Obama says Americans Too ‘Lazy’ to Explore the World, Triggers Backlash at Home
President Barack Obama says Americans are so uninterested in the rest of the world because they are “lazy” and don’t feel like knowing about “other people.” His remarks have not gone unnoticed at home, where angered Americans suggested he stay abroad.
“[…] We are such a big country we haven’t always had to know about other parts of the world,” Obama told a Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) town hall. “If you are in Laos, you need to know about Thailand and China and Cambodia, because you are a small country and they are right next door and you need to know who they are.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzcpXdKbhOE
“If you are in the United States,” Obama continued, “sometimes you can feel lazy and think, ‘You know we are so big we don’t have to really know anything about other people.’”
“That’s part of what I’m trying to change,” Obama added.
At the same time, Obama did not forget to flatter Laotians. After calling Americans “lazy” twice, once in reference to acting on climate change, he said that Laos has the “youngest population” and the fastest growing economy, which Americans could in fact learn from.
“If we are not here interacting and learning from you, and understanding the culture of the region, then we will be left behind,” Obama said. “We will miss an opportunity, and I don’t want that to happen. Okay?”
Sabaidii, Laos! Honored to be the first U.S. president to visit Laos and to begin a new partnership between our countries.
— President Obama (@POTUS44) September 6, 2016
While the Laos town hall exploded in applause, the internet burned in anger.
Americans turned to Twitter to let their frustration out, accusing the president of being “anti-American.”
Some people on the social media have even suggested that maybe Obama should stay in Laos if he likes it so much.
https://twitter.com/kathyorozco25/status/773636513707929600
https://twitter.com/obamolizer/status/773631797443891200
Others have said that Obama just hates Americans…
https://twitter.com/DearPrudence310/status/773630420361613312
Think Obama can't offend and disparage America any more than he already has? Think again!… https://t.co/1lj3GMSbIY
— Chip (@chipwoods) September 7, 2016
https://twitter.com/SetUSAFree/status/773567803853049857
There were also those who suggested that Obama really meant just himself, as they recalled him golfing on vacation while Louisiana was going underwater during the recent flooding.
https://twitter.com/votetrumpvote/status/773630148335644672
How dare obama say Americans are lazy! We're not the ones playing golf during a natural disaster that affected "his people". you hypocrite
— 360hemi🇺🇸 (@360hemi) September 7, 2016
(Someone even bothered to count all the rounds Obama played in the past eight years)
https://twitter.com/bricrem2/status/773581678891499520
Source: rt.com
