Maybe
Maybe
Maybe
Maybe
Maybe
Maybe
Maybe
Maybe
Maybe there is more to be said about a leader, a president, a politician, a human being than whether or not he is cool and the degree to which he satisfies that standard.
OK, Frank Rich interviewing Chris Rock might be more political correctness, cheese and a giant, implicit "aren't we so amazingly wonderful" ball of goo than most readers can endure. So let me summarize the highlight of the chatter. Chris Rock assesses Barack Obama's "coolness." Obama is cool but not cool like Eddie Murphy.
Let’s talk about Obama a bit. You have been a fan. Have you ever met him?
Yeah, a couple times.
And what did you make of him?
Kind of cool. I always say, cooler than most politicians, not as cool as actual cool people. He’s not cool like Jay Z’s cool. He’s not Eddie Murphy. But in a world of politicians …
It gets worse.
What do you think of how he’s done? Here we are in the last two years of his presidency, and there’s a sense among his supporters of disappointment, that he’s disengaged.
I’m trying to figure out the right analogy. Everybody wanted Michael Jordan, right? We got Shaq. That’s not a disappointment. You know what I mean? We got Charles Barkley. It’s still a Hall of Fame career...
Continuing the analogy, I think we got Latrell Sprewell, a player whose on-court record will always be eclipsed by his efforts to choke his coach to death, his confusion as to how said action generated controversy and of course, the playing of the race card in his defense.
By the way, 'cool' is one of my favorite words for several reasons. It is possibly the most nuanced word in the English language. It does not just mean stylish. 'Cool' can mean stylish but the context and yes, nuance, give it a richer, deeper meaning. Having defended the word, I should also state that it is the height of irrelevance to assess serious people on the basis of their "coolness." Grow up!!!
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