Opinion Clocked in

Taking to Twitter to “StandWithAhmed” is Obama’s attempt to recreate the power of the bully pulpit in this age of communication. (Source: AP)

Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old student and inventor, probably only wanted plaudits from his teachers for his newest jerry-rigged contraption. Instead, he ended up with offers to visit the Google Science Fair, Facebook HQ for a chat with Mark Zuckerberg, and even an invitation to the White House. This was because the principal at the Texan school Ahmed attends decided a homemade clock brought to school by him bore too close a resemblance to a bomb and summoned the police. The police arrested Ahmed, before dropping all charges, but the image of a young boy in handcuffs sparked an outpouring of support on social media — including from the US president, who asked Ahmed to bring his “cool clock” to the White House.

It was yet another example of Barack Obama using unconventional means to defuse tensions, especially in a potentially explosive situation, which is at the intersection of several faultlines running through American society — Islamophobia, school violence and racism, among others. Just a few months after he was inaugurated, Obama found himself grappling with a national controversy over race-related police violence. Harvard academic Henry Gates, who happens to be black, was arrested by a white officer after police responded to a report of a possible break-in at his home. After accusing the police of “acting stupidly”, Obama hosted both men for a “beer summit”, putting an end to the corrosive back and forth. Here, too, by signalling his support for Ahmed on Twitter, Obama has allayed, at least temporarily, the concerns of those who fear rising racial profiling.

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Leaders in high office often use their position to cut through administrative clutter and advocate for policies they believe in. Franklin D. Roosevelt — whom PM Narendra Modi is perhaps striving to emulate with Mann ki Baat — used his fireside chats on radio to great effect during the Great Depression. Taking to Twitter to “StandWithAhmed” is Obama’s attempt to recreate the power of the bully pulpit in this age of communication.