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Answer the following questions (250 words):
1. How does Obama try to create homophily in this video?
2. What personal images is Obama trying to create?
3. Are videos like this helpful or hurtful to the political process?
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President Obama is relating his hardships of living without a father present in his life and his families hardships in life in order to make his upbringing hit home with the American people. In this way he is using the technique of homophile to gain the support of the everyday people whom would otherwise perceive him as a wealthy politician and “out of touch”. Obama is also portraying his image as a typical American whom was brought up in a semi-traditional household, which is more common these days than purely traditional homes. By explaining his life in a way that people could understand and relate to their own he is then invited into their living rooms and trusted to take care of them in the position he is/was running for. Videos like this are helpful in some ways to the election process because it allows the candidates to put their best foot forward and have that shown to the country. In this way the people of the US feel more comfortable with their government because they feel a connection to the actual candidate they are electing. On the other side of this issue, these videos have the power to be very misleading and untruthful. How do we know that what was portrayed on this video is entirely true? Was his grandmother that passionate about bullying, or was he scolded once for speaking ill of someone and now he is just playing it up? We do not know, and we have no real way of knowing. I believe that at this point these videos are good for the political process, but if they begin to be abused they will backfire on themselves and hurt the candidate’s campaign.
In Obama’s video, he created a homophile during his opening scenes as he shows pictures of his mother and grandparents. Obama makes a connection when he talks about growing up with a single mother, only knowing his biological father for a month. Here he is relating to families who grew up with a single mother and is making reference that he has gotten this far with the kind of life he grew up with. Obama also discloses how he had a large sum of school loans to pay back along with just being married to Michelle and I feel at this statement he is trying to target the current college students.
In this video, Obama portrays his personal image as an African-American male in his mid-forties who is intelligent, motivated, and has lived a successful life. The personal image I think Obama is trying to create would be this African-American who has been successful throughout his life by going to college and being very educated by his single mother. Obama could go different ways to target his audience, have it be African-Americans, the average middle class, the low class, single-mothers, and college students.
Videos like the one we watched of Obama I feel like are helpful toward politics for the candidate running (if it is the video of them). For the opposing candidate, videos like this could be hurtful, because the media and public get to see a different dimension of that candidate. Typically, the opposing candidate likes to tear down his opponent by creating negative media structures for the public to see, so it can change their minds about that certain candidate.
Then candidate Obama is trying to convince people that he is the quintessential “man of the people”, which of course is a basic pillar of the Democratic Party doctrine. This video tells a rags-to-riches story, and that is someone most Americans can relate to. This video and the story it tells inspired people. It inspired them to the point they turned out in droves to support and vote for him. He seems like an everyday, normal American. This video does create homophily, people would watch this video, and he doesn’t seem that much different.
On the other hand, it is not necessarily the most helpful thing to the political process. This video dumbs-down the case for Barack Obama. What this video leaves out about Obama is more important than what it includes. It doesn’t talk about any of the controversy regarding his college days and drug use. It doesn’t mention his radical left wing mentors and neighbors in Chicago. The video doesn’t even give you any idea of any relevant political position that Barack Obama has.
Videos like this are no more than a way to energize the electorate. It contains promises that Barack Obama made that have been broken in the past three years of his administration. This person who was supposed to “change” the whole political process and the way Washington works has fallen into the same political traps many presidents before him have succumbed to. He has led from behind, not from in front, he has failed to reduce the debt in any meaningful way, his administration has lacked transparency, failed to bring the country together, pushed an agenda from the far left, failed to turn the economy around, and countless other digressions from everything he promised in 2008.
Looking back at this video now, it certainly distorts the meaning. Did this video show a well intentioned person with the inability to do what he wanted, or does it show empty rhetoric and broken promises that have characterized his administration so far? If you are out of work, losing your home, unable to afford gas and groceries, paying more in taxes than you can afford; then your view of Barack Obama will certainly be different of the one shown in this video.
He shows homophily by showing that he has had tragic moment in his life, just like many Americans have. He lost a Dad and showed how it was like for him to grow up with a single Mother, just like many American do. He also shows that he has to pay college loans, just like many college Americans. He shows that he like them. It also showed him wearing regular cloths at a church. He wore the type of cloths most Americans were. I shirt and pants and not just a suit and tie and nice pants. It even showed him in a Church. It showed how he likes Church, like a lot of Americans do. When He was in Illinois, he felt that people there felt like family to him. At the end, he acted as though everyone in the United States were family to him. Americans loves family and, with him doing that, people might end up loving him and bringing him in their families. He did all that to make everyone believe that he's like us.
His personal image he's trying to portray is a African American in his mid 40s. He's a man who works hard, kind to people and successful. He's successful and works hard by being raised from a single mother, going to college and becoming a congressman. He's kind by being nice to everyone and trying to help everyone that needs help
These videos are good for politics. I feel these type videos are good. I think that they show us how their lives are when they were young. It helps us better or worsen our image on candidates, which in turn will help us know who to vote for.
I believe President Obama is simply trying to show the viewers of this video that he can relate with the common American. There are a lot of different things that Obama went through as a kid that many other children in this country go through. For example, growing up without a father and hardly knowing him at all. He also explains that he was raised by a single mother which is another very common thing that happens these days. He wasn't rich at all and he studied hard and made it through to Harvard where he graduated and eventually wanted to go into politics. The personal images that he in trying to convey are ones of friends and family relationships that a lot of people would find comfortable. Obviously the one with his wife is a good story in the fact that he met her and she saw his ability to communicate with people on a deeper more involved level, and how she eventually fell in love. Again, something that a lot of people can relate to in the fact that the way people meet each other are not always on the smoothest terms. I think that this video could be more hurtful then helpful because this allows people to see a side of Obama that nobody can argue with. Its good to see the deeper side of the person but in politics the public needs to see both sides of the candidate. Personal and political views, they should have a little of both worlds which sadly, isn't always the case with American politics.
Homophily is a tendency of a person to bond with others that share similar values or ideals. Barack Obama conquered that in this video because he spoke of how much his family means to him, specifically his mother. It is hard to watch this video without smiling and seeing the love and the generosity glow off the screen, and that is because it is something Americans can relate with. That is the family values, the hard times Obama had, the bullying sequence, it is all something everybody has gone through with their own families. This video strikes Obama as a guy that knows where he comes from and he is proud of it. It strikes Obama as a guy that knows where he is going in life. Obama didn't want to change his name when running for election in the Senate, and that is a prime example of being proud of his family name. The personal image Obama is creating here is someone that you can trust, and someone that has the “right look” to be the President of the United States. This video was edited to show the highlights of Obama's life because it is what people will remember. The American people want to see where this person has come from, what he has done to make a change, and what he plans to do if elected. This video is both good and bad for politics. It is good because it easily introduces a candidate to the American people, and it shows a different point of view on what a candidate's life story is. It is bad because it is edited to show the good parts. The sweet moments that reflect only a part of a candidate's character. Nobody is without flaws so it is hard to believe Obama is always the family man he portrays himself to be.
President Obama does not touch on political issues in this video in order to create a strong connection with all viewers. He tells his personal story. He talks about growing up without much of a father figure, and he talks about his mom pushing him to succeed and work hard in school. He talks about what is was that got that little boy with a single mother to become the next President. Michelle talks about what it was like when they first met, and tell about the moment she fell in love with him. Americans can all relate to him through those stories, somehow someway. The video really builds homophily based on the characteristics President Obama possesses. He is trying to create an image that relates to everyone in America, Republican or Democrat. He also plays on Americans and our patriotism. He mentions his memory of the astronauts falling into the water. Furthermore, he remembers being told something along the lines of, “Americans can do anything they put their mind to.” Avoiding talking about controversial issues and presenting a hard-working, intelligent, and poised image to the viewer builds up that bond. This video is good in that it restores trust in the American people when it comes to politicians. Viewers can hear his amazing story and believe he is a good and decent man. However, the lack of attention shown on issues is hurtful, in my opinion. Candidates should be chosen based on issues, and what is best for the country. People are likely to make their decision to vote for him simply because of his background without knowing a single thing about his platform. That is hurtful to America I think.
There is several elements to this video that generate homophily with the viewer. Throughout the video, Obama uses phrases that start off with ‘I know what it’s like…’ This is repeated throughout the video. It allows the viewer to empathize and connect to Obama on a more personal level. The video shows Obama’s family over and over and his struggles in life. The only thing that snapped me out of an image of him as an average person was in the middle of his struggle it has a scene of him graduating from Harvard law. I think showing that portion of his life could prevent people from connecting with him as someone they can relate to.
The video creates an image of Obama as a family man. He has the support of a loving family. Even his father, who he only met for a month, is viewed in a favorable light. It shows Obama’s grand parents often throughout the film. His grandparents are very average and that helps the viewer connect with Obama as an average person. The video also created an image of Obama as a man who wants to help the community. He is shown helping elderly in a church basement. It then transitions to Obama in politics as a senator. This transitions help the viewer to make the connection that Obama is someone who with help the community of politics.
I think these videos are a part of the political process that is necessary; however, I think if there is too much focus on image and not policy or record. it is a detriment to the American people as a whole. If we, the American people, know very little about the policy of a candidate, and instead only know about character, we wouldn’t be able to make a good choice in electing them.
President Obama has created a homophily by showing his photo's of his life as he grew up. He tries to reach out to everyone by explaining how his hardships of living without a father had shaped him to what what he is today. With this tactic he his able to have the support of the common person in society that have adversities in their life, and being known as a person who is to "fancy" or "not in touch" with the common person.
The personal image that Obama is trying to portray as well, is that even through hardships in your life,such as him growing up with a single mother, you can reach your goals if try to pursue it. Also, videos, like this on here, i believe is helpful towards politics because how it shows everyone another side of the candidate, which builds sympathy in voters, in order to help them understand what he's gone through to get the position he is in currently.
Well first I noticed that Obama tried to create homophily was by showing that he grew up in Kansas just like every other American family where his mother saw in him a promise. I think he is really trying to show that he did grow up in the average American family and that he was not that far different from everybody else in the nation. I feel as if he is trying to show that he had the same problems as everyone such as having bad days or even being buried up to his head in student debt which is so very common these days. I think he is trying to put of an image as just a good ol boy from Kansas that was really able to learn from life lessons. He is trying to show that since he had went through it that he can help people go through it as well. He is also being portrayed as being pursuant of something he feels is right such as honesty, respect, kindness, faith, etc. These type of videos in my opinion is very helpful to the candidate. I say this because people, as stated in class, love to be able to relate to the candidate and I feel that this is one good way of allowing people to feel a personal connection with President Obama. It almost makes the candidate responsible to the voter by them trusting them once that bond is found within that candidate.
President Barack Obama creates a homophile that suggests that he has hardships and that he was brought up as a family man with values. This personal image goes on to paint a picture that he is "in touch" with making the next generation of America better as part of his job and another part of his job to help the other generation with social security, education, and health care. Obama relates that growing up with the absence of a father, and gaining respect and kindness for those around him as something that has helped him through law school, family matters, and eventually running for the United States Presidency. Therefor he tries to convey that he isn't another politician in it for the title of Presidency but to really help Americans and make our country better for all, and he is the candidate for the job.
I feel that videos such as this one are beneficial to the political process. This video is about getting to know Barack Obama as a person, not just the President or Senator from Iowa. America votes on the connection we feel for the candidates, and in all honesty, this sort of video creates a strong connection to his story and who he is. So this video proves to be a great way to get to know Obama on a personal level without meeting him face-to-face.
Obama creates homophily by using his personal story and his life as a reflection of the American culture. Multiple times in the video he compares the similarities of his family to every other American family whether he is saying, “These people are familiar to me; they are like my grandparents.” Or “I see American families struggling with the same things my family struggled with.”
The video tries to paint Obama as a man of the people and not a man from Washington. He ‘believes in the bills he fights for, not because of a lobbyist but because he believes in it.’ Statements like that show that he is here to help the average American and not the “Fat Cats.” Michele helps put this in perspective when she says that they never had a conversation about running for President but conversations about how to help people or how to fix things. That demonstrates that Obama is not in office for status or money, but to help the American people.
I would argue that videos like this hurt the political process. This video plays on people’s emotions and a very good use of rhetoric. Aristotle said that using an audience’s emotions is effective but not moral because it plays on their weakness. Obama may or may not be all of these things, or a good president, but if he uses the audience’s weakness with fancy rhetoric, then the political process isn’t about making a smart choice because people will vote with emotion.
President obama is showing that he had to grow up without a father. He is trying to show thw American people that he was only raised by his mom, whom he was clos to. Obama tries to relate these hard times to where he is now. He uses the term homophile to make the average American citizen realize that he is not the wealthy politician. Obama portrays that he was raised in a household just like the average American today. When Obama does a video like this i think it helps him out. I think this because the average person thinks that he was raised the same way, so therefore he will be able to act in his position like an average person would think.
Videos like these help candidates out, because the citizns then trust their government to act in a way that is understood by the aerage American. Peopple who are not wealthy also may like someone taht earned their way and wasnt handed money through life. As stated earlier i think these videos are very good for a cndidates running in an election. I think this because the candidate can portray themselves that many may have not seen in him/her at the begginning. I also believe videos like these can hurt yourself if you are found not telling the truth. As you see today their are ads that say such things will be done and ones putting down another candidate that can hurt you if you are not truthful. Overall I think that these videos are very helpful for a candidate in the political campaign process.
There is a sense that Obama has always been the people’s president. Homophily is “the tendency of individuals to associate and bond with similar others.” Obama immediately started off creating a sense of homophily by stating “I owe a debt to all of those who came before me and that no other country on earth is my story even possible” He ties in the past with the present, but then goes even further to connect the left with the right; That being, politicians with everyday people. He uses “we” a lot to show a sense of “one person’s struggle is everyone’s struggle.”
All of this is a way of showing how Obama is trying to be part of the American people, because in all senses, he has had humble beginnings. He was brought up with a simple humanistic perspective by his mother and his grandfather, as the latter once told him, “boy we Americans can do anything if we just put our minds to it”
I believe that this actually would help the political process, because it shows wheather the people running to represent “the people” actually understand the people that they are representing. There is such a sense subconsciously, that politicians are above the common person. As I see it, if you are not from the middle class (the largest class in the nation) then you don’t really know where “the people” are coming from, what they need. People who struggle don’t care about gay rights, they don’t care about birth control, people with real concerns care about debt, they care about putting food on the table and being able to pay for their child’s medical bills when they get sick.
Obama creates homophily in this video by drawing upon the American ideals we all to some extent share. He attributes his service as a politician as a means to make things better for everyone, and that his increased power would mean an increase in the lives of all. Childhood pictures give him a more human image, as opposed to the scum or robotic images usually associated wth Congress. His family story is very similar to many people, myself included. When he talks of his mother, I'm reminded off my own mother, who passed away before I entered high school.
All of these homoplilic attributes are used to create an image of Barack Obama as just another guy on the street who wants to fix things. I'm paraphrasing a bit, but he says that everyone sees something that isn't right, that someone needs to fix, and he's going to try to fix it. It creates an almost brotherly image that is very effective.
These types of videos are incredibly useful to the political process. Too often the American people are faced with candidates and labels, nobody ever mentions the reasons why the canditates believe as they do, or why they got involved in politics in the first place. It's videos like these, where homophily can by created and revealed, that can help Americans make a better decision about who they want as a leader, after all, after watching that video, even I'd like to go have coffee with Obama!
President Obama creates homophily by showing the hardships he had to deal with growing up with out a father and also by trying to show was a average childhood he had. He wants to seems like an average guy that way people feel like they can relate to him instead of this big political figure who doesn't understand what its like being an average American.
Obama is creating a personal image of the hardworking man who made the difference. I feel like him essentially showing a shortened version of his life gives Americans a background on what an average life he had and how he worked hard to really make a difference.
Personally I feel like videos like this are very helpful in the political process because like I've said before it gives normal Americans a view of a politician that they may never get a chance to see. It makes a politician seem like a normal person and people may be more inclined to vote for them since they seem to understand "normal" people problems
President Obama creates homophily by showing the hardships he had to deal with while growing up. Obama talks about being raised by a single mother and how not having a father effected him. He also talks about how close his relationship was with his mother and what a tight bond they had. Obama talks about all of these things because these are the types of situations many other Americans experience growing up. Obama wants to appear as a normal average guy that worked through hard times and still made his way to success. This was a good angle to take, because this shows people that he isn't that big DC political hotshot that has been given the key to success, instead Obama lets everyone know that he worked for this. Obama is creating a personal image of the hardworking man who made the difference.
Personally I feel like videos like this are very helpful in the political process. This video gives viewers the idea that he is just like any ordinary guy. This video was very well made, whoever put it together definitely knows what they are doing. I think it was very effective when he talked about his close relationship with his mother, what career route he chose after Harvard, and Michelle's little part about how they met. All of these were things that can either give the viewer goosebumps or just remind them that he is a normal American guy trying to make change. This video's strongest point is how it shows that he can relate to so many people.
Obama creates homophily with the average American in this clip. The video shows Obama’s early childhood and portrays him as an average kid growing up in America. He was raised by his Mom, never really saw much of his Dad. He says, “I was probably shaped more by his absence than his presence”. He shows his strength as a child growing up in a single parent household. He describes his relationship with his Mother and it can be related to any Mother and son relationship in America.
He takes off to Chicago and meets Michelle. Michelle’s part in this video shows more of a gentle side to Obama. Pictures show throughout the video of the two, even a wedding photo that makes them look like the normal married couple. The image that he creates is that of ‘the American story’. Even at the end of the video he shares a conversation between him and his grandfather. He grandfather tells him, “Americans can do anything, whenever we put our mind to it we can achieve it”.
Videos like this one are helpful to the political process. The American people want to know who they are electing and trusting with their vote. This video shows the character and background of Barack Obama. Video’s like this help the voters to understand who is running and why they are running.
In this video Obama is trying to become someone who the average American citizen can relate to. He is trying to tell his story and show that his life was not perfect and he was not raised with everything like most politicians. He talks about his relationship with his mother and his lack of a relationship with his father. He was raised by a strong woman and is proud to talk about that which, I feel can relate to people who are raised by a single parent household. This video is trying to show a more different side of Obama that people can relate to more than just a wealthy politician. I think it is very important for candidates to show how they can relate to their voters because many times voters feel candidates do not have their interests at hand because of the difference in lifestyles. The lower and middle classes may find it harder to relate and to trust a wealthy politician than a politician who can be open and show how he knows their needs and can help them. Putting Michelle Obama and showing how Obama is a family man shows a side of Obama that family oriented people will like to see and will respect. This video showed Obama's character because he really lets you into his life and tells you about himself growing up and shows voters that his life was not perfect. I feel that I can relate to a candidate that is more open and honest than a candidate that I know nothing about his or her background. Candidates can be more trusted when they are open and when voters can relate to them they will be more inclined to vote for them in elections. I found this video to be very well done and helpful, it made me see a different side of politicians we do not usually see. It was so personal from his story, to his family life, to the conversation with his grandfather that I feel closer in a way to the candidate than I did before the video. It had emotional appeal to it and it will be helpful for his voting base.
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