Tuesday, January 25, 2011

It's frightening how the countenances of people in power, change during their reign.

Tonight during the State of the Union Address.

Hillary Clinton

Is it all really worth it?

The travel and relationships with world leaders?
The nice clothes and fancy hotels?
The conversations with people who are only seen on the 6 O'Clock news.
The pressure to change the direction of human civilization, to improve peace in a region or give new chances to people on the other side of the world.
Is it worth it to be lied to by dictators, or to have to threaten a nation with violence? Then go home at night and eat popcorn and watch a movie?

Is it really worth all the pushing and struggle to get to the place where you are the international goto person for America?
Is it worth it, being the 67th United States Secretary of State?

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then I'm not sure it is.

7 comments:

  1. I think photos like this aren't entirely fair. Would any of us look excited to be sitting through their bizillionth SOTU address? Could have been snapped at a moment when she zoned out.

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  2. I know, and I agree. At least she wasn't asleep.

    But I have observed how faces do change with the shifting of power. Someone msg'ed me about how Obama is now quickly going grey.

    It happens. I just wonder if the view from behind the curtain is worth it.

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  3. Leadership can do that to anyone that it demands long, long hours and little personal time from.

    But the thing is, often when politicians campaign they are made to look young, dynamic, vital and attractive. When they finally acquire power that becomes less important to maintain full time, and we then perceive them as aging quickly. Also Hilary is not a young woman by any stretch of the imagination - she looks fine to me for a bored and tired 63 year old.

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  4. She looks better than I do today. :)

    Also, I'm wondering if this would be as noticeable if she weren't a woman. Women just don't age as well as men do. And perhaps there is still an underlying societal assumption that women in power are "striving" for power harder than men.

    I don't tend to think of myself as a feminist, but I don't this picture would've been as noticeable if it had been (for example) Obama.

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  5. Good point Toni, they are made to look good when in the race.

    Dix, I don't think this is gender biased, at least for me. I've see that happening to other leaders too. Tony Blair, George Bush really hit a wall, and this pic from last night:
    http://www.climaticoanalysis.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/2010_state_of_the_union.jpg

    I mean it's subtle but he was probably done up for the speech too. Looks like he may need more hair colouring.

    I'm not sure how we might measure it but I do think that women in general do have to "Strive" harder than men for the same positions.


    But my point is still, male or female, the stuff you see and become involved in as a world leader, is it worth the trade off for what you loose?

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  6. Yes. I see what you mean. And it is a good point. And one worth thinking about.

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  7. If people of integrity become too cynical to make those sacrifices and trade-offs, nations will get the leadership that they deserve.

    It's a sad commentary that make-up and hair colouring are considered criteria for leadership. There was a time when grey hair and wrinkles were respected as signs of the wisdom that comes with age.

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