The presidential bow

Posted at 1:05 PM on November 16, 2009 by Bob Collins (8 Comments)
Filed under: Politics

You knew this was going to get folks going, didn't you? President Obama bowed when greeting Japanese Emperor Akihito with Empress Michiko over the weekend.

True, it might be an act of tradition and manners but there are two long-standing tenets of protocol in America: The flag never flies lower than any other country's and the president bows to no one. Others disagree, of course.

The usual suspects said the usual things, according to AFP:

The gesture appears to have touched a particularly raw nerve among Obama critics who said the president has hastened America's decline as a world superpower by being too apologetic and too deferential in his dealings with other world leaders.

While most of the commentary about the bow in Japan was decidedly negative, some political observers, like longtime Democratic activist Donna Brazile, came to the president's defense.

"I think it's a gesture of kindness," she told CNN, adding that the bow appeared intended to show "goodwill between two nations that respect each other."

Both comments pretty much mirror those uttered last spring when the president appeared to bow to a Saudi king:

And some even said he showed too much deference to Queen Elizabeth:

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Comments (8)

I don't have a problem with the bow, but the handshake? Haven't these people heard about H1N1?

Posted by H. Michael | November 16, 2009 1:24 PM

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A bow is the equivalent of a sincere handshake.

Posted by Thekuando | November 16, 2009 1:32 PM

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Are people really questioning this? Are we Americans so conceited that we can't show others respect?

Posted by Alison | November 16, 2009 2:37 PM

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I agree with Alison's comment about respect. We are not all one world culture, and showing deference to the practices of our allies is indicative of maturity, intelligence and manners. The sovereigns cited in the post have all ruled their nations for a considerable time, and if nothing else deserve respect as our elders. Pridefulness is a defect of personality, not a strength.

Unfortunately, Americans have become coarser and more inflated of ego in recent decades. Even our own Congress cannot act with civility, as we witnessed with Sen. Joe Wilson and the "I object" crowd in the House health care debates.

Posted by Bunnie | November 16, 2009 2:55 PM

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I consider the bows as done above simply to be polite, the cultural equivalent of a handshake.

Prostration is a completely different thing, and I suspect those who are unhappy about Pres. Obama bowing are really thinking that he is prostrating to foreign rulers.

Posted by Paul | November 16, 2009 3:24 PM

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Would the Emperor of Japan bow, when/if he visited Pres. Obama here? If the answer is yes, then we should return the courtesy. If the answer is no, we should still offer the courtesy & respect which we should give a fellow sovereign nation. This isn't an interaction of equal men; it is the official interaction of two nations embodied in their leaders.

Do we acknowledge Japan as an equal in the world? Perhaps not an economic equal measure in GNP, but an equal as an independent nation? If so, we should offer our respect.

I was more confused by the dual handshake and bow; it looks really odd/awkward. Do the Japanese do that, too?

I recall reading - perhaps an urban legend - that the Europeans developed the hand-shake as an offer of peaceful intention, not respect. If I'm sticking my hand out, and I'm unarmed, I won't be attacking you. I'm all for visible signs of peaceful intentions.

Posted by Elizabeth T. | November 17, 2009 9:55 AM

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I'm proud that our president took the care to learn what gestures of courtesy are appropriate in another country, and to show the Japanese, and others, that he is willing to make the effort to "speak their language" to display good will and friendship. Given that "American" is synonymous with "uncouth barbarian" in many parts of the world, I am glad our representative does not think that good manners is un-American (or unmanly).

Posted by Joanna | November 17, 2009 12:39 PM

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I wonder if the combination bow/handshake is what you get when the President bows to the Emperor and at about the same time the Emperor sticks out his hand. The result is that President Obama can't leave the Emperor hanging so he shakes his hand during the bow.

I'd like to see the interaction in real time. I suspect it doesn't look quite so awkward in motion.

Posted by JackU | November 17, 2009 1:01 PM

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