Top Five Things I Could Care Less About When it Comes to the Obama Family

Can I have a completely non-green rant here? I rarely stray from the topic of this blog, but I don't have any other forum in which to vent this.

First of all, please don't take this as a rant against Barack Obama or his family. It's a rant about the things that so many people in the media and the blogosphere are fixated on when it comes to them. And now I'm fixated on how stupid it is for others to be fixated on these things. Perhaps, if I can just rant it about it all here, I can move on. As we all should.

Here it goes:

1. What kind of dog the Obamas choose. Who cares. It's a dog. The breed they choose is neither symbolic of them as a family or the president-elect's ability to lead our nation.
   
2. Whether the Obamas send Malia and Sasha to pubic or private school. It's not my business. As the girls' parents, the Obamas should do what is best for their girls and their education. Their decision shouldn't be made in response to their pubic image or how it will effect the president-elect's educational policies. I don't care if they choose public or private as long as they are doing what is right as parents, not as politicians.
   
3. If Malia and Sasha should wear their hair natural or not. Guess what. If parents want their children to portray a certain image, it's no concern of mine. It's not my business if my friends require their children to wear suits and dresses to church while I allow my boys to wear ripped jeans. Same rule applies here. It's parental privilige to have the children reflect the family. If their parents decide to have them look one way or the other, it's their decision. No one should judge them on this.
   
4. How painful it's going to be for Barack Obama to give up his Blackberry. I have no idea if he cares about this or not, but many people seem to feel this is a huge deal. Here's a man whose campaign relied heavily on new media, a man who is connected to social media and e-mailing and Internet at his fingertips. But in a few months, he's going to be President of the United States, and there are certain security measures that need to be taken. You know there will be some college student somewhere cutting classes and throwing away his parents money while he spends day and night burrowed in his dorm room figuring out how to hack the president's blackberry. And really, do we need our president distracted by texting when he's on the phone with the Prime Minister of China? I don't think so.
5. Whether Michelle Obama is channeling Coretta Scott King, Jackie O, or any other historically revered woman. Last week there were two pictures circulating that had some similarities between the late Mrs. King and the soon-to-be first lady. In both pictures, the women are sitting on the end of what seems to be a church pew. Both women have a child lying on their lap. People went all crazy/happy. Look how much Michelle Obama is like Mrs. King! Isn't it prophetic! Please. In the picture of Coretta Scott King, she's at her husband's funeral, obviously and understandably distraught. In the picture of Michelle Obama, she's at the convention (not actually in a church pew) looking understandably like she'd love to get this kid off her lap. The similarities between the two are really not that remarkable. And then there's the hoopla about Michelle Obama being the queen of the new Camelot. Sure she has a sense of style, and although I personally thought her dress the night of the election was unfortunate, I was glad to see that she didn't feel the need to wear a conservative suit, a string of pearls, and her hair in a french twist. She gets to have her own style and forge her own legacy - she doesn't need to be saddled with the standards of someone else's before she even becomes first lady.

So there you have it. The top five things I'm ready for everyone else to start caring less about so I can stop being annoyed by it all.

We can now return to our regularly scheduled greenness.