The Presidential debate
About a million people must have blogged about the first 2012 U.S. Presidential debate by now, but let me make a few observations that might be made by a hypothetical alien anthropologist receiving our TV signals but not understanding the complexities of the discourse (if you can call it that).
- Most obviously, the candidates were dressed identically, except for a color-coded tribal affiliation cloth similar to that worn by contestants in Survivor It would be tempted to call this the Presidential uniform, but in fact it's also worn by male participants in weddings, funerals, and financial and legal rituals.
- Less obviously, both candidates wore two identical pieces of jewelry, both of which are required for election. One is a fairly recently imposed requirement; the other has been in place for 150 local years.
- Interesting, neither candidate visibly wore the symbol of the religion that all candidates are required to subscribe to. (That requirement is known to be purely de fact; the written document defining the requirements for that office explicitly disclaims a religious requirement.)