Years of Poems and Spirits

I always think of myself as growing up in the D.C. area. It is fair to say that I lived my “formative” years there. Therefore it is extremely gratifying to hear that D.C., Maryland and Virginia delivered a resounding victory for Obama. Not only the margin was significant but the sentiment was across-the-board.

Recently, I caucused for Obama in WA too. As much as I was moved by the scenes I encountered here, a concurring result from Virginia means so much more.

One of my first close encounters with American politics was the 1994 election where Chuck Robb narrowly beat Oliver North in the Senate race in Virginia. All things considered, that outcome felt like the last stand in Alamo. Afterall, Virginians had all the reasons to follow the sentiment of the nation. Yet they stood their ground and denied a felon’s claim. I might have viewed American politics differently had Virginians chosen to go with the trend.

I have to say this couple of weeks are probably among the lower points … just plain exhausted. Feel like falling behind all the time … So many good books, talking to Susan and now Gary. Also met Wang Xiong Jun. Then there is Andy and Ken … All of sudden, it seems there are so many people to meet, so many books to read, so new things to learn, so many stories to hear and so many topics to think about … but I am just exhausted. Can’t focus on anything. Nothing helped. I tried. Damn.

I am always fascinated by the process how the image of a public figure is shaped up in people’s minds.

It seems like there is this “caricaturization” process: a caricature is apparently an distortion of a character’s real appearance. Yet such a distortion is so sticky, once it enters in one’s mind, it is almost impossible to get rid of.

Is there a similar effect/process in media’s portray of a public figure? Given that most audiences may have never met/interacted with a public figure, how can such an effect/process generate traction in people’s minds? In other words, there has to be a balance between “what people are willing to hear/believe” and “whether the figure is actually more eccentric in certain ways”. But then to what degree can one (i.e. media actors) blur and distort each of the two in the process of creating a public persona?

The following triggered the above thought:
Source: “Anti-Obama Film On the Way”
“Obama is a completely clean slate,” said David Bossie, president of the group. “We will develop the image that we want the people to see. We’re doing the hard work of the research right now. The American people don’t know much about Obama, except that they like his speaking style.”