none of which I know how to work — information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation,” he told his audience.
Well, yeah, but the same has been said of television and this is nothing new.
“You’re coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don’t always rank all that high on the truth meter,” he said.
I’m pretty sure I’ve heard this speech before. Whether it was Reagan, Clinton or one of the Bushes is unimportant as political leaders — call it the “scourge of our time” schtick — often resort to such rhetoric, an easy play.
Gotta scratch that itch…
Of course, the irony here is that President Obama is an admitted Blackberry addict, which places him firmly at the other end of spectrum as consumer of too much real information. That said, given that the president’s hair has already skewed several noticeable shades to the gray, perhaps he could benefit a little from enjoying a few of the distractions he disparages…
What’s your take?
May 10th, 2010
Obama should practice what he preaches. He is not only a crackberry addict, but addicted to the worst scourge of mankind…cigarette smoking. Again his arrogance prevails rather than a cool head.
May 10th, 2010
Bigot32, the voice of reason?
May 11th, 2010
He had no problem when it was difficult to find a critical article about him in popular mass media during the campaign cycle and he was fueled by an almost entire strategy of being “not someone else”.
The first President I remember is Kennedy. I can’t remember anyone else occupying that chair being so thin skinned and singling out a cable news network or conservative radio talk show entertainers directly and often. Having a Nobel Peace Prize thrown at him must seem a long time ago.
He made some horrible P.R. decisions that took Tea Parties from a small blip to a national movement and it’s hard to figure out why he would cut a back room deal with Unions a couple of days before an election that could derail his entire agenda or tell people who were angry because they felt DC wasn’t listening to them to shut up.
He’s frustrated and got that way from a combination of his inexperience and poor judgement in choosing advisors.
May 11th, 2010
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May 11th, 2010
Do as I say, not as I do. Perhaps we should all be out community organizing instead of organizing playlists.
May 12th, 2010
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June 24th, 2010
Obama keep talking. You are proving yourself to be a complete know nothing. Slamming the iPad is like slamming newspapers and books, sure a lot of them are worthless, that’s why we need education and experience that produces wisdom and discernment. None of which you know how to work. Smart, slick, Mr. Obama, crawl back into your hole.
Slamming the iPad is tantamount to proclaiming yourself a modern day “book burner”.