When Falls the Coliseum

How bow?

Posted on December 2nd, 2009 by Jeff McDonald

I feel more than a little sympathy for President Barack Obama when it comes to the criticism he has received over ‘the bow’ and what it represents to a new generation of virtual, international Miss Manners out there.

Some, however, have taken a more historical perspective in their coverage of the bowhaha … err, brouhaha. The Associated Press noted … “Obama’s gesture was not without precedent, however. Neither was the outrage. U.S. presidents from both political parties often have been criticized for attempts at culturally sensitive greetings to high-ranking foreigners” … including former presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon.

For my part, I can’t help but wonder if President Obama was poorly advised on how — and how not — to bow. Sure, it’s a nice gesture … but it’s especially nice if it’s done properly, and in line with that culture’s standards for the gesture.

And THERE is the added rub … in countries such as Japan, the bow conveys A LOT about the place of the person offering it — and the person receiving it — in Japanese society. I suspect that over the course of his visit to that nation, President Obama received many bows such as the one he offered … but those were bows being offered a visiting head-of-state by Japanese who considered their position beneath his.

I had a similar experience last year, in Thailand, with their own traditional greeting, the wai. “Relationships are an important part of Thai culture, and the wai is one measure of those relationships,” I noted at the time. “Who is the first to offer the wai, who bows lower, who raises their hands higher, how the wai is returned — if at all ….. all are indicators of the relationship between the two individuals that are greeting one another.”

In a way, that’s something that goes against the grain of a more egalitarian society such as our own … where many people are more inclined to offer the same greeting, the same handshake, the same hug to all they meet, regardless of their standing in American society … a man’s a man for a’ that, as Scottish Robbie once reminded us

It’s not better, it’s not worse … it’s just different. And I wish someone in the U.S. Department of State would better prepare our presidents — past, present and future — for that difference.

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Jeff McDonald

There's a saying around here, something like, "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could!" That's me. I'm a 'dang Yankee from back-east' who settled in the Lone Star State after some extended stays in the eastern U.S., and New Mexico. I worked as an archaeologist for a few years before dusting off my second major in English, and embarking on a 25-year career in journalism. Since then, I've embraced the dark side of the force, and now work in PR for a community college in Midland, Texas.