President Obama = King Tut?
EmailIn anticipation of President Obama's June 4 speech to the Muslim world in Cairo, Jim Zogby writes at the Huffington Post that expectations are high though in Egypt "he will face a nation hardened in its negative view of the US and its role in the region, and unconvinced that this or any American president can or will change policy." He adds that it is "precisely because of the persistence of these strong negative attitudes that Obama's decision to go to Egypt was the right choice. It is there that the US President must convince skeptical Arabs that the change he promised is real. Given Egypt's sheer size and the importance of its role in the region, if President Obama can't sell his message there it may not have its desired impact anywhere."Zogby says the speech "must be more than banal clichés ('we are not at war with Muslims') or a repetition of hollow visions. It must be bigger, more consequential and more substantial."ABC News correspondent Lara Setrakian finds this t-shirt being sold in Egypt that compares President Obama to King Tutankhamen, who ruled Egypt from 1333-1324 BC. One possible aspect at play here is the insistence by some African-American activists that Tutankhamen was black, though in 2007 Egyptian antiquities expert Zahi Hawass said that "Tutankhamen was not black, and the portrayal of ancient Egyptian civilization as black has no element of truth to it."Hawass was responding to protestors in Philadelphia who objected to images of King Tut with lighter skin than they thought accurate in the exhibit "Tutankhamen and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs," soon to open in Indianapolis.On the other hand, maybe the T-shirt vendor was just using the name of the most famous Pharaoh to sell some shirts.- jpt
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I note that it’s written in English, so perhaps it is for the tourist market.
Posted by: MayBee | May 31, 2009, 11:03 am 11:03 am
Obama should concentrate on keeping Americans safe, and be less worried about getting the Arab world to like us. If he assumes an apologetic posture, it will legitimize and strengthen the jihadi argument against America. If he badmouths his own country and acts chastened, they won’t respect America anyway.
The stronger America is in boldly protecting it’s interests abroad, the more it is respected, especially in Middle East “honor” cultures. For a leader to decry his own tribe is a death sentence for all of them.
The Taliban offensive in Pakistan already was launched due to perceptions of American impotence. The string of missile launches, nuclear blasts, kidnapping and charging of American journalists, and abrogation of the 1953 Korean peace agreement also were made possible by chastened rhetoric and the perception of softened will.
With Chinese fishing vessels inexplicably and suddenly withdrawn from DMZ-contiguous waters, one wonders what will happen next, especially in an environment where the Defense Dept. will be taking the bulk of the nation’s reduced spending hits.
Posted by: phalanx | May 31, 2009, 11:08 am 11:08 am
The possibilities of what the t-shirt would mean are endless. As MayBee notes, it is in English, so surely for tourists, or for the press they know will trail the president.
My first thought was that the maker knows his Egyptian history and was making an interesting and subtle statement. King Tut is known in America for his fabulous treasure, but most know little else about the “boy king.” He had a brief reign, but it was most notable for the contrast to the previous pharoah’s reign. Tut’s father was Akhenaten, the pharoah who tried to change Egyptian society completely by outlawing the worship of the traditional Egptian gods and goddesses and instituting monotheism. Akhenaton (and his wife the sublimely lovely Nefertiti) worshipped the sun god Aten, and closed the temples of all other gods. There is much debate over whether this was a purely religious move based on his sincere monotheistic beliefs, a political move that crushed the competing power of the elite priests of the various temples and consolidated religious power in the hands of the pharoah, or a combination of both. (I fall in the combination camp, but then, I’m a moderate. *G*) Regardless, the man attempted drastic changes in Egyptian life– not only did he change the religion, he moved the capital to a new city in the desert, which he also called Akhenaten (his name was one he adopted to reflect his religious beliefs– it means ‘beloved of Aten’– not his birth name, Amenhotep). This was another example of his determination to make a fresh start and put his own unique mark on Egypt.
When AKhenaten, who probably suffered from Marfan syndrome, died, his son Tutankamen came to power (there was a period of two or three years where things were in flux) and reversed his father’s changes. He reopened the temples, reinstated the priests, and moved the capital back to Thebes. It was as Akhenaten and his radical ideas had never existed. The young pharoah ruled for only 9 years.
So maybe the t-shirt references the “clean slate” approach Obama touts, or is designed to celebrate him as one who appreciates Egyptian identity. Who knows? But given the major changes instituted by Obama, an argument could be made that he is the Akhenaten figure in this tale.
Posted by: moderate | May 31, 2009, 11:40 am 11:40 am
We don’t need Cicero to deliver the message that, by the power of our democratically elected representatives, in the midst of great challenges at home and abroad, while We the People are too busy changing diapers and keeping our lawns mowed and caring for our parents to travel abroad ourselves for the most part, that the vast majority of us all are intent on learning about others and building bridges to other cultures. He could notice the weather and the message would still stand.
Posted by: MarkLeavenworth | May 31, 2009, 11:46 am 11:46 am
The Messiah does kind of look like Tut. One thing is for sure. Journalists and African Americans will worship him even as his incompetence becomes more obvious.
Posted by: JLK | May 31, 2009, 1:26 pm 1:26 pm
…no matter how upset certain Israelis are at the loss of their clandestine monopoly on our foreign policy objectives.
Posted by: MarkLeavenworth | May 31, 2009, 1:57 pm 1:57 pm
Hilarious.. the parallels are obvious.. walk like an Egyptian…
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | May 31, 2009, 2:16 pm 2:16 pm
will require..’more than banal cliche’s’..
can the POTUS get his money back for the room deposit in Cairo??
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | May 31, 2009, 2:50 pm 2:50 pm
this is certainly in keeping with Obama’s royal dreams. You’ll note that he hates royals that have lost control to parliamentarian institutions. He snubbed the Queen of England. Yet, when confronted with a more autocratic ruler, like when he visited the Saudis, he bowed supplicantly. Obama seems to respect royalty that have absolute power and it is no wonder that t-shirts are made comparing him to King Tut. Recall Obama’s use of symbols. His use of Grecian acropolis motifs. His speeches about “light shining upon you”. Scary stuff.
Posted by: Ed | May 31, 2009, 3:46 pm 3:46 pm
Very interesting comment, Moderate. Like you, I thought that the people who came up with this idea may not have been all that familiar with the true history of King Tut.
Posted by: BachisBest | May 31, 2009, 4:18 pm 4:18 pm
President Obama = King Tout?
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | May 31, 2009, 4:39 pm 4:39 pm
Maybe the royal couple went to NYC to link up with Prince Harry and marry off one of the daughters to the spare heir.. thus making them potentially real royalty..somewhere down the line…
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | May 31, 2009, 4:48 pm 4:48 pm
Jesus in N.America, King Tut in Africa.
We need Names for Europe, South America, and Asia.
I suggest:
Marx for Europe
Mao for Asia
And Che’ for S.America
Just hope they don’t declare him king David as well.
Posted by: Hasan Faris | May 31, 2009, 6:13 pm 6:13 pm
TuT? I thought Obama was was Julius Ceaser according to that Greek Orthodox Bishop, and you know what? It doesn’t matter, Obama knows who he is no matter what pigeon hall anyone puts him in
Posted by: BILL | May 31, 2009, 9:46 pm 9:46 pm
Tutankhamen was not black? Obama is neither black nor white!
Posted by: Egyptian joker | May 31, 2009, 9:59 pm 9:59 pm
You’ve got to admit, Comrade 0bama does look like King Tut. Maybe he thinks he is, as he descends to the Temple of Doom on Mile High a year ago.
Posted by: two cats | May 31, 2009, 11:30 pm 11:30 pm
Egyptian Joker,
Ancient Egyptians were black and you know that. The Arabs there will tell you any day that they are not Africans. In fact they moved from the middle east into Egypt to settle there. Egypt was already in its prime when they arrived.
Look at most of the artefacts in the tombs. Look at their lips and their noses. Now I am not saying all these artefacts have black features. Some of them have the features of Arabs.
And oh…. Egypt is in Africa. Yes thats a fact.
Posted by: Brian | May 31, 2009, 11:42 pm 11:42 pm
Maybe it’s a reference to the fact that, like Obama, King Tut was notorious for being unable to deliver a coherent statement without the aid of a teleprompter.
Posted by: Farmer Bob | June 1, 2009, 12:06 am 12:06 am
King Tut was also fond of using the expression “typical white person” when referring to individual members of his family or his ancestors.
Posted by: Farmer Bob | June 1, 2009, 12:10 am 12:10 am
“And oh…. Egypt is in Africa. Yes thats a fact.”
Another fact: East Africans, though black of skin, do not consider themselves to be the same race as West Africans. West Africans, from among whom the West got most of its slaves, did not even begin to migrate out of West Africa until about 2000 years ago. In any case, the Egyptians had a funny habit of portraying their men as red-skinned, and their women as white- skinned. We know they had black paint, because every now and then a black man is shown in a line of red men, usually as some form of menial laborer.
Posted by: Farmer Bob | June 1, 2009, 12:29 am 12:29 am
This is his specialty, you know, reaching out to American haters.. and spreading his message of good will.. offering the olive branch….
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | June 1, 2009, 9:20 am 9:20 am
Yikes, Brian and Bob, don’t even get started on the complicated, contentious subject of the race of the ancient Egyptians. The consensus among scholars who study ancient Egypt is that the ancient Egyptians were a mixed race that had similarities to different groups living around the Mediterranean and, while they had some connections to subSaharan black Africans, they were different from them and thus not “black Africans” as the term is generally understood. As Brian says, they have dark skin and are located in Africa, thus are, in that sense, “black africans.” The general consensus among historians and classicists that I know is that it does not really matter what race the Egyptians were– the modern “controversy” over their race is caused by various groups wanting to make political statements that have nothing to do with the accomplishments of the amazing culture of ancient Egypt.
And, no, the Egyptians did not ‘teach’ the Greeks everything they know, any more than the Irish “saved civilization.” Some popular history books are excellent, but some are garbage.
Posted by: moderate | June 1, 2009, 9:39 am 9:39 am
I think the biggest similarity to Tut is his King slash Demigod status.. kind of looks down on his subjects as ‘mortals’.. and .. his house is right next to an sand-colored obelisk.
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | June 1, 2009, 9:40 am 9:40 am
1. Jim Zogby of all people should know that many Egyptians do not consider themselves to be Arabs.
2. If Egyptians hate America so much, then why are so many of them migrating here?
3. It looks as though Obama has placed himself in a trap of his own making, with people now demanding that he outdo his previous speeches, which if you listen to the praise of the pundits, seems to be impossible.
4. Obama is diefied wherever he travels. He’s “the Chosen One”.
Posted by: Oxy | June 1, 2009, 11:37 am 11:37 am
Prez Barry = King Trout
Sumptin’ fishy goin’ on here!!
Posted by: American Infidel | June 1, 2009, 1:05 pm 1:05 pm
What a laugh or joke? Who says some egyptians were not black? I have been to Egypt under Egyptian government sponsorship and as a part of a group toured the museums or pyramids in CAIRO. It took an Arab egyptian official to confess to us that the early egyptians were not arab looking! Period.
Tour the pyramids and museums and you would traces of black african people or west african people right in front of you. Some arab-egyptians would never accepT or admit it. If you want to find the truth just go there and do the research in the museums and pyramids.
Early egytians could never have been arabs/phoenicians or caucasians! That is the historical fact! At least, you might be correct if you say that they were of mixed race. Was Othello caucasian, arab or a moor? And who are the moors?
Posted by: joe mett | June 1, 2009, 2:41 pm 2:41 pm
President Obama is more like
Mr Magoo than King Tut!
He appears to be oblivious to the
nuclear threat presented by
both North Korea and Iran!
Mr President, wake up before it’s
too late!
Posted by: reaganfan | June 1, 2009, 2:43 pm 2:43 pm
President Obama is more like
Mr Magoo than King Tut!
He appears to be oblivious to the
nuclear threat presented by
both North Korea and Iran!
Mr President, wake up before it’s
too late!
Posted by: reaganfan | June 1, 2009, 2:43 pm 2:43 pm
Steve Martin did the best King Tut :-D
On a serious note what an honor it must be for an important friend Egypt to have President Obama give a major speech there.
I been checking out their pop culture videos and notice the love their fans have for their musicians as well just as we do here in the states.
Posted by: King Tut Fan | June 1, 2009, 7:14 pm 7:14 pm
“What a laugh or joke? Who says some egyptians were not black?” — joe mett
Indeed, who says *some* Egyptians were not black? Or that there were not “traces” of black in Egypt? All you have to do is look at their own depictions to see that there were “some” blacks and “traces of blacks” in ancient Egypt. But that’s about all. The white base of the Egyptian population, ancient or modern, is not just Arab, but some ancient middle eastern offshoot, possibly Sumerian. It sure as heck isn’t west African.
Posted by: Farmer Bob | June 1, 2009, 7:30 pm 7:30 pm
JoeMelt, Moor was the term used by medieval Europeans to refer to the north African Muslims who moved into the Iberian Peninsula. They were mostly Berbers, although some were of Arab heritage, and themselves referred to the territory they controlled in Europe as al-Andalus.
And while, as Joe says, no one is (well, at least, no one should be) denying that there were some people in ancient Egypt whom modern observers would characterize as “black,” they were ethnically distinct from subSaharan black Africans. I am not arguing that the Egyptians were Arab in origin, either. But the issue of whether ancient Egyptians were “black” has only been the subject of hot debate in recent decades, due largely to the Afrocentrism movement.
Using depictions in art and artifacts from ancient Egypt does not simplify the matter, actually. Egyptians did not depict the human figure in a photographic fashion. They traditionally, for example, depicted women as lighter skinned than men. Think, for example, of the famous bust of Nefertiti— she has pale skin which is not probably “historically accurate.” They also sometimes depicted people with blue skin, perhaps for some symbolic reason.
Posted by: moderate | June 1, 2009, 10:13 pm 10:13 pm
This guy is a joke.
Posted by: Ryan | June 2, 2009, 5:39 am 5:39 am
The Ancient Egyptians were Black NE Africans just like Somalians and Ethiopians today. The Arabs invaded Africa and have the nerve to call the Jews settlers. Until the Arabs are willing to give North Africa back to indigenous Black North Africans they are being hypocrites for claming the Jews are colonists.
Posted by: James | June 2, 2009, 2:10 pm 2:10 pm
Everyone knows that King Tut was born in Arizona and then moved to Babylonia. He also had a condo made of stona.
Posted by: TypicalWhitePerson | June 2, 2009, 8:45 pm 8:45 pm
“Tutankhamen was not black, and the portrayal of ancient Egyptian civilization as black has no element of truth to it.”
Obama has few elements of truth attached to him
Posted by: mike | June 2, 2009, 10:28 pm 10:28 pm
This is what happens when pop culture takes the place of actual education.
Herodotus (who lived in the 5th century BC) made a clear racial distinction between the “light-skinned” Egyptians and the dark-skinned Nubians to the south of them, who were sworn enemies of each other. Think Aida…
Ironically enough, in the King Tut exhibit mentioned in the article, several of the items in King Tut’s tomb depict these dark-skinned enemies being crushed underfoot–literally. The Egyptians considered the Nubians to be an inferior race, ignorant and good only as slaves. Sound familiar, anyone?
When these afro-centrists go around with their busts of Nefertiti, I can’t help laughing…it’s as if, thousands of years from now, black people were to plaster their walls with depictions of the Grand Master of the Ku Klux Klan.
Posted by: ratiocination | June 3, 2009, 3:48 pm 3:48 pm
I ditto James response. In fact, go study the works of Ivan Van Sertima.
Zahi Hawass, while a noted archeaologist, will never admit to the true racial identity of the Ancient Egyptians…we are not talking of those of the Ptolemaic/Greek/Roman era…we are talking Old Kingdom, Middle Kindgom, and New Kingdom…when it really mattered. (although I could argue Cleopatra’s racial identity)
The Ancient Egyptians were indeed Black Africans, considered themselves Black Africans, and considered themselves descendants of Ancient Nubia, who also were Black Africans.
It makes no sense that ALL of the ancient civilizations were white/light skin, and all Blacks were living in bushes in Sub-Saharan Africa…It’s like, Africa is this continent where all BLACK people descended from, except for the northeast corner, which happened to include the greatest ancient civilization ever..give me a break.
Posted by: David | June 4, 2009, 2:55 pm 2:55 pm
It’s interesting how in the 21st century there are still those who would like to disassociate Egypt from Africa. Those people are either in denial or completely misinformed. Egypt is located in northeast Africa and the ancient Egyptians were proud Black people. If the ancient Egyptian people lived during Jim Crow then they would have been told to sit in the back of the bus with no questions asked. Black people come in over 30 shades of brown, and slavery in America was justified by evil white European colonizers/terrorists by having people believe that those of African descent (black people) were inferior or any non-white race for that matter. Africa is the birthplace of human kind and the place where civilization began. I believe the term human comes from “hue” which means color or to have color. Ancient Egyptians were smart, advanced people who helped educate the Europeans (ie. Greeks), but again there are those who would have us think otherwise and that’s pure ignorance. Greece is to Europe what Egypt is to Africa. To say Egypt is not an African country is like saying Greece is not a European country. Also, most know that white skin burns easily when exposed to the sun whereas black & brown skin have extra melanin that provides great natural protection from the sun’s harmful rays. Therefore, that’s another reason why ancient Egyptians were not a society of white people. They would have perished in that environment. President Obama resembles many Egyptian citizens today because he’s a Black man, and they finally see an American President they can identify with. Oh, and by the way, Jesus was not white. He was a man of color, but certainly there are those who would want us to think otherwise. That’s part of the evil of European colonization, but more people each day are waking up to understand the truth.
Posted by: Mrs. Smith | June 7, 2009, 10:53 pm 10:53 pm
If an Arab can stand on african soil and say ancient Egyptians were not black, why can’t a jew stand on Palestinian soil and say Arabs are interlopers.
Might is indeed right!
Posted by: James | June 16, 2009, 2:10 pm 2:10 pm
Look Egyptians was black in bibical times. Before the Eurpean nation went to settle.
Babylon was Islamic people that enslave the hebrew Israelite and sold them to the Eurpean nation. I know the secrets and what confussing alot of people. Egyptains in American is not African American. They go by Eyptains, well but Egypt is in Africa. Egypt was conquered by the Arabs which was the Babyloians. That is why the Arabs is fighting for Israel. Even though Israel dosen’t belong to them. My question to everyone is what happen to the Israelites and Who are they and where are they? Don’t B.S. me cause I already know for a fact based off history and based off scriptures.
Posted by: Julius | July 18, 2009, 2:44 pm 2:44 pm
Ancient Egyptians were one of the most racist societies, they enslaved the nubians(blacks), jews, and other peoples. Sorry to bust your bubble.
Posted by: Lindsay | July 30, 2009, 7:50 pm 7:50 pm
“It makes no sense that ALL of the ancient civilizations were white/light skin, and all Blacks were living in bushes in Sub-Saharan Africa…It’s like, Africa is this continent where all BLACK people descended from, except for the northeast corner, which happened to include the greatest ancient civilization ever..give me a break.”
OH MY GOODNESS! THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SAID THAT! I HAVE TO SECOND THAT STATEMENT!
Posted by: Pamla | September 21, 2009, 2:46 pm 2:46 pm
That reply was for David..sorry.
Posted by: Pamla | September 21, 2009, 2:48 pm 2:48 pm
Thaanks
Posted by: دردشة دلع | January 12, 2010, 12:22 pm 12:22 pm
Yap North East Africa full of great history, civilization started there, if you want to go back history, Egyptian, Eritreans, Ethiopians have the most uncomparable history to rest of the world. Go and find it.
Posted by: Lucas | February 16, 2010, 11:21 pm 11:21 pm
Egytptians were black and so is all 12 tribes of Israel! The noses were cut off the Egyptians by the Europeans so that no one would be able to depict this! Read and learn about it there was no waaay people without melon in there skin could survive the harsh climate
Egypt produced. No matter what the white man try to tell our people we know that were the chosen race already
Posted by: Timothy | April 18, 2010, 11:45 am 11:45 am
THE Arab Egyptians descended from Ishmael who was the son of Abraham that was born of the flesh by the mistress Hagar! Its all in Genesis!
Posted by: Timothy | April 18, 2010, 11:51 am 11:51 am
THE ROYAL BLOOD LINE OF ANCIENT EGYPT IS WELL ALIVE TODAY IF YOU GOOGLE SEARCH YOU WILL SEE THAT THE BLOOD LINES ARE IN POWER TODAY ASK YOUR SELF WHY DO ALL THE GOVERNMENTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD SUBMIT THEM SELVES TO THE FAMILY NOW PAY ATTENTION THE FAMILY OF ENGLAND THE ROYAL QUEEN HAS THE SAME BLOOD LINE DO YOUR RESEARCH AND YOU WILL FIND THE ANSWERS
THEY ALL SUBMIT TO THE SAME RULERS WHO ONCE RULED EGYPT
Posted by: DONT BE 1 EYED | October 24, 2010, 3:47 pm 3:47 pm