# How do you react to this photo? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 21, 2006, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620 "2006-04-21T14:35:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620/1 "2006-04-21T14:35:54Z")
Have a look at the photo that appeared on the [front page](http://www.boston.com/news/globe/) of today’s Boston Globe. (I’m referring to the picture of Bush grabbing Hu Jintao’s sleeve.) What’s your reaction? Mine was pretty strongly negative, and my wife’s was worse. I should mention that the picture was a little starker in the print edition. Bush had grabbed a full handful of the back of Hu’s sleeve. Also, does your feeling for or against Bush color your view of this? ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620/2 "2006-04-21T14:43:28Z")
My reaction is Bush was probably just indicating to Hu, “stand here for the photo op” and the photographer happened to catch the exact moment that it couldn’t have looked worse. FWIW, I can’t stand Bush. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620/3 "2006-04-21T14:46:11Z")
I detest Bush, but it’s probably just a matter of the photo being taken at the wrong moment. Did Hu have any negative reaction to this? My feeling is that neither man gave it a second thought until they saw the photo. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620/4 "2006-04-21T14:51:45Z")
“Hey bub, my house, my rules.” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![nesta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a4c791/32.png) [@nesta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nesta)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620/5 "2006-04-21T14:51:50Z")
My reaction was that it makes Bush look arrogant. Although the situation was probably as **Trunk** said, you don’t just go dragging the president of China around by the sleeve. I think it’s really Hu Jintao’s expression that makes the photo so negative, but now that I look a little closer it’s possible he’s not looking at Bush’s hand in anger, but looking at the ground to find his mark or something. FTR, I dislike Bush but not so much that I look for more reasons to. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620/6 "2006-04-21T14:52:54Z")
Eek! Sorry, but if you want to show an honored guest to his place, you take a step or two in his direction before gently taking his elbow and ushering him cordially to his spot. You don’t grab and wrinkle a very expensive suit like he’s a wayward puppy you’re taking by the scruff. I agree it wasn’t likely meant to harm, but isn’t it a politician’s job to think of the politics of his actions? ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620/7 "2006-04-21T14:53:25Z")
I noted Hu Jintao’s body language with interest. The hand on the right side of the picture is semi clenched, his brow is furrowed, and it looks like there is tension in his jaw line. I don’t think he liked being pulled around like a rag doll very much. That action goes beyond “plucking at sleeves” territory right into outright grabbing. In other words, very uncouth behavior. I am not surprised. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620/8 "2006-04-21T15:01:40Z")
My first thought was more “that’s pretty tacky; grabbing another gentleman’s sleeve like that” rather than the perception that it was some display of aggression or dominance. I consider Bush a world class lunkhead, and while he may be bent on world domination on paper, I think he’d wimp out _mano a mano_. Can you elaborate on how it made you and your wife feel and why? ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620/9 "2006-04-21T15:10:37Z")
Adding, I do view Bush as a clueless mannerless lout who really does not comprehend etiquette, merely protocol. Anyone who grabs another person in that manner is very uncouth IMO though. I would express that sentiment if the subjects of the picture were different people. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620/10 "2006-04-21T15:11:57Z")
It was probably a piece of bad timing. It could have been handled batter - the whole, “move over here” business, but this guy’s so corn-pone, that it’s not unexpected for him to do something that looks like this. [Short hijack] Even better, or worse depending on your point of view - was Bush railing on the guy about the right of people to express themselves minutes after a protester was removed and arrested for expressing herself. [/short hijack] ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620/11 "2006-04-21T15:27:31Z")
All I know is that had I been Hu, my first instinct would have been to jerk away, thinking to myself “Get off me!” I don’t like grabbers. When dealing with people from different cultures, Bush should keep his touch-feeliness to a minimum. His gesture may not be a big deal over here, but I could see how it might be interpreted differently by someone who is unaccustomed to that kind of thing. Especially a president. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620/12 "2006-04-21T15:40:33Z")
And so was written the first chapter in the Sino-American War of 2010. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620/13 "2006-04-21T15:45:58Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Can you elaborate on how it made you and your wife feel and why? It struck us that grabbing his sleeve like that is something that is just NOT DONE. I mean, if he were a child wandering out into traffic, maybe. But I just can’t see grabbing another adult by the sleeve like that without it feeling impolite at a minimum, hostile at worst. The only thing I could understand is if Bush were doing it in a jokey, horseplay sort of way – which he’s clearly not, judging from his expression. ---
**Author:** ![archmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@archmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/archmichael)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620/14 "2006-04-21T16:02:22Z")
I heard that what happened was that during the introduction to the Chinese National Anthem, it was introduced as the national anthem for the Republic of China. Hu really didn’t like this because Communist China is The People’s Republic of China, while they are having troubles with Taiwan the Republic of China. I think he was about to walk off the stage in a huff ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620/15 "2006-04-21T16:09:31Z")
Perhaps he just wanted to know where Hu got his hair dye, and realised he wouldn’t get another chance to chat after the media event. I think more of Bush than of Hu, but that’s not saying a lot. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620/16 "2006-04-21T16:13:46Z")
> [@Zabali\_Clawbane](#): > > Adding, I do view Bush as a clueless mannerless lout who really does not comprehend etiquette, merely protocol. Anyone who grabs another person in that manner is very uncouth IMO though. I would express that sentiment if the subjects of the picture were different people. Amen. It also demonstrates his lack of respect for other world leaders. (When I first saw that, for my own personal amusement I imagined Hu going Kung Fu on Bush’s ass… Just a quick series of moves that left Bush on his ass as if he was a mugger after the wrong wallet. Of course Hu would then follow that up with lots of contrite ‘appologies’ and blame his reaction on a force of habit from his years of martial arts training.) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![archmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@archmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/archmichael)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620/17 "2006-04-21T16:14:13Z")
> [@archmichael](#): > > I heard that what happened was that during the introduction to the Chinese National Anthem, it was introduced as the national anthem for the Republic of China. Hu really didn’t like this because Communist China is The People’s Republic of China, while they are having troubles with Taiwan the Republic of China. > > I think he was about to walk off the stage in a huff Or maybe not. Tried to find a news article, but all the articles seem to indicate that he was not trying to leave in a huff. I had heard it on CNN, but I don’t know how you would get such a thing wrong. ---
**Author:** ![mrald](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@mrald](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrald)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620/18 "2006-04-21T16:30:47Z")
:eek: … wait that is Bush… :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Aguecheek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Aguecheek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aguecheek)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620/19 "2006-04-21T16:45:25Z")
I saw this live on the news. Hu had just finished his speech, and they were about to move back into the White House. Bush gave Hu the “this way, after you” gesture and they both started to walk off the podium. Just then, Bush realized/remembered that they had to stand still for a couple more minutes while the Marines standing guard did their thing with the flags and the whatnot. He scampered back to his spot, and turned around to see Hu still walking down the steps. He tried to brush the arm, but didn’t have enough reach and ended up grabbing the sleeve instead. So he wasn’t trying to throw his weight around, he was just trying to attract Hu’s attention, and ended up making a bit of an awkward grab instead. I personally thought he could have been a titch more subtle about it, but it was obvious that he just had a bit of an “ACK!” moment. And I loathe Bush with the burning passion of 10,000 suns. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620/20 "2006-04-21T16:49:33Z")
Was the guy about to trip over something?? I don’t see the big deal, it’s a last ditch effort to prevent someone from either falling or tripping. Unless you know otherwise, please share… I was Bush supporter but have become indifferent of late. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-react-to-this-photo/353620.md?page=2)