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[Cindi Mayweather]

Obama is the greatest president of my lifetime.

 

[rrc1594]

That's my motherfucking President y'all

 

[EGM1966]

Great speech. Prefer the Sagan one but for a US president in current climate and context of Hiroshima it's hard to fault it.

Pity the reality is still far away and Obama himself is a guy with his finger on the button.

ctrl-f "sorry"
ctrl-f "apolog"

no results.

There's no point apologising. It's meaningless in modern context and all the major players in WW2 would need years to apologise for every incident. Hell, outside of the nuclear element Hiroshima isn't even worst loss of life from an attack or action.

Everybody apologising for actions taken by a whole other bunch of people in a different context isn't the way forward.

Progress, increased peace and reduced unrest, conflict and poverty is the way forward.

 

[Alienous]

The world war that reached its beautiful brutal end in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Them slips.

 

[Melkezadek]

That is a future we can choose, a future in which Hiroshima and Nagasaki are known not as the dawn of atomic warfare, but as the start of our own moral awakening.

Profound. I know people have various opinions about him and his administration, but Obama isn't malicious. People need to come together with respect and learn to live with one another.

Obama's speeches always rejuvenate hope in me. I'm going to miss him.

 

[Fantastapotamus]

Image a similar speech held by Trump

"You know, it was a big bomb right? Almost as big as my fingers you know? But you guys, you did the bad stuff first. So, you know, let's call it even."

 

[freethoughtbubble]

I think he's trying to reach beyond just a simplistic apology. He's trying to touch upon things that are greater than the dropping of the Atomic bombs and still very much relevant in this day and age. At least that's how I'm seeing it. This isn't about apologizing for the bombing but using the dropping of the A bombs as a spring board to touch on much more universal issues that face everyone today, not just the US and Japan.

I think you can make all those points and still sincerely apologize. Btw, I'm not taking Obama to task for this since he did more than any other sitting U.S. president by simply going there and acknowledging what we did. I just kind of wish that we as a nation had the will to simply say we're sorry to the victims.

 

[KooopaKid]

It's only a speech. The US could still eradicate a country if it felt "threatened".

 

[mantidor]

This is as good as apologizing without uttering the words "apology" or "sorry" because politics are weird like that, he simply can't do that, not right now anyway.

There was no justification for the bombings as many people from the US argue so often, which relieved me, he shifted it to " we must learn from this and never do it again" which I'm very glad he did.

 

[Brinbe]

Great speech. Gonna be a real sad day once he's out of office.

 

[j_k_redtail]

That is a future we can choose, a future in which Hiroshima and Nagasaki are known not as the dawn of atomic warfare, but as the start of our own moral awakening.

Damn.

 

[140.85]

Does a good job staying in the bigger picture and avoiding anything that might be perceived as an apology. Aside from the very subtle intimation that the dropping of the bombs was maybe immoral (which it wasn't). It's a tough line to walk, the writers did a good job.

I think it's important for future generations to keep this bigger picture in mind, but at the same time I hope they also know the context in which the bombs had to be dropped.

 

[Alienous]

Image a similar speech held by Trump

"You know, it was a big bomb right? Almost as big as my fingers you know? But you guys, you did the bad stuff first. So, you know, let's call it even."

"And you have to admit it was a great bomb - a great two bombs. And I have a message for ISIS - keep messing with us you see what we can do. I won't hesitate, I'll bomb your families, and trust me - we'd only need the one.

But Hiroshiba, it's a great place. The Japanese are great people..."

 

[SaganIsGOAT]

I think one of the more profound parts of this speech is that even though there is no explicit apologies, there are also no explicit blames being placed. It really takes some beautiful conscious awareness and well crafted writing to do that. So damn good. It really is a message about humanity for humanity.

 

[m_shortpants]

It's a really moving and well written speech. Parts ring a bit hollow considering the administrations unaccountable drone policy which in my eyes is a mark on otherwise the best President I'll likely see in my lifetime.

 

[mantidor]

Does a good job staying in the bigger picture and avoiding anything that might be perceived as an apology. Aside from the very subtle intimation that the dropping of the bombs was maybe immoral (which it wasn't). It's a tough line to walk, the writers did a good job.

I think it's important for future generations to keep this bigger picture in mind, but at the same time I hope they also know the context in which the bombs had to be dropped.

The speech is not that obscure in saying the bombings were immoral, it definitely avoids saying it directly though.

 

[foxuzamaki]

Commentating so I can watch later

 

[PHOENIXZERO]

For this too is what makes our species unique. We’re not bound by genetic code to repeat the mistakes of the past. We can learn. We can choose. We can tell our children a different story, one that describes a common humanity, one that makes war less likely and cruelty less easily accepted.

This is what will be latched on to and further fueled with this being Memorial Day weekend.

 

[Sgt. Kabukiman]

Goddamn, you don't know how lucky you are America. We haven't had a president of this stature in many decades in my country. Now, please don't fuck up in choosing the next one.

 

[Jeffrey]

Anyone find a picture of him hugging the survivors?

 

[FantasticMrFoxdie]

I teared up.



Hate him or not we're not going to have this eloquent of a speaker for a long time and that made me sad

 

[thefro]

"And you have to admit it was a great bomb - a great two bombs. And I have a message for ISIS - keep messing with us you see what we can do. I won't hesitate, I'll bomb your families, and trust me - we'd only need the one.

But Hiroshiba, it's a great place. The Japanese are great people..."

Trump also basically thinks Japan should have nuclear weapons.

 

[Apple Turnover]

Teared up a little reading that. Beautiful speech. Thanks for sharing OP

 

[Crisco]

I've listened to the man so much that I don't even need audio, I can basically read it in his voice in my head lol.

 

[Waldo Lydecker]

As a non-American, what is the exact reason Obama can't make or won't make excuses for this war-crime? Political implications?

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Speech writers were on point

Yup. Can't imagine Trump

Spoiler

's speech writers

ever coming up with something like that.

Makes me sad that Obama's on his way out just as Trudeau is coming in. I think the two of them could have accomplished much together.

It really reminded me of some of Sagan's greatest words.

“From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of particular interest. But for us, it's different. Consider again that dot. That's here, that's home, that's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.

The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.

It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.”

SaganIsGOAT
Junior Member
(Today, 11:03 AM)

^^ You are right of course. Sagan's speech was amazing and almost makes me cry every time I read it.

 

[Forkball]

As a non-American, what is the exact reason Obama can't make or won't make excuses for this war-crime? Political implications?

Because it's not seen as a war crime by the people who won the war.

Moving speech. I'm glad an American president took the initiative to visit Hiroshima.

 

[Oersted]

Damn.

That you neeed to drop two atomic bombs on people to wake up... well, its an improvement.

 

[Dubbedinenglish]

As a non-American, what is the exact reason Obama can't make or won't make excuses for this war-crime? Political implications?

I would suggest reading up on why the bombs were dropped in the first place.

You can even read through the thread here:
http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=1221735

 

[140.85]

Because it's not seen as a war crime by the people who won the war.

Moving speech. I'm glad an American president took the initiative to visit Hiroshima.

It's not seen as a war crime by more people than Americans, I can assure you.

 

[hobozero]

There was no justification for the bombings as many people from the US argue so often

Much better people than I have argued against this statement, so I'll simply point out:

WW2 Civilian Deaths in China before the bomb: 7,500,000
WW2 Civilian Deaths in China after the bomb: 0 (-ish)

But we agree that the speech did the best thing it probably could, which is call for greater understanding between nations/peoples. Arguing over the morality of such an event doesn't really help, when what we need to do is work to avoid the circumstances that made such a horrible decision possible in the first place.

 

[140.85]

Much better people than I have argued against this statement, so I'll simply point out:

WW2 Civilian Deaths in China before the bomb: 7,500,000
WW2 Civilian Deaths in China after the bomb: 0 (-ish)

But we agree that the speech did the best thing it probably could, which is call for greater understanding between nations/peoples. Arguing over the morality of such an event doesn't really help, when what we need to do is work to avoid the circumstances that made such a horrible decision possible in the first place.

This is a pretty good, quick summary of the counterargument:
https://youtu.be/BmIBbcxseXM

The historical evidence is pretty clear that it a was choice between thousands of dead Japanese civilians, or millions.

 

[aliengmr]

As a non-American, what is the exact reason Obama can't make or won't make excuses for this war-crime? Political implications?

It wasn't a war crime and in the context of the time, completely justified.

WW2 was born out of the half measures of WW1. There are times when progress needs the nudge of a great tragedy and WW2 was that tragedy. Humanity saw what nuclear weapons could do and thus far chosen not to use them for that very reason.

The implications are admitting the US was wrong, when we weren't. We can show sympathy and even remorse for the act while maintaining that the decision was just at the time.

 

[.JayZii]

That was very nice and read as very genuine. I only had a chance to read the transcript so far, but I think I'll watch the video later so I get a chance to hear the delivery.

Thanks for transcribing it.



Sorry to be "that guy", but I noticed a couple of typos in the transcript where you wrote "hibakusha" as "hibukasha".

 

[Figboy79]

That was a great speech.

It's too bad humanity hates each other, and is insistent on continuing to hate each other.

I'm going to miss him in the Oval Office, that's for sure.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

Isn't it odd to hear that from an American? We hold disdain for the "other" and so much of America has become divisive in manners to expand this perception.

It's weird to hear from anyone. We're really good at hating as a species.

 

[whitemex88]

wow. pretty damn powerful stuff. i teared up a bit reading. can't imagine what it would've been like to hear it live

 

[MC Safety]

In a perfect world, our president would apologize on behalf of the American people for the suffering inflicted on the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I'd be willing to bet that Obama himself would have no problem doing so if it were completely up to him. But it's not a perfect world, Americans are not united in remorse, and so this is probably the best we could hope for: an acknowledgement of atrocity, implied regret, and a universal call for a more peaceful future. It was a good speech but part of me is weirded out that it was delivered by the leader of the nation who did the deed, on the ground where the bomb fell.

The United States has nothing to apologize for.

Bombing Japan was an act of war. The rape of Nanking was an atrocity.

Despite your misguided beliefs, the dropping of the atomic bombs concluded the war with finality and ensured a lasting peace would prevail.

 

[O Canada Our Home and Native Land]

Great speech. I'm going to forever wonder what the US might achieve with an Obama third term.

Some of you guys cynically giving credit to speechwriters only, come on. I'm sure he has speechwriters, but Obama's speeches have always had a distinct optimism and measured reasoning only his hand could have written part of this speech. Give credit where credit is due.

 

[Cesare Borgia]

Speech writers were on point

The president wrote most of it over a long period of time.

 

[Drain You]

Great speech, Obama was the first president I actually had strong feelings about voting for. Also happened to be the first election I was of age to vote. Was only able to read over it quick, can't wait to have a listen later on.

 

[CitizenVectron]

The United States has nothing to apologize for.

Bombing Japan was an act of war. The rape of Nanking was an atrocity.

Despite your misguided beliefs, the dropping of the atomic bombs concluded the war with finality and ensured a lasting peace would prevail.

That's both true and false. It did end the war, so you're right that it may have saved more lives than it took. However, could the same result have occurred if the bomb were dropped on a major naval installation instead, demonstrating the same power? We don't know, but it's possible. Perhaps it would have been more moral to drop a bomb or two on large installations first, and only then hit civilian targets if the Japanese leadership refused to surrender.

Just an example of how the bombings can both be justified, but also perhaps unjustified.

 

[Professor Beef]

That's both true and false. It did end the war, so you're right that it may have saved more lives than it took. However, could the same result have occurred if the bomb were dropped on a major naval installation instead, demonstrating the same power? We don't know, but it's possible. Perhaps it would have been more moral to drop a bomb or two on large installations first, and only then hit civilian targets if the Japanese leadership refused to surrender.

Just an example of how the bombings can both be justified, but also perhaps unjustified.

Those exact arguments were made during the lead-up to the decision to drop the bomb in the 40s.

 

[midramble]

This speech is gorgeous. Whoever wrote that speech gets it.

It's not about apologies. It's not about blame.

That plaza, that city, is a monument of remembrance. A place dedicated to the hope of peace.

 

[YaBish]

Great speech. I'm going to forever wonder what the US might achieve with an Obama third term.

Some of you guys cynically giving credit to speechwriters only, come on. I'm sure he has speechwriters, but Obama's speeches have always had a distinct optimism and measured reasoning only his hand could have written part of this speech. Give credit where credit is due.

Off topic, but how is your avatar a gif?

 

[The Last Wizard]

The speech isn't an apology. It's a call to improve as members of the human race. To hold disdain for war, instead of each-other.

Sadly war will never go away; too much money to be made and we're petty as a species.

 

[AtomicShroom]

I'd like to see someone rewrite this speech "in the style of Trump", as if he wrote it himself.

I bet it'd be hilarious stuff.

 

[FantasticMrFoxdie]

The president wrote most of it over a long period of time.

Any sources? Just curious because there are a lot of doubters in here.

Regardless, the delivery of this is what elevates this to GOAT proportions imo. This speech is still ringing in my ears hours later.


edit: NVM. Here's the source for the writer: https://youtu.be/1E_j2AHkU58
"For his speech on Hiroshima on Friday, President Obama collaborated heavily with Ben Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser for strategic communications and speechwriting."

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Great speech.

 

[Dubbedinenglish]

I'd like to see someone rewrite this speech "in the style of Trump", as if he wrote it himself.

I bet it'd be hilarious stuff.

"We dropped these two huge bombs, the best bombs. I mean let's give it up for the bombs. We dropped them on the imperial Japanese, nasty guys I mean really nasty..."