"...less is more!"

Rhetorically, Michelle Obama is in an interesting predicament. As the first lady, many other women look to her for advice in many areas, such as motherhood, the environment, and even fashion (similarly as the American public did in the 1960s with Jackie O).  This thrusts her into the spotlight with the opportunity to express her concerns with certain issues. She often has to express her opinions on subjects that are  “touchy”. The exigence, however, is to do this in such a way that she does not come off as “preachy”. Not everybody, especially those in American society, like being told what to do.  It has to be tough being a mother in the limelight. Even more so when you’re dealing with the children of the white house. During an interview she was asked for her reflection on the thought, that if re-election occurs, her children would be in their teen years while her husband holds office. The First Lady pointed out that there are cases where the white house children have turned out to be great individuals, yet the threat and pressure that they won’t be still exists. With the pressure of being a mother in the public eye, Mrs. Obama needs to continue to provide her children with a normal childhood. She does this by keeping her house rules in place as she normally would if she was living more privately. One of her rules: no Facebook. When the interviewer asked her if her children were on Facebook, she mentioned that even if they were permitted by Secret Service (which they are not) she, ”was not a big fan of young kids having Facebook.” I think Mrs. Obama’s wording in this case is of particular interest. Rather than taking the opportunity to delve into the reasons why NO kids should be on Facebook, she explains her personal views for her own children. Motherhood is tricky, because no mother wants to be told they are raising their child the wrong way. Michelle Obama is able to get her beliefs across without shoving her opinion into society. Her reaction to this particular exigence is that she chose to say less, rather than more because in this case less is more (like Charmin). By stating her idea in a less arrogant way she can still suggest mothers reconsider their viewpoints without sounding as if she is chastising them as if they were her own children. It must be hard to have to be aware of the exigence that is presented in all of Civic Life. Afterall, politicians are human and may not always realize the power of exigence in every situation. In this case, I think she does a pretty decent job at harnessing the problem and providing a good resolution.