NYT: Bush Image Stagecraft Response

I find it very interesting how far the White House will go to make sure president Bush look good no matter what. What I find more intriguing is how the New York Times article mentioned how much of the presidents appearances are made for television or photography. There was one part in the article where it mentioned, “The type was too small to be read by most in the audience, but just the right size for television viewers at home.” That quote shocked me entirely because I would think that the president would make the banner easily readable for both audiences. Although, this is an example of how technology is growing more towards pictures and less with human contact. It would make sense for the White House to make sure that their main concern was to be technologically advanced, otherwise the country might form doubts about the presidents image. It is not surprising that from the time Bush was in office that the efforts to have the perfect image and camera angle for the present have most likely increased. This is an issue that probably goes unnoticed to most Americans because the people are so used to advancing technology that they trust the picture rather than seeing it in person. I am not sure if this is something that we should be concerned about, or a good thing. The good part of it is how technology has come so far, but the bad part is how reliant we are on technology. Since we are so easily persuaded by an image it is now easier for companies to manipulate what the public sees and they will not second-guess it.