Barack Obama lamented Sunday that “with iPads and iPods,” information has become a distraction that is putting new pressures on the U.S.A. and “democracy.”
“‘You’re coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don’t always rank all that high on the truth meter,’ Obama said at Hampton University, Virginia,” AFP reports. “‘With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations, — none of which I know how to work — information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation,’ Obama said.”
MacDailyNews Note: During the 2008 election, KCAL-TV covered Candidate Obama’s advertisements placed inside eighteen of Microsoft’s Xbox video games:
Direct link via YouTube here.
AFP continues, “He bemoaned the fact that ‘some of the craziest claims can quickly claim traction,’ in the clamor of certain blogs and talk radio outlets. ‘All of this is not only putting new pressures on you, it is putting new pressures on our country and on our democracy… We can’t stop these changes… but we can adapt to them,’ Obama said, adding that US workers were in a battle with well-educated foreign workers. ‘Education… can fortify you, as it did earlier generations, to meet the tests of your own time,’ he said.”
Full article here.
Obama’s commencement address at Hampton University:
Direct link via YouTube here.
[Update: 2:08pm EDT. Pulled the Take because the point we were attempting to make seems to have been either too satirical or not satirical enough. Our fault, not yours. We blame the weekend help.]
[Update: 11:37pm EDT. Added link to 2008 report on Obama campaign’s ads in Xbox video games. Thanks to MacDailyNews readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]
[Update: 11:59pm EDT. Added link to Obama’s commencement address at Hampton University. Thanks to MacDailyNews reader “Algr” for the heads up and the nice compliment.]
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “TowerTone” for the AFP article heads up.]
Is nobody willing to admit that medias can be very saturating… if all you do is constatly haging at your ear-phones?
Doesn’t need to be that smart to notice that many are zombified by external claims.
take a little retreat and do not always criticize somebody as soon as he starts to think a bit further than common people…
In a dictatorial government it is essential that there be a single source of information. A single voice espoused from a single, overaching and unchallenged authority. That source is the Democratic party, and it’s voice is Chairman Obama.
Furthermore… The only valid censorship of ideas is the right of people not to listen. – Tommy Smothers
Done. I’ve put up with years of political garbage needlessly being inserted on this site, masquerading as Apple news. Fine, it’s MDN’s site, it’s their right to choose what to post. However, I now exercise *my* right to “not listen” to the ads (i.e. block them) on this site.
Let’s see how much MDN values free speech. This is perfectly on topic (especially compared to the political comments that get posted to and remain on completely non-political MDN articles), let’s see if this post is still here by the end of the day.
I do not think he expressed an anti-free-speech point-of-view. The problem he suggests is that some people give the same weight to things they read from commenters on blogs as they do from experts in a particular field. Also, the news has become much more tabloid than journalism, and they have abandoned their traditional role of fleshing out fact from fiction. To the contrary, they seem to relish fanning the flames.
We, as Americans, are bombarded with information, and I have noticed that instead of using this historically-enviable position to become well-informed, people mainly seek out points-of-view that validate the beliefs they already hold. It is a major problem for public discourse, and without an informed electorate, democracy is crippled.
He’s a digital immigrant wheras the kids are digital natives.
What a moron! Even a child can use an iPhone / ipad….
I hate politicians. They really ate useless.
Informatio……ooo, Keyboard Cat!
Informa……ooo, what is Kim Kardashian doing now? No….
Informat…..ooo, so that is how you remove a tree stump…..
Info…..the new iPhone? Pictures? Whoa!
In…..They found Noah’s Ark? Really?
Get ready to have your post deleted, MDN believe in free speech as long as you agree with them.Otherwise they censor, or ban you altogether!
The only argument worth having is one where the opposing points of view are sincere, logically constructed and willing to work towards some kind of compromise. If one party is not acting in this kind of good faith then there is nothing worth talking about.
Scary communist-like statements aside….Obama, you just became out of touch with the very people who got you elected. Those people that use technology including iPods and iPads. Also, the iPod and iPad are tools for Education, look at what’s going on in schools around the country, K-12 and HiEd, these are Education tools not just for entertainment. Pretty sad that this guy is giving a speech to a class of graduating university students and does not even know what tools are being used these days to teach. Out of touch. By that way Obama, my two year old knows how to use an iPad!!
roguedog: In a dictatorial government it is essential that there be a single source of information. A single voice espoused from a single, overaching and unchallenged authority. That source is the Democratic party, and it’s voice is Chairman Obama.
That is sheer stupidity. There is absolutely nothing in the actual article that would support this kind of paranoia.
Obama was advocating literacy and education as means of self-defense against the constant barrage of information through all channels, some of it being of dubious merit.
Ironically, the blatantly distorted mis-quote by MDN above is a case in point: If you are lacking in education to the degree that you will fall for any half-baked manipulation (as you obviously have), what is needed is not banning free speech, what is needed is you realizing that you are being manipulated!
That was his point – and both MDN and yourself have provided prime examples of him being absolutely right about it!
Get an education!
Don’t let yourself be manipulated!
Think for yourself and look for factual, original information instead of being content with regurgitated ideology!
The point is not that you should come to one specific conclusion – the point is that you should make a real effort to have your conclusions as realistic and as close to the truth as possible!
this is seriously a new low for this site. why not give the full quote?
No surprise.
Obama doesn’t trust the people to be able to fend for themselves. It’s a classic hallmark of the liberal elite.
Thelonius Muck: Another bit of rubbish from the mainframe of “Shallow Thought”
@Ping
+1
@Thomas Very well said…you have articulated the point I believe the President was making.
The perfect example is this CRAZY idea that has taken hold among the conservative blogosphere that Obama was not born in Hawaii. Now we have an Army Doctor who is refusing to serve until Obama proves to him personally that he is the legitimate Commander in Chief.
I’d be pretty disillusioned too if half the country decided I was not really born in the U.S., despite all evidence to the contrary.
MacDailyNews and all of you anti-Obama freaks are just a bunch of ignorant assholes. Grow up!
Superior Being: No surprise.
Obama doesn’t trust the people to be able to fend for themselves. It’s a classic hallmark of the liberal elite.
Yes, he does, read the actual article, don’t fall for the manipulative and blatantly false commentary by MDN.
If anything, “liberal elite” is expressed in his remarks by him advocating the “liberal elitist” ideas of everybody getting the best possible education so they’re able to withstand misinformation and manipulation.
For a “superior being” you still have some way to go there.
Yes. I am done with MDN, too. Imagine advocating free unfettered speech – what will they do next, back voting rights for all?
oh man, I had obamas back up until this moment.
if he doesn’t understand how they work why is he commenting?
and by this logic, we should shut down all television and newspapers.
are smoke signals too much of a distraction? what about grunting? we should all just dig a hole and live in it alone I guess.
Obama is talking about misinformation and people being bombarded with untruths and taking it as fact without checking. Simple.
Since when did this site become Fox Daily News?
They should just put a huge stars and stripes image in the background and say people are unpatriotic if they deny Jesus.
And George bush was dumb? He doesn’t know how to operate a playstation but he has the codes and the nuclear football. Good grief. Sorry your golf game got distracted.
Dense Mass: Yes. I am done with MDN, too. Imagine advocating free unfettered speech – what will they do next, back voting rights for all?
MDN’s commentary was blatant poltical manipulation –Obama nowhere even hinted at wanting to curtail free speech.
This site is gettung utterly disgusting.
” SSL
Well, Mr. President doesn’t know how to run iPad, hopefuly, he does better job running the country…”
Not so far, he hasn’t…now we know why!
MDN
I read the whole article. Sure glad I did because your take on it is clearly to misinform us. I suggest YOU read the whole article, several times until you get it.