No, BHO isn’t an acronym for any bank that’s been bailed out, nor for the latest scam or bankruptcy. We’re referring to Barack Hussein Obama.
It is rapidly turning into a storm. The whole world is pinning its hopes on the first black president of the US to pull us out of the economic mess we have got ourselves into. He is so much more than just the new president Made in the USA. It is the New Black Hope, multi-ethnic, part of a global and diverse world that strives for sustainability but lacks resources and is in freefall.
Even in his earliest decisions as president, he is encountering very little opposition. He has all the credit in the world (a paradoxical notion) to perform miracles that will likely prove disappointing in the long run, but which, for now, represent Hope with a capital H for countries rich and poor alike. Criticism, discord and conflict will come, but his enemies and natural opponents do not yet dare to tarnish his immaculate aura. In other words, Barack has not yet disappointed anyone. And he hasn’t, not only because there hasn’t been time, but because fans and opponents (both domestic and international) see in this man a different kind of US president, one who has had to govern under unprecedented and extremely difficult circumstances for the world. Logically, the first to shatter this global harmony will be, and indeed are, the fundamentalists: Islamists, Republicans and even Catholics (in fact, the Vatican has already been quick to criticise the decision to allow stem cell research, one of the first decisions taken by Obama’s administration), as well as other relatively marginalised minorities.
All these hardline voices that have been attacking—and will continue to attack—the Obama administration from the very outset and in a systematic manner, and who fail to see in this leader the only driving force capable of pulling the global economy out of a long depression, are irresponsible and short-sighted. They are unable to look beyond their religious beliefs, racial hatreds and political animosities, and/or are incapable of distinguishing the Bush era from the new world that is taking shape with this involuntary re-founding of capitalism. Fundamentalism, in all its diverse and harmful forms, is incompatible with the Big Picture, with a global and tolerant vision of humanity. Sadly, that is the way it is. That is who we are.
However, I am certain that the Barack Hussein Obama phenomenon will prove disappointing in the long run. It cannot be otherwise, since today he embodies the hope of a new world that we are unlikely to be able to reconcile with a global economy that has been dealt a fatal blow. But facing the bleak future that lies ahead of us without the hope, faith and enthusiasm for the Obama phenomenon would be far worse. Because the chances of getting through this with bearable suffering depend on believing, hoping and fighting for our future alongside a different kind of world leader, like Barack. I am not talking about the merits of Democratic policy over others, nor of the merits of the the American way of life with regard to European or non-Western lifestyles, not at all. I’m not even talking about politics. I just want to point out that globalisation has also reached the realm of global political leadership, and it has done so at a time when we need it most.
One indication of the scale of the Obama phenomenon is that his supporters in Facebook At the time of writing, they have over 4,442,988 followers. But what is truly spectacular is that this figure, growing at a constant rate, increases by more than one and a half followers per second whilst the US sleeps, and reaches almost 2.5 new followers per second when it is daytime there… Spectacular. Even its name Barack Hussein Obama, ... inherently embodies the global nature and diversity that it generates debate and controversy. The Obama-Facebook relationship is an example of concepts that did not exist until very recently, and further proof of the exceptional nature of the Barack phenomenon.
We are, regrettably, living through historic times in the financial system and the global economy. We are the only ones to blame. The road to recovery will be long and arduous, but the best way to set out on it is by drawing on whatever hope and conviction we have left for the near future. The BHO Effect It is something we should all be promoting, whether out of conviction, for the common good, or simply out of a basic instinct for survival. And, of course, by convincing ourselves that, even though many will fall by the wayside, we can achieve recovery and it is not a pipe dream: Yes We Can.
P.S. Just for fun: During the Bush era, the White House was living in the technological Stone Age, despite wanting to rule the world. As the saying goes Dans in his article: «…if the boss (Bush) doesn’t set priorities in that regard because he’s technologically illiterate, nobody takes any action…»