Changing the unchangeable

I awoke this morning as I usually do, rising from my couch in a zombielike fashion.

[Shayna]

This letter really puzzled me. I grew up in the city where Andy Warhol was born and raised, and I sure don't see any way that he and the new President share any characteristics. I don't get the Marilyn Monroe comparison, either.

Even when Warhol was at his most famous, in the 1960s, he wasn't anywhere near as well known as Obama. He was pretty much of a recluse for much of his life. When he was a kid, he had scarlett fever and a bunch of other things that we have vaccinations to prevent now. So he was often sick and spent a lot of his childhood home in bed, listening to the radio and teaching himself to draw. I don't know where he finally went to high school (his immigrant parents were Russian Orthodox and followed the Byantine Rite, so if that church had a school, it was probably there.)

He went to college at what used to be called the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pgh, then left for New York for a career in commercial art in about 1949. It was later that he began to work in fine art and film. He started his own oddball-type company called 'The Factory' where a lot of his work was done.

Two days before Robert Kennedy was assignated, Andy Warhol was shot in The Factory by one of the actresses he had worked with. He later said that, until he was shot, he always thought of himself as only 'half-there'.

Warhol may have been admired by some during the height of his success, but there were many who ignored him or wrote him off as just a jumped-up commercial artist. Others despised him because he was gay, even though he never made a public statement about it. In fact, he stayed with his religion all his life and attended Byzantine Rite church faithfully. He even paid for a nephew to study for the priesthood. But he was not thought of as an international leader of any kind - just one of many artists during a time of upheaval in the art world.
Doesn't sound much like Obama.

I don't think anybody looked to poor Norma Jean Baker to solve international problems, or fix the economy. If this comparison is because people seem as fixated on Obama as they were on these two artists -- Obama is much more widely known than either of them were, and no one much looked to these artists for their brain power.

Probably the more logical comparison is with John Kennedy. Both will long be known for inspirational speeches that make people hope for solutions to problems.

[Sarah22]

I really enjoyed reading this article! I agree with almost everything Jared talked about in this article

[Sarah22]

Shayna wrote:

This letter really puzzled me. I grew up in the city where Andy Warhol was born and raised, and I sure don't see any way that he and the new President share any characteristics. I don't get the Marilyn Monroe comparison, either.
Even when Warhol was at his most famous, in the 1960s, he wasn't anywhere near as well known as Obama. He was pretty much of a recluse for much of his life. When he was a kid, he had scarlett fever and a bunch of other things that we have vaccinations to prevent now. So he was often sick and spent a lot of his childhood home in bed, listening to the radio and teaching himself to draw. I don't know where he finally went to high school (his immigrant parents were Russian Orthodox and followed the Byantine Rite, so if that church had a school, it was probably there.)
He went to college at what used to be called the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pgh, then left for New York for a career in commercial art in about 1949. It was later that he began to work in fine art and film. He started his own oddball-type company called 'The Factory' where a lot of his work was done.
Two days before Robert Kennedy was assignated, Andy Warhol was shot in The Factory by one of the actresses he had worked with. He later said that, until he was shot, he always thought of himself as only 'half-there'.
Warhol may have been admired by some during the height of his success, but there were many who ignored him or wrote him off as just a jumped-up commercial artist. Others despised him because he was gay, even though he never made a public statement about it. In fact, he stayed with his religion all his life and attended Byzantine Rite church faithfully. He even paid for a nephew to study for the priesthood. But he was not thought of as an international leader of any kind - just one of many artists during a time of upheaval in the art world.
Doesn't sound much like Obama.
I don't think anybody looked to poor Norma Jean Baker to solve international problems, or fix the economy. If this comparison is because people seem as fixated on Obama as they were on these two artists -- Obama is much more widely known than either of them were, and no one much looked to these artists for their brain power.
Probably the more logical comparison is with John Kennedy. Both will long be known for inspirational speeches that make people hope for solutions to problems.

Uhm he deffinatly was not talking about the physical comaprisons... he was talking about the fact that they are icons in american society.

[Lewis Schultz]

This is soo true, Obama is just an icon. Not a REAL President. I would have to say though that I would prefer the Bush years much more.
Well written essay.

[Lucy D]

That was very good i like the point of view this essay up holds. I dont personally belive everything in this essay but the points are good i never looked at obama in this way. I always went along with his "change" campaign i guess its easier to go along with something then challenge there opion, but i also do belive that obma has a lot of people he has to have on his shoulders so if we havent seen a change yet i do belive it is COMING!!!!!

[Kaley Hamilton]

Lewis Schultz wrote:

This is soo true, Obama is just an icon. Not a REAL President. I would have to say though that I would prefer the Bush years much more.
Well written essay.

While Obama may be an icon, he does wield great power. Any and all words he says are eaten up by the lemmings and critics alike. He may inspire people to change, but only if he says the right words.
It's probably impossible.