In Sweetheart Vivienne’s RMIT Diploma of Professional Writing and Editing course, one of the study subjects is Myths and Symbols. Previously I’ve thought it a strange topic for a writing subject. But then I changed my mind – because symbols are extremely powerful. Take Barack Obama. Recently I’ve been thinking about how the world’s currently in such a mess. Or at least a bigger mess than usual. Whatever usual is. And how the people of the US, and maybe the planet at large, are looking to him to lead them out of this mess. So what does he need to do first? I’m no expert, but I reckon he needs to be presidential. That is, statesmanlike. He needs to do it quickly. And the quickest way to do it is with symbols. Evidently he’s already thought of this, because on 20 January he’ll swear his oath of office on Abraham Lincoln’s bible; and he’s promised that the entire Whitehouse fleet will be plug-in hybrids. Excellent symbols, in my view. However Prime Minister Rudd’s initial symbols – ratifying Kyoto, the Stolen Generations apology, the Australia 2020 Summit – have been followed by, well, not much. I expect more from President Obama. Much more. A recent photograph shows his muscular physique. I’m glad his shoulders are broad because, symbolically, the future of our planet rests upon them.
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