What's in a Greeting? A Lot.

President Obama faced heavy scrutiny from the 24-hour news programs again this week for none other than bowing. Yes, bowing. Apparently, the fact that the president had been traveling in Asia, and was caught (gasp) bowing in Japan (the nerve) set off a wave of scrutiny from CNN, to MSNBC, to Fox News. In response, the most relevant point I can make is that they do, in fact, bow as a show of respect during greetings or farewells in Japan. Is that so crazy?

Actually, I give the president a lot of credit for trying to bow here. It’s quite hard to pull off the intricacies without looking silly. I always feel awkward trying to bow myself, and have compared it in recent posts to giving a limp handshake in western cultures. You can go throughout your life giving limp handshakes and never know it; meanwhile everyone you encounter will judge you for it.

If anything, the president should be scrutinized for his bowing technique. I thought he showed good form with the angle he bowed to, and his foot and leg posture were good, but he threw in a simultaneous handshake, which deviates from tradition. In the end, like I said, I applaud the president for making an effort. What it boils down to is a generous show of respect for Japan and their Emperor, and not a sign of weakness.

Shouldn’t that be our aim? Think about our everyday life. What would be the outcome if you met a colleague for lunch and didn’t stand up to shake his/her hand? My guess is that the lunch would be a little cold from the start and not progress very heartily. If it were a business lunch with a potential investor, do you think he/she would at least think twice about why you didn’t offer a formal greeting? Now take that idea broader. Let’s say you’re travelling in France and you’re hungry. You can walk up to the counter and say, ‘I’d like a sandwich.’ Now, that might get you some service; heck, you might even get a little more acknowledgment if you say it with a polite intonation and add a ‘please.’ The problem is that more often than not, the nice little French lady running the counter will not understand a word you say. She might know a little English, but won’t be able to follow what you’re saying. What if, instead, you try a little French to break the ice before slowly making your request in broken French or slow English? My guess is, the store worker will acknowledge your sincerity and try to help you with your sandwich. You might even get a pickle out of it!

The point is, it’s not always necessary to be the aggressor, and it doesn’t always get you far acting like a bully. ‘My way or the highway’ or ‘Put yourself in the other person’s shoes.’ Which do you think will get you further in the long run?

This is where the short-sightedness of the talking heads on the 24-hour news cycles got it wrong. This wasn’t a story, this was an opinion set to fire up a response. First of all, any credibility that these stations might have had is in serious jeopardy in the wake of the balloon boy fiasco. Second of all, it points to an increasing pattern of poor journalism. They are making stories out of opinions, and masquerading as news sources. I would love to see the ratio of budgets for pundits compared to actual investigative journalism at these news stations. Unfortunately, that would require some investigating…how ironic.