The XX Factor’s Emily Bazelon on Barack Obama’s “Open Letter To My Daughters” in the current Parade magazine:
Why is Barack Obama writing an open letter to his daughters? I guess when you become president, you talk to your kids via Parade magazine.
Parade magazine, with its 30-plus million circulation, is where Dad Lays Out His Lofty Expectations For His Daughters:
I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you’ve had. Not just because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much—although you do have that obligation. But because you have an obligation to yourself. Because it is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.
No pressure, though.
These are sentiments, Bazelon rightly notes, that Obama “could get across at a family dinner or bedtime.” Bazelon asks: “By doing it in public, doesn’t he put a huge burden on them, adding to the one they’re already shouldering? And isn’t he using them, too?”
Yes. And, yes.
And, I’d add, isn’t Obama also making it more likely that things like What’s For Lunch In The Sidwell Cafeteria (Upper and Lower Schools) will continue to be served up as news? After all, if we don’t air this bit about the Obama girls’ private lives— and air it now —we might get scooped by Dad.
Like lots of folks, I think that the media over-exposure of Obama family & factoids has gone too far. And yeah, this open letter certainly has a similar flavor. But I think it's crucial to realize that -- misguided or not -- there is substance, here. Obviously it's a letter to YOUNG PEOPLE, not his daughters exclusively.
This campaign was unusual and the presidency will continue to be so, in its use (or at least awareness) of social networking, new technologies, youth culture and ways to speak to and motivate people. Is it always successful? No. Is it sometimes cringe-worthy? Totally. But it would be foolish to write it off.
#1 Posted by a.m., CJR on Thu 15 Jan 2009 at 02:58 PM
The full text of letter from an Iranian teacher to American president Obama about his letter to his children
http://www.yazdfarda.com/news/14936.html
#2 Posted by ahmad, CJR on Sun 25 Jan 2009 at 01:56 AM
'What I Want for You — and Every Child
in America'
By President-elect Barack Obama
On Tuesday, Barack Obama will be sworn in as our 44th President. On this historic occasion, PARADE asked the President-elect, who is also a devoted family man, to get personal and tell us what he wants for his children. Here, he shares his letter to them.
Dear Malia and Sasha,
I know that you've both had a lot of fun these last two years on the campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn't have let you have. But I also know that it hasn't always been easy for you and Mom, and that as excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn't make up for all the time we've been apart. I know how much I've missed these past two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey.
When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me—about how I'd make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day. And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn't seem so important anymore. I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours. And I realized that my own life wouldn't count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours. In the end, girls, that's why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation.
I want all our children to go to schools worthy of their potential—schools that challenge them, inspire them, and instill in them a sense of wonder about the world around them. I want them to have the chance to go to college—even if their parents aren't rich. And I want them to get good jobs: jobs that pay well and give them benefits like health care, jobs that let them spend time with their own kids and retire with dignity.
I want us to push the boundaries of discovery so that you'll live to see new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and make our planet cleaner and safer. And I want us to push our own human boundaries to reach beyond the divides of race and region, gender and religion that keep us from seeing the best in each other.
Sometimes we have to send our young men and women into war and other dangerous situations to protect our country—but when we do, I want to make sure that it is only for a very good reason, that we try our best to settle our differences with others peacefully, and that we do everything possible to keep our servicemen and women safe. And I want every child to understand that the blessings these brave Americans fight for are not free—that with the great privilege of being a citizen of this nation comes great responsibility.
That was the lesson your grandmother tried to teach me when I was your age, reading me the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and telling me about the men and women who marched for equality because they believed those words put to paper two centuries ago should mean something.
She helped me understand that America is great not because it is perfect but because it can always be made better—and that the unfinished work of perfecting our union falls to each of us. It's a charge we pass on to our children, coming closer with each new generation to what we know America should be.
I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you've had. Not just because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much—although you do have that obligation. But because you have an obligation to yourself. Because it is only when you hitch your wagon to somethi
#3 Posted by ahmad, CJR on Sun 1 Feb 2009 at 03:26 AM