Oh, I didn't realize you are not from America...

I listen to talk radio. I listen to NPR. I listen to radio news channels. Call it nerdy or boring, but I get information fed to me all day long. Talk radio is based around personalities, and is rightly so as it is meant to be entertaining; requiring a character to entertain you. News channels, and some NPR programs, however are just read articles with a sound byte here or there for flavor. As long as you have a nice voice and an understandable cadence, then it doesn't really matter who is reading the news to you.

Unfortunately, some of the people whose job is to read this news to you do not share in my opinion. I live in the DC metro area, and on the radio, the #1 news station is 103.5 WTOP FM. It is your around the clock news station is 'traffic and weather on the 8's' (practical and catchy...). Anyhow, I couldn't tell you more than one or two names of the news anchors on the station despite me having listened to this station consistently for the past 5 years. But, there is one I can remember and will recognize immediately and it pisses me off every time I hear her. Her name is Patricia Guadalupe. She is a veteran reporter well known in the DC area. The main reason she is well known is after every report, she hits the listener with an out of nowhere accent switch to pronounce her name. She doesn't say "Patricia Guadalupe, WTOP News"; rather she says "Patreeeeseea Wadaloopay" in full on Spanish accent. Whatever news she is reporting is said in a slow articulate manner, much like Tricia Takanawa without the asian accent, where she trails off on the end word and never strays far from the average tone (read: dull). So, you get this one or two minute piece in regular old English, and then BAM! Spanish name. It is so distracting I almost forget what the damn piece was about as I am busy being pissed that it is this reporter once again over pronouncing her own name.

The problem is that I am not exactly sure why I get so pissed off at this. I don't have anything against Mexican Americans or Latin Americans and I admit that I wouldn't mind learning Spanish myself. I could care less about the reporters who give my news everyday. There is just something that bothers me about it. It doesn't fit. It's distracting. It's just egregiously bad. You can see this reporter's profile here. It doesn't help that she looks like a middle class white lady, despite being raised in Puerto Rico.

So yes, she has latin heritage. But she reports the news in flat normal American accent. The name drop just comes with such a sudden switch that it negates the past 30 seconds of words you just took in while you contemplate the new sounding speech pattern that just bludgeoned your ears. Nobody cares that a reporter is bilingual. I just want butt plain english spoken to me without external distractions. I do not need any insight into who the reporter is or where she is from, yet that is what this lady seems to want to do. She needs to make sure we know that she is a full blooded Latin American and if you were to for some reason contact her at the station, you must pronounce her name the same way or else you are wrong. This conclusion may be a bit exaggerated, but there is this underlying snobbyness I get when I her say her name on the radio. I'm sure it's not meant that way, but that's what I hear.

In reality, it not as much of a burden as it is a fun thing to make fun of every time it is heard. You can probably say "Patreeseea Wadaloopay" to anyone in DC and they can laugh with you at the absurdity. So, much like the way I treat the things that piss me off and I have no control over, ol' Patty G just gets laughed at and mocked. It's just that pissed off type of joking that could go bad any second. Fortunately, the news keeps coming and the traffic report soon distracts me again from my last thought. Why was I pissed again?

Face of the Nation

For those of you unaware (such as me 3 days ago), yesterday was 2008 Blog Action Day. The idea was that bloggers around the world would all write on a global topic to help spread ideas and awareness. In 2007, the theme was the environment, while this year, the topic is poverty. Well, as you can tell by the date up there above the headline, I am a little late. Not to make excuses, but I was busy helping my local automobile repair shop stay working in these times of 'financial crisis'. So, I guess I was somewhat doing my part against poverty. Well, no, not really, but to be honest, that's about as close as I get to actually being involved in things poverty related. It's sad and probably a bit irresponsible of me to not be addressing this vital issue of our global health, but hey, that's life. I have things to do. By things, I often mean watch TV.

Speaking of, besides yesterday being Blog Action Day, October 15th was also the host of the last of the three presidential debates before Election Day. Personally, I don't watch the debates. I know where the candidates stand and I am not a fan of awkward passive aggressive conversations or situations (which is why "Meet the Parents", etc. are loads of garbage disguised as entertainment, but that's another post). However, besides being a great drinking game, the debates can offer one vital insight into the next President. I did this prior to the article, but Joe Biden has some great advice:

“For this debate, for part of this next debate, do what I did for part of the last two debates. Literally, turn the sound off. I’m not being…I’m not joking now. Literally, turn the sound off. And just watch. Watch the body language of both men. You can sense it folks. You know it, when there’s a command [sic] presence. You know it when someone has the confidence and the certitude about himself and what he believes in.”

This is what I'd like to focus on today, the appearance and demeanor of our leader of our country. Back when our 'first black President' was in office, I (and the rest of our nation) felt comfortable that we had a competent, well-spoken, charming (too charming?), intelligent leader who we were proud to have as the spokesperson for our country. For the past 8 years, however, we have not. What we had was a layperson from an esteemed family who climbed the ropes of nepotism and broadbase appeal because of his similarities to the common man. Well, unfortunately he wasn't running for your local comptroller; this 'guy I'd like to have a beer with' WAS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. The one person who represents a nation of 300 million, the guy who is a reflection of the greatest country on Earth, the leader of the free world; he's a guy who is easily compared to 'the common man'. Well, I don't know about you, but I don't want a common man representing my fine nation, I want a standout leader who fit the ideal of a figurehead of a global power. I want THE MAN, not a man.

But enough about the past, let's focus on the future. Of our two current nominees, either would be a great step up from our current situation. However, when it comes to sheer presence, there is an obvious choice. One (that one?) stays cool and collected and though sometimes lets a few to many 'ums' leak out, he is an eloquent, eduacted statesman who is comfortable in a leading role. The other one, though perhaps just as intelligent, seems too often to let emotion get the best of him while under public scrutiny. One is young and in tune with the new generation, appealing to a new and expanding global identity. The other one is an old military veteran who is just finally getting around to discovering the joy of email. One plays basketball and is in ideal health, while the other has permanent physical injuries and whose health can be considered questionable at best.

As superficial as some of this may sound, it is actually an important issue to consider. I want a person in the Oval Office who appears worthy to be there. I want someone who is the face of my country to be a fitting representative thereof. I want a President that other presidents, monarchs or leaders also respect. I want a President who is honest and can address the people with confidence and intellect. The issues are a vital part of the election, but the people that surround the President will influence a lot of those decisions. What won't be influenced and will sit purely on the executive's shoulders is his appearance to the people. We need someone who is 100% focused mentally, physically and socially who can represent our diverse, yet united, top-tier population; someone who is in tune with both the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the domestic and the international.

I just don't understand the appeal of 'he's just like me'. I don't want a President (or VP) who is just like me. I want the best damn leader possible, in every facet of his job. And as a spokesperson of the USA, presence is crucial.