 "Photo: Ariel Summers/Manitou Messenger")
Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you know that Barack Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. If, however, you are one of those cave dwellers, you might be asking yourself what exactly President Obama has done to warrant such a prestigious award. And you’re not alone. People on both sides of the aisle are unclear of the reasons behind the surprise announcement.
Nominations were due little more than a week after Obama’s inauguration, leaving hardly enough time for the president to do anything noteworthy enough to warrant a Nobel. Obama’s nomination was based solely on his plans, rather than his achievements.
Obama’s major claim to fame thus far is his campaign and election as the first African-American president of the United States. While impressive, this feat should be attributed to the American electorate for voting Obama into office. Even so, in his role as president, Obama has not yet made any specific steps to foster international peace.
To his credit, however, the president has been handling the award well. He appeared surprised and humbled during his acceptance speech. Obama should not be blamed or tarnished in any way for receiving the prize. After all, he didn’t ask for it. He has done the only thing he could, which was to accept the award as a “call to action.” He couldn’t easily refuse the award, nor could he appear to think he deserved it.
Instead, we should blame those who nominated Obama for the Peace Prize for this whole ordeal. While they may have been well-intentioned, in reality they have probably only made the president’s job harder.
President Obama was already subject to some of the highest expectations ever placed on an incoming president: upon his election, he was supposed to fix the economy, save healthcare, win the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and repair America’s image abroad.
Now, in addition, he is supposed to bring about world peace. It has created a media storm that distracts from real issues of substance currently affecting our nation, especially the economic crisis and the health care debate. We should just leave the president alone to focus on doing everything we expect of him, rather than adding more to his plate.
It is hard to think of a loftier honor than the Nobel Peace Prize. But it cheapens the prestige of the Nobel and previous honorees when the prize is awarded without cause.
It makes the contributions of the other laureates – people like Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa and Jimmy Carter – seem less valuable. I appreciate President Obama’s ideals and goals, but really, who doesn’t want world peace? I know I do, and I’d imagine other world leaders share the president’s sentiments. Why not give out Nobel Peace Prizes all around?
President Obama is smart, charismatic and determined, but we have to remember that he is only human. If we place too many unachievable expectations on him, we doom him to failure and ourselves to disappointment.
Let’s just step back and let the man do his considerable job.
Ethan Hiedeman ’13 (hiedeman@stolaf.edu) is from Hastings, Minn. His major is currently undecided.
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