With Merriam-Webster adding “selfie” to its lexicon, a word referring to photos taking of one’s self, by one’s self, often using a telephone camera, it seems everybody is in on this selfie craze. Even the president. Even at a funeral.
Putting the fun back in funeral, American President Barack Obama is seen in this photograph taking a selfies with British Prime Minister David Cameron and Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning Schmidt. They were attending a funeral for Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg.
Evidently not too put off by the passing, the president and his cronies took the opportunity to get a combined shot of the brat pack, and afterwards Michelle Obama sat between the leaders, as if putting her foot down: “Not appropriate, Barack. Not appropriate.”
Whether or not that was her true sentiment is a matter of conjecture. What remains apparent is that Barack Obama remains one of the most youthful presidents we’ve had, keeping up his vital spirit and his sense of fun, play, and curiosity, well into his 50’s. From hanging with young celebrities to getting pictures taking with gymnasts, and so forth, he has remained a fun-seeking, fun-having president, reminding us that it is not only the stodgy old wise men who run the world, but the best men know how to stay young at heart.