So the story is that Greg Oden (the #1 selection in last year's NBA draft who is sitting out this year due to injury) had a brief conversation with Obama that didn't touch on politics, and like a day later, Oden decides to officially endorse Obama. All I hear is how great this is, and that it will inspire young people to vote.
I say the whole episode shows how bankrupt the entire system is. The kid basically admits he knows nothing about politics, but all these media freak celebrate that he's nonetheless willing to jump in blindly. Hooray for mindless conformity! Hooray for directionless participation in a farcical system designed to provide the illusion of democracy! But what else are the media freaks going to say? They're a key part of the system; they wouldn't be in the positions they're in if they didn't think this way.
I feel kind of bad picking on Oden. He only had this mass audience because he's good at a silly game that everyone loves (myself included). That he doesn't know more about politics isn't really his fault. The true nature of the system is carefully obscured from people who aren't trying very hard to figure it out. And now that he poked his head out and received lavish praise for licking the boots of power, he'll probably only do more and better licking. That's what is rewarded.
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