The Way Things Look

In our age, image is seemingly everything. The power of marketing is hard to overstate. The way things look send a message, and rightly or wrongly, people make decisions based on appearance.

Today, at the drudge report, there are two pictures. At the top is a picture of our president, Barrack Obama -- he is shown on vacation at Martha's Vineyard, riding a bicycle (an old-timey one, not a mountain bike) smiling gleefully, in his long pants and golf shirt. He is wearing a helmet, and following along behind him is a girl (I assume his daughter) on another smaller bicycle. Of course there is nothing wrong with a man enjoying a bike ride on vacation with is child. However, some facts to keep in mind with this picture -- here is the leader of the USA, a nation that is seemingly on the brink of economic Armageddon, fighting two (three if you include Libya) wars with soldiers dying everyday and the ten year anniversary of 9-11 coming up with the threat of more terrorism always looming. (I would not want the president's job -- then again I didn't run a national campaign to get it either.)

The other picture on the drudge report is a little lower on the screen, but visible (above the fold if you will). It is a picture of Mr Putin -- leader of Russia. He is standing with a dark suit on, wearing a red "power" tie, with a Russian military officer to his left and some other official on his right. He is wearing aviator sunglasses and has a stern glare.

A contrast. USA looks soft; Russia looks hard.

Just an observation.