"The Bowling Obamas"

[Elfer]

This is a short story penned by an acquaintance of mine as a response to the events in the 2008 primaries. I'll let you guys work out the metaphor for yourselves.

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The Bowling Obamas

(Barack is a prominent senator. He has a wife, Michelle, and two young daughters, Sasha and Malia.)

Sasha: Daddy, let's go bowling!

Barack: Okay.

***

(They're at a bowling alley. Barack stands around surveying the scene.)

Barack: (thinking to self) Act natural. Don't let them see how nervous you are. Just act natural...

Michelle: Barack, you can go first. I'm still lacing up the girls' shoes.

Barack: All right. What do I do?

Michelle: Just go ahead. Malia already set up the computer scoreboard. You'll be "POOP".

Barack: No, I mean, like, what do I do?

Michelle: You... it's- you just bowl. It's bowling.

(Barack stares blankly.)

Michelle: Haven't you bowled before?

(Barack shakes his head no.)

Michelle: What? Are you kidding me?

(Barack shakes his head no.)

Barack: Why? Is that weird?

Michelle: Well... I mean- Yeah. Yes. It's a little weird.

Malia: Daddy, you've never gone bowling?

Sasha: That's really weird, Daddy.

(Barack shrugs.)

Barack: So what do I do?

Michelle: (sighing) You just take one of those bowling balls-

Barack: Hey, whoa. Terminology.

Michelle: Sorry. You take one of those big heavy balls over there-

Barack: (picking up a bowling ball) Like this?

Michelle: Yeah. Put your fingers in the little holes...

(He does so.)

Barack: Cool.

Michelle: Good. Now you roll it toward the pi- uh, the white things at the end of the thing, and you try to knock as many of them down as you can.

(Barack looks down the lane at the bowling pins.)

Barack: I'm supposed to knock 'em all down?

Michelle: Ideally.

Barack: (concentrating hard) All right. Here goes.

(He crouches, winds up, and sends the ball rolling down the lane in a perfect hook. It knocks down all the pins.)

Sasha: Awesome!

Michelle: Wow.

Barack: This isn't so hard. Now I do it again?

Michelle: Actually, it's-

(He's already bowled another ball. It's another strike. People playing in the adjacent lanes notice and applaud.)

Barack: (picking up a third ball) So I'm bowling, right? This is bowling?

Michelle: Yes, Barack. You're bowling. Now give the girls a turn-

(His concentration unwavering, he bowls another strike. More people notice. A crowd starts to gather.)

Barack: Bowling. Bowling bowling bowling...

(He bowls a fourth strike. More onlookers applaud. Michelle sighs.)

***

(A while later: everyone in the bowling alley and the surrounding neighborhood has stopped what they're doing to come watch Barack bowl strike after strike. They're all cheering him on. Some of them are weeping with emotion.)

Barack: (eagerly watching a ball roll down the lane) Bowling bowling bowling bowling bowling bowling bowling bowling...

(The ball knocks down all the pins. Another strike.)

Barack: BOWLING!

(The crowd cheers.)

Onlooker #1: Who is this guy?

Onlooker #2: I don't know. He looks familiar.

Barack: I'm not asking you to believe in my ability to bowl a strike. (Bowls a strike.) I'm asking you to believe in yours. (Bowls a strike.) By which I mean mine. (Bowls a strike.)

(The crowd cheers again, even louder. Sitting nearby, his family looks on.)

Sasha: (pouting, wiping away tears) I just wanted to bowl.

Malia: (sobbing into her mother's shoulder) Why won't he let us bowl?

(Michelle stares coldly at her husband as he bowls another strike.)

Michelle: Because he's special.

-------------

I think it's a fairly poignant commentary, but what are your thoughts on it? Some people in my area who've read it sort of think it's beating a dead horse, but maybe that holds true more in Canada than it does in the US.

[Trampalite]

Umm, the analogy is confusing? Are you saying he's not letting his daughters run for president? Is this some sort of 'ready on day one' Clinton ready to bowl analogy?

[Elfer]

1) I didn't write this

2) I think you need to delve a bit deeper

[JackPhantasm]

So what, he's riding on his suaveness and whatnot.

We all knew that.

He's more of a showman and nothing else?

What am I supposed to think.

I think I get it but there are lots of ways you could interpret it.

[Elfer]

Considering that he's succeeding in bowling strike after strike, I'd say there's more to it than showmanship.

[JackPhantasm]

At 3/8/08 02:40 PM, Elfer wrote: Considering that he's succeeding in bowling strike after strike, I'd say there's more to it than showmanship.

He won't let his daughters bowl.

So he wants to take control, he has the skills, but does he have the experience to let other people bowl/follow the rules of the game?

damn you cyptic bastard

[Elfer]

I'm interested in seeing how other people interpret it too before I spell it out.

[Imperator]

Seems to me the "lessons" here are either:

1.) Age and experience are not necessarily indicators of skill.

2.) Dumb luck is not an indication Obama knows what the hell he's doing, despite him doing well at it.

I think it goes either way as a criticism/compliment, but I might be overlooking something.

[Buffalow]

I'll take a whack

Is it that Obama's skills aren't really there, it is just the luck of the draw and his daughters' crying is the other Democrats saying how it wasn't supposed to be Obama in 08, that it was meant to be Hillary/Edwards. The other people cheering him on are the "bandwagon" democrats who are cheering on Obama simply because he is up in the polls.

Either that or Obama is a really good bowler.

[SmilezRoyale]

Obama will bring everyone peace land and bread?

[fasdit]

I like that story.
It initially reflects Obama's lack of experience in the sense that he has never been bowling before.
It then goes on to show that despite his lack of experience, he is actually an amazingly talented person and managed to pull off perfection. Perhaps this is an allusion that although Obama does indeed have less political experience than Hilary, he naturally has the skills and charisma to do a better job than her.

It's funny, it just seems so fitting to his character, that he would walk into a situation where he has no idea what he's doing, and then do a good job. It's kinda like that episode of the Simpsons where Homer has no idea what he's doing, but still manages to prevent two or three melt downs.

Conclusion: Barrack Obama is a black Homer Simpson.

[flubeca]

Maybe,

Obama has no experience, yet succeeds. But when he did succeed, nothing was more important to him than what the public thought.

[Bolo]

Ah, clever. Nicely written.

In my interpretation, it's essentially dismantling the argument that Senator Hilary Clinton has pushed that Barack Obama is unprepared to become the president.

Barack enters the Bowling alley, a direct allegory for the institution of the presidency, and he is unfamiliar with the intricacies of gameplay inherent to the sport of bowling -- in the same way, any person who does not have "experience" at being the president would be initially unfamiliar with the intricacies of the job.

But as Barack begins to bowl (an allegory for enactment of policies as he takes the office of president), it soon becomes obvious that despite his lack of so-called "experience," he still quickly adapts and is able to bowl well. In fact, he scores a strike with every attempt he makes.

Thus, it is proven that one does not need prior "experience" of holding such offices as first lady (or in the case of the allegory, prior experience at bowling), as Clinton has alleged, in order to become a successful president.

Furthermore, history backs up this idea as well, with a prime example being Abraham Lincoln. He served eight years on the Illinois state legislature, and two years on the United States House of Representatives.

That's 10 years of "experience".

Obama spent seven years on the Illinois state legislature and three years in the United States Senate.

Again, 10 years of "experience".

[samwazhere]

It shows that Barack will be such a good president that the public won't care about anyone else so while the public loves him the other members of government hate him.

[ForkRobotik]

So a black man CAN bowl!!!

Or is this about how some people think barack isnt really black because he's got a little bit of coconut juice in him?

[SmilezRoyale]

1) I do not beleive that this is a story meant to glorify the achievements of Obama, The tone of the story makes Obama look more like an individual who doesn't really know what he is doing, but is swept in the grander of his success.

2) The politicians don't 'hate' Obama. Most Republicans would prefer a more moderate Obama over an extremist Hillary, although hillary would be much easier to beat in a general election than Obama would. The DNC loves obama, and there are more Hillary supporters than the caucuses show with the help of the glorious super delegates.

3) My interpretation is that the story dictates, Obama has no background experience in bowling, yet he can still do it proficiently; this is what draws attention towards him.

However i do not agree with the story, We have yet to see what Obama would be like as an executive official, and one can only go as far to say that he is excellent at winning a primary. It's moderately acceptable, in my opinion to say that his lack of experience doesn't automatically disqualify him as president, but it is total ignorance to assert that the reverse is true, that his lack of experience actually qualifies him more for president than someone else.

Clearly, it is not Obama's knowledge of political affairs that makes him a likable candidate, [Hillary lost alot of influence by using the 'experience card'] and since i HIGHLY doubt that American's know the difference between Obama's policy and hillary's policy, i beleive it has nothing to do with policy either, it has never had anything to do with policy.

Nothing about Obama, save his rhetoric skills, indicates that he would be a good leader; Merely the fact that he succeeds is enough.

[Elfer]

At 3/8/08 09:56 PM, Musician wrote: The interprations in this thread say alot about the interpreters.

Alot more that than they say about the actual story anyways

UPDATE: This is the correct interpretation.

The story is just written to look as though it's going to head towards a metaphor, but then it doesn't. It's a story about Barack Obama going bowling with his family.

[RommelTJ]

At 3/17/08 04:34 PM, Elfer wrote: UPDATE: This is the correct interpretation.

The story is just written to look as though it's going to head towards a metaphor, but then it doesn't. It's a story about Barack Obama going bowling with his family.

Bollocks!

[Al6200]

At 3/7/08 08:55 PM, Elfer wrote:

Barack: (thinking to self) Act natural. Don't let them see how nervous you are. Just act natural...

Wait, why would Barack be any more anxious then say Hillary, he's only had one less term in the senate, and other than that their experience level is completely equal.

Barack: All right. What do I do?

Wait, most of the people campaigning this season have never run for president before, so this is logically a very new experience for all of them.

Barack: Hey, whoa. Terminology.

the goggles do nothing. the stupid, it burns!

No really, what on Earth makes you think that one extra senate term makes Hillary Clinton a senior and Barack Obama a complete newbie.

Michelle: Yes, Barack. You're bowling. Now give the girls a turn-

Yes, because, politicians should be giving attention to other people rather than themselves during an election??? It's the candidate who's running, so why would we want to look at someone else?

Barack: I'm not asking you to believe in my ability to bowl a strike. (Bowls a strike.) I'm asking you to believe in yours. (Bowls a strike.) By which I mean mine. (Bowls a strike.)

So basically, you don't link Obama because he acts as a good politician rather than using his family/friends as political pawns. You realize that's a good thing, right?

Malia: (sobbing into her mother's shoulder) Why won't he let us bowl?

Because it's the dream of any little girl to be used as a political pawn...

[Elfer]

Hi Irman!

[Memorize]

There's only 1 error in the story.

Obama bowl'd a 37.

[Elfer]

At 5/11/08 06:15 PM, Memorize wrote: There's only 1 error in the story.

Obama bowl'd a 37.

That happened after this was written. It was basically a cover-up.

[poxpower]

So basically he's perfect at doing whatever we ask him to?
Sweet.

[CaptainChip]

Is it that he's so good, he's annoying?