President Obama can’t catch a break at times. Sitting with Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and British Prime Minister David Cameron, it was she who initiated making the “selfie” (the new hot word for a self-portrait made with a smartphone) at the “festive” funeral for Nelson Mandela.
But even with that fact, and her defense of her actions stating: “The atmosphere was of course melancholic, but ultimately it was a celebration of a man who lived to be 95 years old, and who managed to accomplish so much in his life,” Thorning-Schmidt told Berlingske newspaper.
But even with that, some in America are blasting President Obama as if he were the one who made the selfie.
It’s really time for a time-out here. Think for a moment. People are dancing everywhere in Johannesburg Stadium, where the funeral was held, and chatting and talking. Moreover, it’s probably the largest gathering of World leaders in one place ever.
Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Barack Obama, and David Cameron are right to want to capture the moment. As Prime Minster Cameron put it: “Nelson Mandela played an extraordinary role in his life and in his death in bringing people together. So of course when a member of the Kinnock family asked me for a photograph, I thought it was only polite to say yes.”
Stay tuned.