Everyone has heard of the Nobel Peace prize, but it's possible not many people know it's origins, or why it's such a high honor. It all started with Alfred Nobel, a scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, author and pacifist. Basically, it was stated in his will that most of his estate was left to this prize, which would be awarded to a person in one of five categories. According to his Will, it would be presented in five ways: 1. to the person who shall have made the most important discovery or invention within the field of physics
2. to the person who shall have made the most important chemical discovery or improvement
3. to the person who shall have made the most important discovery within the domain of physiology or medicine
4. to the person who shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction
5. to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses
According to the Nobel website, "Every year since 1901 the Nobel Prize has been awarded for achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and for peace. The Nobel Prize is an international award administered by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden. In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank established The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Prize. Each prize consists of a medal, personal diploma, and a cash award".
President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this year "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples", according to CNN.com. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only citizen on Earth who is thinking "WTF"?!?! Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Obama is a great guy and everything and I am more than happy that he is president, but there is always controversy surrounding the Nobel prizes, and for good reason. Let me just point out people in history who have been nominated, who have won, and who did NOT get the Nobel Peace prize, and you do the math.
Once upon a time, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Josef Stalin were all nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize...
These people definitely deserved their awards: Teddy Roosevelt, Yasser Arafat, and Henry Kissinger...but what makes the least amount of sense are the nominations that failed to produce awards. Is there a reason why Mahatma Ghandi did NOT receive the Nobel Peace Prize? Is there an even better reason why Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII failed to be awarded? Surely, they put forth more "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples"...hell, even Al Gore earned his prize.
But Obama? Seriously? I've racked my brain and CNN.com and Time.com for articles proving Obama earned this award, and I come up empty handed. I love the change America faced when we elected him; I love the support some Americans have given him; and I love that we have welcomed the first black first family into the White House...I'm proud to say I was alive when we saw our nation break through racial barriers to elect a black man into the highest office...with that said, the only reason why I think he was awarded is because he is America's first black president...that's it. I mean, that's a HUGE milestone and like I stated above, I think it's great, but that doesn't mean he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize!
If you take a look at the Nobel website, and take a look through past nominations and past winners, you'll start to see an odd pattern...it seems as though everyone is white! So, maybe the foundation needed to meet a quota to introduce a black man winner?Granted, Obama didn't nominate himself but still...there has to be someone else out there who did more "to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples"!!!! Well, if that's the case, let's give one to Oprah for being a black woman talk show host; let's give one to Tiger Woods for being a black male golfer...or Halle Berry for being the first black woman to win an Oscar...all these people are great in their own right, but they are certainly NOT Nobel Prize material!!!
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