Obama, a universal metaphor?

There’s a nice expression in French: “à toutes les sauces”, which means that something has been or can be used for all purposes. Another expression is “à tort et à travers”, similar in its general idea, but with a stronger accent on the inappropriate character of certain uses.

Today, it seems that the example of the new President of the United States is being employed “à toutes les sauces”, sometimes even “à tort et à travers”: I have heard people mention him in religious, political, economic, legal and social contexts. Could it be that his person and message have become a universal metaphor?

Everyone in the world (except for hermits and primitive tribes) knows his face and his main slogan, “Hope”. The latter is a concept that inspires people all over the globe, particularly in a post-”Bush era” phase.

Why though should his name be used pretty much everywhere I go, every day?

Let’s look at a few examples of uses.

Politics and social issues

The media and therefore the public made a huge deal about the fact that Obama is Black (here in Europe, so-called “political correctness” hasn’t reached the same proportion as in the USA: we don’t see the point in saying “African-European” or whatever, especially given that Blacks in Europe come from Europe, the Americas, Oceania and, you know, Africa). Suddenly, in a land perceived by many to be the epitome of a racist society, the people managed to transcend the question of race (at least, that’s the most widely accepted idea – “reverse racism” is another idea) and elected the first Black president ever (after the “24″ series hammered the American people with that concept).

Fortunately for Europe, this led to a general questioning about the representativeness of politics and social structures: how many people stemming from “minorities” are there in Parliament, in a firm’s higher circles, …
[Note: I dislike the use of the term "minorities" because I believe it leads to segregation]

I recall reading about a young politician whom newspapers suddenly felt to be “the Obama of London”, and when the German Cem özdemir, of Turkish origin, became the leader of the German Green Party, comparisons with Obama were made by the score.

It seems that the issue of race exploded in the faces of everyone. Positive discrimination seems to have gained importance, all because one man who happens to be Black was elected to become the President of the USA.

Economy and development

It’s kind of obvious, but most eyes are turned to Europe and the United States to come up with a solution to the crisis.

Member States of the European Union started by trying out their own policies (strangely reminiscent of protectionism). Upon seeing most of them fail or only stop things from getting much worse, they turned to the “higher level”, the EU. While a solution still has to come, I’ve noticed a few comparisons relating directly to Obama in the media on the subject.

The main comparison drawn is linked to the goals set by Obama for the whatever-its-name-is plan he proposed to Congress. Apparently, a fair portion of the money would go to the development of eco-friendly technology, and that strikes a chord with European rules, who see in eco-friendly technology not only an electoral interest but also a future (interesting to see that politicians are starting to care about the future, beyond their time in office).

Religion

I don’t like talking about religion , because it can lead to very extreme reactions (I’m an atheist, myself, and have been so for a couple of years, but still go to Church to help with the sound system every three-four weeks). Even more so than in political and legal contexts, every word must be triple checked not to get it wrong or ruffle others’ feathers.

First, one should state the following: atheists like him because he doesn’t seem to invoke God quite as much as Bush, who in comparison seemed to justify everything he did by God’s will; Christians like him because he seems to actively believe in God and to be kind of heart. I’m afraid I haven’t talked about such things with Jews, Hindus, Muslims, …, and have never been any of those, so I am unable to say what they might like in Obama.

Obama’s life seems to have inspired Christians in particular. He has a record of being a good man, a loving man too, and has been active in his faith.

Just last week, I heard a sermon where the preacher established a parallel between Obama’s journey to becoming President, which involved a massive amount of planning, and the journey of a Christian and of Jesus Christ. Now, I smile when I hear things like that, because I see so many other examples of lives that illustrate the good things the Bible tells Christians to do, … Thing is, Obama is alive, and his story is still fresh in the minds of people, so the allegory works.

Preliminary conclusions

There, you have it, a number of examples of where the name of Obama is used, sometimes abused. I’ve come to find it bothersome, because it seems that everything must be subject to a comparison with Obama to have any value today.

In a way, however, it’s an interesting development. I’m too young to remember the way the world worked before the year 2000, but I know I haven’t ever seen so many positive comparisons with any living human, US President or not. As John Lennon might have put it, “Obama is bigger than Jesus”: everyone in the world is talking about him (most of them in a positive way), regardless of political background, religious belief, ethnic origin, social class, …

So, universal metaphor? I hope not, because it would take out the fun of allegories, and no one likes to be told “you’re not half the man/woman X is”. Still, it’s a metaphor that seems to work. For now, at least.

Obama, a universal metaphor?

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