Evo Morales: "I don't always smile, but when I do, it looks like this:"

[MineralMan]

Mr. Morales looks like Mr. Morales. When he smiles, he smiles like Mr. Morales. Wherever he is. Whatever the situation. He is an interesting man. Perhaps not the most interesting man in the world, but an interesting man. I guess I'm not seeing why a photo of him smiling is anything more than a photo of him smiling. Maybe someone can explain that for me. The link below has a good biography of this man, and he is truly an interesting man.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evo_Morales

[Berlum]

1. Evo's smile reveals the depth of beauty that dwells in a native heart.

Native peoples are still trying to communicate something to the immigrants who have been coming to the American continents for the last 500 years or so. It is way past time to listen.

[MineralMan]

2. It appears to be a sincere smile to me.

He is known in his own country as "El Indio," for his ethnic heritage. He is also a labor-oriented person, who fought for all workers in his own country, whatever industry they worked in, including the coca industry.

He's not all that popular with US administrations, as is clear from the Wikipedia article in the link.

Bolivia is proud of this man, who appears to be a good leader and and labor/populist activist.

I'm not seeing how the photo of him smiling while his plane was in Austria is anything but a photo of two leaders. He's smiling, probably because someone asked a question that made him smile. From the wealth of photos found in a Google Image search, he appears to smile rather often.

[cali]

4. it's because of the story it was meant to illustrate

[MineralMan]

5. Again, you're going to have to explain to me

why the photo is unusual, beyond its being taken in the airport in Austria. Of the photos I've seen of that meeting, this one seems like the one most photo editors would have chosen, since it depicts the two leaders well.

What is the objection to the use of this particular photo. It seems a characteristic image of Bolivia's President.

[cali]

7. .....

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2013/07/tale-re-routed-bolivian-presidents-plane-falling-apart/66838/

you should be able to figure out why this pic was used.

[MineralMan]

9. No. Sorry. I'm not seeing the issue.

It's a photo. I'm not seeing how it is in any way a bad photo.

[MineralMan]

18. There is no mockery in my post or this thread.

I like Evo Morales. I didn't know much about him until this whole business became a matter for discussion. I did some research. After doing that research, I find him a likable head of state and someone who has accomplished a great deal.

What you think of me is irrelevant, and incorrect. Evo Morales is someone who is deserving of respect for many reasons. His smile is his smile, and nothing more. If I read anything into that photo it is that he is probably annoyed by a stupid question from some media person present, and is responding with more goodwill than is actually deserved.

[Aerows]

44. That was the crappiest hide I've ever seen on DU

I'm not accusing you of alerting on it - I think you are a bit more sensible than that. This hide was the equivalent of throwing shit because you disagree with someone and seeing what sticks.

In any case, I can see their point, but I'm not in flames over it. Cali's hide, though, was ridiculous.

[chimpymustgo]

52. Agree on the "crappy hide." They should learn more about Morales:

-edit-

Morales has received international acclaim for his support of indigenous rights and anti-imperialism, and has been named "World Hero of Mother Earth" by the General Assembly of the United Nations.[2]

-edit-

Man, we are seeing some crappy sh*t on DU these days.

[Aerows]

55. Indeed we are

It's horrible to see.

[MineralMan]

56. I do not alert on posts that reply to mine.

Not my style. I alert on serious personal attacks on others. I respond to attacks on me with another post. If someone alerted, it wasn't me. Had I been on the jury, I'd have voted to leave cali's post, besides.

I also don't post personal attacks. Not having any hidden posts is a constant goal. I'm here to discuss, not to attack.

[Aerows]

57. I figured not

That was a silly hide, and whether we agree on something or not, you don't strike me as a person that alerts on conversation, since that is what was occurring.

[MineralMan]

58. It was a silly hide. It's the kind of thing I vote consistently

to leave, since it is not actually a real personal attack. I've voted to leave several of cali's posts, in fact, when alerts were not based on an actual personal attack. The same goes for other DUers with whom I sometimes contend. If I'm called to a jury on one of their posts, I give them the exact same consideration I give anyone else.

Unless a post is an obvious, clear violation of community standards, I vote to leave. I vote to leave a very large majority of posts where I'm on a jury.

[HappyMe]

24. I have more issues with the article

than I do with the photo. It's snotty and belittling.

[Zorra]

50. I believe that we may be assuming that the more conservative/authoritarian among us

have the same ability to perceive and identify nuances, and can easily make the accurate connections between phenomena that liberals identify instantaneously. But maybe we should step back, and consider the possibility that conservatives/authoritarians and liberals have inherent , possibly physical differences, which cause us to perceive and make connections between events and phenomena differently.

I have been thinking about this a great deal since I first read through this thread OP and thread:

Dear mother of Gawd, I am tired of arguing with rocks

This led me to review some studies of the apparent inherent differences between conservatives and liberals:

Conservatives and Liberals Have Different Brains, Studies Show

The studies looked at things like differences between groups’ perception of eye movement, and aversion to threatening noises. Researchers also noted that Democrats had larger anterior cingulate cortexes, which are associated with tolerance to uncertainty, while Republicans had larger right amygdalas, which are associated with sensitivity to fear.

Researchers help define what makes a political conservative

BERKELEY – Politically conservative agendas may range from supporting the Vietnam War to upholding traditional moral and religious values to opposing welfare. But are there consistent underlying motivations?

Four researchers who culled through 50 years of research literature about the psychology of conservatism report that at the core of political conservatism is the resistance to change and a tolerance for inequality, and that some of the common psychological factors linked to political conservatism include:

Fear and aggression
Dogmatism and intolerance of ambiguity
Uncertainty avoidance
Need for cognitive closure
Terror management

"From our perspective, these psychological factors are capable of contributing to the adoption of conservative ideological contents, either independently or in combination," the researchers wrote in an article, "Political Conservatism as Motivated Social Cognition," recently published in the American Psychological Association's Psychological Bulletin.

Sometimes, perhaps, when it appears to us that the more conservative among us are simply being deliberately obtuse, it just may be that they have difficulty connecting the dots. Of course, there is always the possibility that some of the more conservative among us are being deliberately obtuse because they are propagandists who have an agenda to try to move the Democratic party to the right.

I don't know.

What seems clear is that there is a profound difference between liberals and conservatives, whatever the cause of this difference

[KittyWampus]

85. Yes you still can't explain what is wrong with the photo. My post 2 days ago ABOUT THAT PHOTO

was- he has a nice face.

You seem to see something else but are unable to articulate ANYTHING about it that is offensive.

[Bluenorthwest]

19. And yet you use a fake 'quote' with real "quotation marks" to ascribe to him a slogan

spoken by another Latino man in a TV commercial. If you did not intend to mock him, his heritage and his nation why use a slogan from a Mexican beer commercial as your characterization of him?
" He is an interesting man. Perhaps not the most interesting man in the world, but an interesting man."
How is that different from equating Obama to that guy in the Old Spice commercials? It's not. 'Oh he's also Latino, like that Mexican beer guy'. Got it.

[sabrina 1]

30. Of course Bolivia is proud of him. That isn't the issue. Anyone who has followed the Western

media anti-Latin American democratically elected Leaders understands what this was meant to convey. The insult is tremendous as has now been made clear by the Alliance of Latin American leaders.



I don't get what you are trying to say here at all. All democrats are proud of Latin America in general for finally ridding their sovereign nations of the dictators and puppets who sold out their countries for so many decades. And we all know that the Global Corps and their propaganda machines in the west, are not happy about the loss of their dictator allies.

This OP is puzzling to me. It seems to completely miss what is going on, and has been going on for that past decade since Latin America became independent nations choosing their own leaders. This is nothing new, just the latest in the 'par for the course' western propaganda against Latin American non-compliant leaders. No need for you to try to explain, it's old hat from the western media.

[MineralMan]

32. I see photos of heads of state all the time in the news.

Right now, President Morales is part of the news, and his photo appears in connection to that news.

I don't really follow political news in the Americas. So, I was unfamiliar with President Morales. I looked him up, because the photo was causing controversy. What I learned was interesting and led me to have a good opinion of the man.

Frankly, I'm not seeing anything wrong with the photo at all. It's a candid shot of two prominent men in an awkward situation. The photo itself is just a photo. For me, it carries no meaning.

The reference to the Dos Equis ad was because of the iconic nature of that ad. Morales is an interesting man...more interesting than I would have thought until I looked him up. His ethnic background is irrelevant to me, frankly. His path to leadership in Bolivia is far more interesting, though.

I still don't follow international political news from the Americas, though. I know that many do, but I'm more interested in European and Middle Eastern issues. I also don't follow news about Africa or Oceania. It's just a matter of what I'm interested in.

[sabrina 1]

41. Really? You were unfamiliar with Morales?

How very strange considering what a major issue the developments in Latin America is to Democrats and have been since Bush's attempted and failed Coup in Venezuela in 2002.

Well, clearly there is no point in trying to discuss this any further. I did see the total lack of understanding of the issues surrounding this incident and that is why I commented in the first place. Now I see why, thanks for the explanation.

[MineralMan]

42. As I said, I don't follow Latin American issues.

We all have our interests, and we follow those. I've never been interested in Latin American issues very much.

North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. That's what I follow.

[sabrina 1]

48. It's hard to be interested in US foreign policy and not stumble across our policies in Latin America

considering what a large part our policies played in some of the most important political issues of the past two decades or so. You were not aware of Iran Contra, of Reagan/Kissenger's secret wars in that region of the world? You could hardly be interested in US politics and miss such a large part of US politics over the past several decades. But, if you say so.

[Bluenorthwest]

3. Would you like some Freedom Fries with your Snark Fillet Sandwich?

Pretty vacant.

[The Link]

6. Maybe you can tell me why he was characterized as Wayne Newton and Drunken Master...

by those that seem to share your political bent? Based on that last picture.

[MineralMan]

8. I did not so characterize him, and would not.

What I did, since I was pretty unfamiliar with him, was go to Wikipedia and learns something about him. When I saw people discussing the photo, I went to Google Images and searched for photos of him. The photo was typical of his appearance when he smiles.

What others say is not my concern. If you can find me mocking this respected leader of his country, please link to that. He is a head of state. He looks like himself. Beyond that, his appearance is irrelevant to any other issue.

[Bluenorthwest]

23. You characterize him as the guy from a commercial for Mexican beer.

That is mockery. You put in quotes that which he did not say, which is either satirical mockery and characterization or outright lying. "I don't always smile, but when I do, it looks like this:" is the tile of this OP.

[sabrina 1]

43. You need to stop being so right, we are not supposed to be smart enough here to catch

these clever little games people play. I however, appreciate your always standing up for principles and for not missing the nuances, not that they are ever really that hard to find, that are supposed to slip by us. Hard to fool Lieberals, we are annoying that way!

[The Link]

53. This shit isn't clever. Its transparent.

Just like the Jackie Chan comparison.

[HangOnKids]

61. There are some very sad and pathetic people in the world Sabrina

They are nasty, and the only way they can get any attention is to pretend to be clever. Very very sad.

[sabrina 1]

90. I just wish they would stop fooling themselves into thinking any but the usual few were ever

or will ever be fooled. It's such a waste of energy that could be put to much better use.

[HappyMe]

12. Was he characterized here in that way?

I don't know why anybody would say that about the guy.

[The Link]

14. Yes.

I don't pretend to understand it either.

[HappyMe]

22. Well, that's pretty damn crappy.

I luckily seem to have missed those threads. I don't think I'm going to wade in to that.

It has taken me forever to figure out what the deal is with that photo. The guy has a nice face and a genuine smile.

[MineralMan]

39. I missed those threads, too, and will not be

visiting them now. There is no substance in appearances or in attempting to analyze candid photos. I saw the photo in a couple of other threads, so I checked and, sure enough, that is President Morales' smile. The rest is nonsense.

[SidDithers]

21. I posted that I thought Morales looked like Jackie Chan in that picture...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3171292

And explained what I meant in a follow up post.

'Course, the perpetually outraged have taken the opportunity to accuse me of making "drunken indian" jokes.

Dumbasses.

Sid

[Bluenorthwest]

27. And this OP portrays him as a beer drinking spokesperson for Mexican beer

But of course, neither one are 'drunken Indian' jokes (one capitalizes the names of peoples) and we should just know that from the years of excellent treatment our two nations have shown to Native Peoples....

[SidDithers]

29. I can't speak to this OP...

but my post was referencing two of Jackie Chan's most famous movies.

I grew up on Saturday afternoon kung-fu movies. Guess that makes me a despicable racist for enjoying Asian cinema.

I also am working my way through the Japanese TV series Zatoichi, and Lone Wolf and Cub. I suppose I'm also anti-blind, and anti-single parent too.

Sid

[sabrina 1]

51. I still don't get the comparison even though I am very familiar with Jackie Chan's movies, thanks to

my friends. I would be more likely to compare Morales to historic political figures who are remembered for their conquests over oppression and incredible historical achievements on behalf of their oppressed nations. De Valera in Ireland comes to mind, eg.

[SidDithers]

54. I didn't compare Morales to Jackie Chan...

I said he looked like Jackie Chan.

You do understand the difference, don't you?

Sid

[sabrina 1]

59. He looks nothing like Jackie Chan. He looks like what he is, the first indigenous president

of Bolivia who has restored pride in the heritage of the formerly oppressed native population there.

I don't see how anyone looking at Morales would immediately think of Jackie Chan or a Drunken Mexican for that matter either.

Such comparisons are demeaning. All Brown people do not look alike.

[SidDithers]

62. Drunken Mexican? WTF?...

Who said anything about a drunken Mexican?

You're really not making any sense.

Edit. And the fact that you think you read "drunken Mexican" shows just how much effort you're making to be outraged about an innocuous comment made about two men with similar facial structure and hair styles. Typical.

Sid

[Bluenorthwest]

67. The OP's title is a reference to a commercial series for Dos Equis, a Mexican beer

and the hard living hard drinking spokes character in the ads.

[SidDithers]

70. Then you and your tag-team partner...

should address those comments to the OP.

Ready! Fire! Aim!



Sid

[Bluenorthwest]

72. You are the one who claimed not to see the beer connection and I figured perhaps

up in Canada you don't get the same ads, that would explain your otherwise unfathomable incredulity at the connection between beer and the OP's title. You accused another poster of imagining that connection. I figured you had to be unaware, due to geography or simple lack of viewing. Or being disingenuous.

[SidDithers]

74. Keep trying...

keep trying to conflate my post about what I see as the resemblance between Morales and Jackie Chan circa 1978, to the outrage perpetrated against indigenous peoples, and the appearance of an actor in a beer commercial.

Your feeble efforts are hugely entertaining.

Sid

[Bluenorthwest]

65. They don't look alike. At all. Except they are not Anglo.

But of course your comparison to a drunk and the OP's use of a Latino beer spokesman as comparison are pure coincidence, people always equate heads of State to drunken comic characters played by those of another race or to a guy in a beer ad. It is a near constant, that political leaders are equated to drunken martial arts characters and beer sales men.
The OP's title here presents itself as a quote from Morales. It is of course, a parody of a beer commercial for Dos Equis a Latin American beer. The OP claims there is no mockery. But the 'quote' is not a quote, so if it is really not mockery or parody it is just a simple lie.
But I'm sure it is all just happenstance Sid. It is not like you are known for posting Meh and an emoticon of derision, no, your sterling regard for others is established on DU.

[SidDithers]

66. Another one working way too hard to be outraged...

and exposing their own prejudices in the process.



Sid

[Bluenorthwest]

68. In what way, care to be specific Sid? You should meet my family...by the way!

nt

[Bluenorthwest]

71. I figured you would not care to back up your insulting blather

Good old Sid, a man whose intellect is fully expressed by an emoticon. The mark of the Slippery Centrist, excessive emoticon use after age 17.

[SidDithers]

73. Speaking of insulting blather...

see post #68.

Sid

[sabrina 1]

86. You slipped, you were caught, end of story.

Morales looks like Morales to those who are not interested in mocking leaders of Latin America.

[SidDithers]

87. Now you're just making shit up...

Sid

[Lars39]

10. He has a gorgeous smile.

I think body language is more the issue...it makes him look slightly ingratiating, or deferential in that picture, when his body language in other pics shows him as a leader. Just my 2

[MineralMan]

13. Still photos capture a moment in time.

My guess is that he's smiling because some reporter in the room asked him a stupid question of some kind, and he's being more polite than he might be in response. I see some tension in his smile. Nothing more. The other photos in the same situation show a voluble leader responding to things. I'm sure he's very capable in handling the press.

I like this man, based on what I have seen and read about him.

[hedgehog]

16. I agree, the apparent pose is a little odd.

I say "apparent pose" because it might just have caught him moving - something that can happen to anyone -

[treestar]

15. The tilt of his head

Something about it makes him look silly. When I first saw it, I thought it was photoshopped! Not a real flattering photo.

[MineralMan]

36. I didn't see it as silly at all. As I suggested,

I think some media person asked a stupid question, and this is the response from the two men. It captures a moment.

[leftstreet]

17. You just wanted an opportunity to post that photo n/t

[MineralMan]

20. No. I had seen that photo posted on DU, and noted that there

was some controversy about it. So, I found other photos of his characteristic smile. I posted them, along with the current photo to demonstrate that that is what he looks like when he smiles. Nothing more.

I find him a very interesting head of state, especially when I learned more about his background. I'd vote for him if I were in Bolivia.

[The Link]

25. +1

[madmom]

26. I have not previously commented on this or any

of the links re Snowden. Saying that.. I see nothing wrong with the photo.

[MineralMan]

28. I never did see anything wrong with it, nor with President Morales.

Lots of press photos catch people in slightly awkward poses.

From this one, given the appearance of the other person in the photo, I'd guess that some media person asked a stupid question, as often happens, and the photographer caught the expression of two leaders responding more or less politely to that stupid question. There's a look of impatience in both men's faces, but without a direct expression of that impatience.

Of the photos I've seen of that situation, though, this is the one I'd have chosen, too, if I were a publication editor. It's candid and captures a moment. I'm just guessing about the moment and why the two men looked as they do.

[leeroysphitz]

31. I love Eric Estrada! n/t

[MineralMan]

34. What does Eric Estrada have to do with the President of Bolivia?

And how is appearance relevant to the news? It's not.

[leeroysphitz]

37. Oops. My mistake. n/t

[HangOnKids]

60. Thank you!

It appears some posters are getting a bit bored and want to ramp up the shit.

[rug]

33. The Atlantic Photo Editor doubles as The Atlantic Snark Editor.

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/06/global-leaders-are-still-dithering-on-syria-and-the-eurozone/258734/

[MineralMan]

35. Another interesting candid photo of two heads of state.

Photo editors are always looking for such photos. I'm not sure it's snark, though. More a focus on catching people off guard. Again, I might have picked that photo. It's interesting, and pretty clearly illustrates the headline in the link. President Obama has a very expressive face, and Putin looks a bit bemused in that photo. "Dithering" is the operant word in the headline. Good choice by the photo editor, I think.

[HappyMe]

38. So The Atlantic is

kind of like the National Enquirer of "serious" news magazines.

[rug]

40. I wouldn't say that but their photo selections often go for snark over reportage.

[HappyMe]

45. Considering the source then,

people shouldn't be all that shocked by the photo of Morales then.

[rug]

47. It shouldn't be ignored or trivialized either.

[HappyMe]

49. No.

I'm convinced that I'm not going to bother with any more Atlantic articles though.

[deurbano]

46. The one photo makes him look a little goofy and child-like, unlike any of the other photos

at the Austrian airport on the other thread... and unlike the smiling photos on this thread. (IMHO) I imagine he was caught mid-expression, since this seems to be a departure from his other smiling photos. Choosing this photo over others could signify an agenda on the part of the chooser. (IMHO).

[cilla4progress]

63. We need more like him.

MANY more!

[MineralMan]

64. He was elected in his own country. We need people

elected who appeal to the people who live in every country. That's the core of democracy-based governments. The people of Bolivia want this man to be their President. That's more than enough for me. It's their country.

[cilla4progress]

88. Yup.

Who could argue with that?

[MineralMan]

89. It's a simple principle, and yet it's one that

nations frequently don't follow in their dealings with other countries. The US is particularly bad about not allowing nations to decide for themselves who their leaders will be. That's a big mistake, and interference never works out well.

[Hekate]

69. He looks so much like a good friend of mine he could be her brother. Amazing.

Her people hail from Los Angeles, not Bolivia, but that first pic especially was like a reminder to give her a jingle!

Aside from that, I don't know enough about his politics to hazard a guess about his role in the current kerfuffle. Like nearly all of the rest of the Snowden case, I await further unfolding of facts.

[Rex]

75. What are you trying to say?

Because I just don't get it...

[MineralMan]

76. That's easy. I'm saying I don't see where the controversy

about a photo of two leaders of government arises in that photo. I'm pretty sure I made that clear.

[Rex]

77. No you kinda hid it within some lame attempt to compare him to the Dos Equis guy.

So I didn't really understand at all what you meant. Maybe next time try to be to the point.

[MineralMan]

78. I see. Well, next time I'll probably post something

completely different. It will probably even be on a completely different topic, actually. The Dos Equis guy is a common reference when the topic is interesting people. It has often been used in that way. Morales is an interesting person. So, I used that metaphor. Why did you think I used it?

Don't you find Morales to be interesting?

[Rex]

79. No.

Why should I? Please elaborate as to why I should. Thanks.

[MineralMan]

80. OK. Well, for many, Evo Morales is one of

the most interesting men in the news right now. His own history is very interesting, as is his improbable election to the Presidency of Bolivia.

So, right now, he may be the most interesting men being discussed on DU. Hence the metaphor. It certainly wasn't based on an similarities other than the interesting part. The Dos Equis man looks nothing like him.

[Rex]

81. I never said anything about racism nor did I accuse you of any.

And for the record, I've never paid much attention to Evo Morales. I guess I will have to read more about him now, since he is the most interesting man (for the moment) on DU. Thanks.

[MineralMan]

82. That's why I posted the Wikipedia link.

It explains why he is interesting, aside from the temporary current story regarding his plane.

I didn't know much about him either, but looked him up. He is, indeed, interesting, though, on many different levels. Since I don't follow local politics in Latin America, I knew little about him other than his name. Now, I think he would be a very good choice as a dinner guest, and would have many interesting stories to tell about his life.

If he comes to the Twin Cities, I'll ask him to dinner. As unlikely as it might be that he'd accept, it would be worth a shot.

[Rex]

83. Try it, you never know.

nt.

[TheDebbieDee]

84. This entire phucking thread is an example of an overdose of outrage.......

Half of the posters ASSUME that the other half of the posters has heard ALL the dogwhistles!

All dogwhistles are NOT common knowledge, people.

Unrec!

ETA: I can't find the Unrec button but this thread still SUCKS!