Much to do about nothing?
I believe in this country. I support this country, abide by its laws (most of them anyway), and believe that every person should be given a fair shake at her/his own success. That’s what I believe.
That said…
I’m not really that concerned about where and more specifically when President Barack Obama goes to church. Really? Our nation has a significant amount of its resources (including men and women) deployed overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan fighting in conflicts (or wars if you will). Moreover, we are experiencing one of the worst economic times ever in our history. Yes, there are many grave issues we are currently facing.
So why is one of the biggest news agencies running a headline story about the fact that Barack Obama attended church today. Don’t we have more important pressing thigs to worry about? Somebody help me here. Why could this issue be that important? Maybe I’m just in a bad mood (the cowboys did lose another game today). What do you think?
So honesty I never really knew that there was a news story about this, but I think it’s a waste of time! I think it’s almost disrespectful to be spending all this time displaying every waking moment of the Obama’s life, because I really don’t care and I too think there are many other important things happening within our nation to discuss. I’m wondering if they show so much of his personal life just so people can have something more to criticize him on? As a president, knowing what our nation is facing, you would think he would try and do or say something about it?
I don’t think it’s the loss by Dallas that is affecting your mood on this topic..I think it’s unimportant too. The Cowboy’s on the other hand…yeah their pretty unimportant too….GO COLTS!!
Your right everyone should be given a chance at success but what does my success have to do with Obamas church life. I could really care less about what goes on in the Presidents life. Really who cares that he went to church, is he that much better than me? Theres so much going on and the media is focused on his personal life its purely BS if you ask me. The media just wants to tell us what we want to hear, and I guess Americans are more worried about his life than the state of our economy. Hahh im really worried about the future of this country, maybe im just weird…
You would think that we have more important things to worry about than the frequency of President Obama’s church visits…Such as the raw meat dress that Lady Gaga wore to the VMAs. Just kidding!
For so long, we have been overly concerned with superficial aspects of neo-liberal society. I’m more concerned about the efforts being made to stop human trafficking/modern day slavery in this capitalistic country than what President Obama does in his personal life (the phrases “freedom of religion” and “separation of church and state” comes the mind).
I think it’s sad that CNN couldn’t find something more interesting to report about. They should be reporting about all the other places Obama has been and what he has been doing to help our country. I do not see why it is such a shock that Obama went to church, or does not go often. He is a busy man! Sadly, I would have found an article about Gaga wearing a raw meat dress much more interesting than this one.
I would have to agree with the author in asking why there is nothing better to talk about? My brother just got back from Iraq and he tells me that there is a lot going on over there. Why aren’t we talking about some of those issues? Could it be that the media doesn’t want to notify the public of these oppressing issues due to the fact that it might instill fear? What I mean by fear is this, the soldiers overseas have family back in the states. Is the media trying to sugar coat what is happening with this “conflict” to try and keep the families of these soldiers calm? Then the question arises, of all the topics in the world right now, why did the media choose to headline a story about our President of the United States attending church?
Maybe if I read this article in People magazine, it would be less surprising to me than if it were a headline story for a major news agency such as CNN. Don’t we have enough magazines, etc. dedicated to these matters? Maybe the general public is becoming less and less interested in relevant information (such as the war we are in as we speak) and would rather hear about useless information such as how often our president goes to church, but I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who could care less about such trivial issues.
What annoyed me the most reading this article was that they made it seem like Obama was only going to church because many Americans think he is Muslim. I may be naive by suggesting that the Obama’s went to church because they actually wanted to, but it is still not okay for CNN to speculate. Their job is to report information in as non-biased way as possible.
Honestly, I do understand the frustration regarding the lack of politically significant news being presented in this article. The fact that President Obama “publicly attended church Sunday morning for the first time in nearly six months” being at the forefront of CNN news does indeed seem to be neglecting the current economic issues. Yet, at the same time, I’m not necessarily opposed to such articles that are rather, for a lack of a better word, ‘pointless.’ My reasoning is this, the mass media does a great job presenting and focusing on the “many grave issues we are currently facing.” I believe that most of society is sufficiently aware of America’s current condition and the troubling situations around the world. So what’s the harm in an article that doesn’t pinpoint our struggles for once?
I agree with you wholeheartedly. I think that our country is very diverse with many different nationalities, religions, etc. Some go to church some don’t. Why is it such a big deal that Obama went to church? He is a person just like the rest of us with his own personal beliefs, thoughts, and feelings, so why should this be such a big deal and headline news? Yes he is our president, but still a normal person as well. I have no idea why this issue is so important.
Also, maybe your bad mood about the Cowboys losing intensified your irritation about the Obama issue, but I think either way it is a topic to be annoyed with. Oh, and I am sorry about the Cowboys losing, my boyfriend was pretty upset too, but I have to say…GO BEARS!!
After reading this I personally feel disgusted with the focus on our nation or at least where the news stations focus their attention to. It is kind of pathetic that the president of our nation is making the news not for what he is doing for our country but instead if he made it to Sunday mass or not. A top running news station should not be running a headline news story about this kind of non-sense, honestly if we took a poll on who cared or not that he made it to church, I’m sure more than 99% of the class would not care. I don’t see any importance to this headline, obviously news stations may need to re-hire some journalists out there that report things that cover issues to our current society’s problems, possibly stories that are interesting and give us valuable information? Really this doesn’t surprise me much; news stations have a tendency of taking a small detail in someone’s life and making a big ordeal about it which will later probably turn into something bigger than it ever should have been. Stay tuned for more useless story lines on this matter that will turn it around into a transgression on Obama’s behalf.
I think reading about Barack Obama at church is a snooze fest! Who really gives a whoot, unless he is praying for something to save our economy or the cowboys…because they lost to the bears! I honestly think that they had nothing better to talk about and Obama has been under the microscope lately. They have to say something about our president….its too bad he doesnt live up to some of the other scandals like president Clinton.
The reason that when and where Barack Obama goes to church is because of the kind of partisan news that we have in this country. People want to make mountains out of molehills in American news. Whether it be MSNBC trying to show that Obama is an average god-fearing person who goes to church every Sunday just like the rest of us, or it be Fox News trying to show that he is going to very extreme church and he is not properly running the country. Every American News outlet is trying to devalue the other side of the spectrum.
Are there more important news stories out there and more pressing issues that deserve attention? Absolutely, However in American news it is now about backing your own party and tearing down the other, unfortunately the real news gets left by the wayside majority of the time.
In my opinion, I do not believe Obama going to church should be an issue! I find the whole story ridiculous!! I can see where people are coming from when they think religion may play a role in the way he runs our country being president and all…but really, what can be done? He is already our president and although people question his choices…I do not believe he has done anything more drastic than other presidents before him!
Is this newsworthy though? I guess the way some look at it…yes…nobody wants to read about death, violence and crime…so knowing that our president has “claimed” a religion in the publics eye could be a great joy over all of the other sad news that should be shared for America to know!
Society seems more concered with the latest “gossip” rather than actual issues. Take a standard magazine rack for example, all the magazines deal with the latest drama in famous peoples lives. People seem to care more about Jersey Shore and Justin Bieber than soldiers fighting for our freedom in Iraq.
Society is simply uninformed. They would care more about important issues if the news agencies cared too. They don’t know what is happening in reality because their noses are stuck in trashy tabloids or “reality” tv shows. Ignoring issues isn’t going to make anything better!
I really think this story is pointless. I believe that the roots of this article is stemmed off the story that when Obama was running for president, all the “Obama haters” said that Obama was a Muslim and a terrorist, and blah blah blah. I think the media has overused and grown tired of using the “soldiers overseas” stories, and is frankly tired of having that be headlines. I would much rather hear more coverage about soldiers, and not just when another solider died.
I feel like their reasons in making the “Obama goes to Church,” headline is to stir more controversy up, and start something that will in the end become a big and juicy story. Personally, I hate the media, and I feel like instead of giving us facts that we should know and should be concerned about, it all seems to get mixed in with garbage like the “Obama goes to Church” article. Who cares if he walks across the street to go to church? Whether you like the guy or hate him, he is our President. Instead of trying to stir up issues with his religion, how about cover something that will actually be important to the American people.
Cnn should have many more important things to talk about besides president Obama going to church for the first time in six months. He should be able to do what he wants and not have this big issue where he goes to church and how often. There are many more important topics that can be discussed. But for some people I’m sure that religion is real important for them and to see how the country is being run.
Why should I care whether President Obama goes to church or not. And I am pretty sure that if Obama was a Muslim you would hear about it so much more often. If he was probably wouldnt even be in office given all of the discrimination against Muslims. I am sure that there is more important news going on somewhere in the world for CNN to report about instead of something as useless as Obama going to church. And I definitely agree that there are more important things going on in our country, like the crappy unemployment rate, than Obama attending church for the first time in months. Personally, I don’t think that you have to be a Christian and go to church once a week, he is the President of the United States, he is a very busy man. So if that was what he was trying to get at, that he is stil a Christian instead of a Muslim, I think it is now obvious.
I think the real problem with this story is that Obama doesn’t usually go to church on a regular basis. Now that he started going in Washington he most likely feels like he has to go all the time even if he doesnt really want to. People are just finding a reason to complain about him and religion is an easy thing to get on somebody about. This is only important to people because they think he is just putting on an act to make him look better because he finally went to church. I agree and think the article is completely pointless and there are more important things to talk about then this.
Obama’s church attendance is something that a right-wing conservative media outlet could spin into something negative. I am a Republican and do not always (or ever, JK) agree with our President, however I feel as though the media can be very judgmental and should butt out sometimes! The media industry is very powerful but do not use their power for the greater good. There are more important topics that should be covered regarding the President.
I am shocked that this is what our newsreporters are wasting their time and ours talking about! There are definately more important things they should be reporting on such as the war. I think the reporters want us to know every little detail about his life so we can continue to make ridiculous judgements about him and his family. Personally, President Obama is the last thing I would care to hear about. His private life should be just that: private.
I think a story about President Obama going to church is highly unnecessary. There are much more pressing issues that CNN could be reporting on rather than when the President attends church. Quite honestly I don’t care when and if the President goes to church I would much rather hear about issues going on in Iraq or about the economy. I think its ridiculous that the President is being treated like a celebrity and every aspect of his personal life is being reported on.
I have never seen or heard anything in the news about Obama attending church but i dont think that is something that the whole world needs to know about. There is so many other important things that should be in the news like the air craft that crashed and killed 9 Americans or the fact that everyday when i watch the local news i have to watch stories about young kids being shot in milwaukee or kids our age dieing in car accidents from drunk driving. I think a persons choice to go to church or not is their choice and it shouldnt be put out there for everyone to see. As much as i love to watch E! news and hear what the celebs are doing however i dont care to know when they attend church or not.
Dont worry about the cowboys theres always next game. At least the packers are doing good 🙂
I have to say I have heard about this topic about Obama’s religion and I have to say I’m glad people thing the say way as me, that is this topic is useless and pointless. I know this country is full of a lot of very religious people that strongly believe and would fight for their faith, however people need to realize that when voting for a president what religion the candidate is should not be a major factor. I’ve watched on the Daily Show and Colbert Report on the controversy of Obama possibly being Muslim. All I have to say is how would this effect his presidency if he was? I did not vote for Obama but I will say I have seen him show a lot of love for this country and can never see him putting his religious beliefs before the good of the country. People’s fear of the Muslim religion has gone way too far. Too associate all Muslims with the ones we are fighting overseas is just wrong and against for everything this country stands for.
I would also like to point out how the president is now seen pop culture icon or celebrity. It’s sad to see that Obama has so much media attention on his personal life rather than the things he is doing (or at least is trying to) for our country. Where he goes to church or what his wife wears to special events is not news. When I want to look on how the president is doing I want to see real stories not celebrity gossip. CNN and other major media outlets need to pay less attention on Obama’s person life and more on what can be done to better the country, and to show support to our brave troops overseas who need all the support we can give.
I agree with you. We have more important things to worry about than whether the President of the United States goes to church or not. News people report on stupid things when they are having a slow news day and I think that this is one of those slow news days. I’m surprised that they show suck an interest in his social life since all they do is tell him what a poor job he is doing running the country.
I think the reason these news agencies are running stories like because isnt his religion an issue right now? I mean people are trying to figure out whether or not he is muslim. People are not satisfied with the job he is doing and they are find every reason to attack him. Do i agree with every choice he makes, hardly, but i do honostly believe he is trying his best. It’s not all his fault were our economy is right now, but i dont think he’s doing everything that can be done to fix it either. CNN is were i believe this story originated from, and they are a waste of space. They have gottin so huge that they are more of an corporation and has dollar signs in its eyes. I think they are far from the truth on most matters or hide important details…its all a conspericy HAHA
Why is it that the media never worried about any of the previous presidents’ religions? If the president is supposed to make the United States a better place, why are we focusing on his religion? I honestly don’t give a hoot what religion he chooses or when he goes. I thought it was interesting how the article stated that he hasn’t gone to church in months, really? He is a busy man give him a break. I would rather read an article about how he is bettering our community. If the media writes headline stories about President Obama it should be on more important issues, issues that actually matter.
I agree!! I also would like to pose the question–Why is so much time spent on the celebs? Why do I care…oh yea-I DONT!
I agree there many more issues and topics that should be the priority of the media. Instead I know all the ridiculous m details about Lindsay Lohan. I dont understand why there is such a high demand for the little small town folks of society to watch celebraties break laws, and flaunt themsleves.
I dont care if Obama does or doesnt go to church, I dont care about his football/basketball team pics, and I sure as heck dont care what kind of dog he and his family get. I watn to know that the person elected into office is doing his duties…not whats on his docket of things to do outside of that rhelem. He is human, he is normal…but does not need to be publicized
Its a two sided equation, the media does what society wants…Why does society choose THIS? Its not just the fault of the media and the telepromter reading bobble-heads that just do what is asked of them.
“Don’t we have more important things to worry about?” Well to be honest, it really seems as if we don’t, according to some news headlines. What is considered news versus what is “important” news has seemingly been lost. For example, why is it that I know more about Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton getting arrested AGAIN, than I do about this church event with Obama. I didn’t even hear about this even, but yet I can’t go anyhwhere without hearing or seeing about what movie star did what. The fact that an abundance amount of people in this counrty are more interested in Hollywood and the scandals in it than what’s happening for our country is what kind of representation of our country? Granted, the story of Obama going to church isn’t the most interesting story, still I hear very little of what he does over what stars are doing. Where are the real news stories??
I personally think that media directs a lot of attention to not very important subjects. Not only this story about Obama going to church, but just in general when it comes to the Obama’s. CNN is constantly filled with stories of the First Family and where they go, what they do and what dog they have. I know it’s a big deal to have a President of a different ethnicity, but he is still just the President like every other one the United States has had. I think that there needs to be more “important” if you will, stories in the news. The stories should relate more to the country as a whole compared to just broadcasting Barack Obama and his family and their daily events that they partake in.
I think that is pretty ridiculous that we have this as a headline story or a story at all, there are way more important story to put in our press. I could care less if Obama goes to church if they want to tell people hes going to church he can use twitter cause that’s how stupid it is. I really feel that we have better things to know about.
I can understand the frustration in the lack of the current economic issues being addressed in this article and in a manner, articles such as the above undermine the struggles that people are experiencing. With that said, the media currently does a great job (forgive me for the mild skepticism) in outlining, breaking down and further reinforcing the current political issues and economic problems into our minds through the numerous mediums. So in all honesty, when an article does not explicitly discuss all the “grave issues”, it takes on almost a refreshing quality. What harm is being done by an article discussing the religion of the President and when he publicly attended church? If you ask me, I think individuals could use a bit more light-hearted news and information regarding society versus the constant, often frightening reality of current issues.
I totally agree and unfortunately topics like Obama’s church and other crap I think is so very unimportant many times deters me from watching the news. I feel the same about the way some people obsess about celebrities. Personally, my life has enough of its own issues, ups and downs. Just concerning myself with my friends and family is enough. That’s not to say when there is an important matter at hand that I dont want to be inofrmed, but the media is way off with their obectives.
After reading the article about Obama’s church attendence, I see why it was such a big deal. Many doubt his Christianity, and feel he is a Moslem. His religious leanings do mean something when we are talking about the direction of this country. Talking about him going to church gives an impression to anyone that may doubt his Christianity that he may be a Christian. It was also mentioned that he had not gone to church since Easter. Making an appearance to a Christian church on a Sunday does not make a person a Christian. You can judge a true Chrisian by his life and the fruit he bears.
Presidents throughout the ages have been discussed in the news about their church attendence, as it is a part of their life. Something can be gleened about who they are. As in Obama’s case, it would look respectable to many Americans to see that he does go to church. It would not look good to see him go to a mosque, when we as a nation have a Christian/Judeo background. I think because of his background it is more newsworthy than other presidents.