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Many despise the fact that they gave Obama one, too. I think there is a misunderstanding here. In my opinion that prize really went to the American people, who

Many despise the fact that they gave Obama one, too. I think there is a misunderstanding here. In my opinion that prize really went to the American people, who elected their first black president, which the Nobel committee saw as a great step away from racism, towards equality. So, it was symbolic, in a way it was like the Time Person of the Year 2006: You, except they had to put the prize physically in the hands of someone, and the choice was obvious.

skeletron 5y ago
I think it was more because he'd replaced that murderous warmonger Bush, and came with a message of hope and peace that contrasted with his predecessor. The fact that Obama also turned out to be a murderous warmonger just illustrates how it's better to judge people on their actions rather than their rhetoric.
- rvz 5y ago
  > The fact that Obama also turned out to be a murderous warmonger just illustrates how it's better to judge people on their actions rather than their rhetoric. Or identity in general. Obama even admitted that he doesn't know why he received it. Perhaps everyone knows that the Peace Prize has lost respect in the 21st century since it can be won with little effort or for no reason. What a shame and a complete waste.
  - chalst 5y ago
    It's hard to beat the award of the Nobel Peace Prize for the engineering of the profoundly undemocratic Oslo peace accords, that led one of the recipients to start the Second Intifada (i.e. a revolution against the deal that he himself had negotiated) and the assassination of the other and the rise of the deeply unsavoury Netanyahu. It's set back meaningful peace in the region by at least a generation.
goto11 5y ago
Obama wasn't awarded it because of his skin color. He was awarded it because of his stated foreign policy ambitions which was in contrast to the Bush-era warmongering and ignoring of international treaties like the Geneva Convention. Of course it was a mistake to award the price based on promises before seeing the results. (I suspect they wouldn't have chosen him if they had known he wouldn't actually close Guantanamo as he promised to.) But anyway, that was the reason. Only Americans obsess over the skin color of Obama. The Nobel committee were more concerned about thing like torturing people indefinitely at "black sites", attacking countries without UN approval and such.
- SyzygistSix 5y ago
  >Only Americans obsess over the skin color of Obama. I don't know about that. Berlusconi seemed to, as a quick example that comes to mind.

skeletron 5y ago

I think it was more because he'd replaced that murderous warmonger Bush, and came with a message of hope and peace that contrasted with his predecessor. The fact that Obama also turned out to be a murderous warmonger just illustrates how it's better to judge people on their actions rather than their rhetoric.

rvz 5y ago
> The fact that Obama also turned out to be a murderous warmonger just illustrates how it's better to judge people on their actions rather than their rhetoric. Or identity in general. Obama even admitted that he doesn't know why he received it. Perhaps everyone knows that the Peace Prize has lost respect in the 21st century since it can be won with little effort or for no reason. What a shame and a complete waste.
- chalst 5y ago
  It's hard to beat the award of the Nobel Peace Prize for the engineering of the profoundly undemocratic Oslo peace accords, that led one of the recipients to start the Second Intifada (i.e. a revolution against the deal that he himself had negotiated) and the assassination of the other and the rise of the deeply unsavoury Netanyahu. It's set back meaningful peace in the region by at least a generation.

goto11 5y ago

Obama wasn't awarded it because of his skin color. He was awarded it because of his stated foreign policy ambitions which was in contrast to the Bush-era warmongering and ignoring of international treaties like the Geneva Convention. Of course it was a mistake to award the price based on promises before seeing the results. (I suspect they wouldn't have chosen him if they had known he wouldn't actually close Guantanamo as he promised to.) But anyway, that was the reason. Only Americans obsess over the skin color of Obama. The Nobel committee were more concerned about thing like torturing people indefinitely at "black sites", attacking countries without UN approval and such.

SyzygistSix 5y ago
>Only Americans obsess over the skin color of Obama. I don't know about that. Berlusconi seemed to, as a quick example that comes to mind.