Lots of Aussie PMs wearing glasses, US presidents not?

[excreationist]

Most Aussie PMs since John Howard have worn glasses a lot.

Albo, Scomo, Malcolm Turnbull (sometimes), Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard (sometimes), John Howard - then before that hardly anyone (in their main online photos). Peter Dutton (the opposition leader) also wears glasses (maybe partly to hide his lack of eyebrows).

I don't think any recent US presidents wore glasses in public much. Though Bernie Sanders wears glasses.

Apparently a reason for this is:

For Americans projecting strength is everything. To have failing/poor eyesight would be considered weakness which is intolerable. Total playground stuff...

In Australia it's regarded as studious and responsible which is what we love.

Also after John Howard retired he stopped wearing glasses...

 

[excreationist]

Someone also said

America has a very broad Anti-intellectualism streak

That is related to having glasses...

 

[Patooka]

You're telling me that the nation that has basically dominated every form of visual media for over a century has some quirky standards pertaining to how their heads of state should look? That's about as profound a discovery as saying the modelling industry holds women up to unrealistic standards or that quadriplegics have been severely underrepresented in the sport of figure skating.

 

[Elixir]

Someone also said

America has a very broad Anti-intellectualism streak

That is related to having glasses...

Occam's razor. They're inversion glasses. Move right along,,,

 

[excreationist]

You're telling me that the nation that has basically dominated every form of visual media for over a century has some quirky standards pertaining to how their heads of state should look? That's about as profound a discovery as saying the modelling industry holds women up to unrealistic standards or that quadriplegics have been severely underrepresented in the sport of figure skating.

In the US it seems glasses are a disadvantage in terms of how electable they are as the President (even if they are somewhat popular like Bernie Sanders). In Australia not only does the disadvantage seem not to apply but in fact the glasses seem to be an advantage. That's like saying that quadriplegics are overrepresented in figure skating in some countries, which would be profound.
BTW here is the opposition leader before and after glasses:

 

[Politesse]

Roosevelt



Wilson



Truman

 

[excreationist]

@Politesse

I don't think any recent US presidents wore glasses in public much.

 

[Politesse]

@Politesse

I don't think any recent US presidents wore glasses in public much.

I guess Australia is the only country with a more mayfly sense of recency than us!

 

[excreationist]

@Politesse

I don't think any recent US presidents wore glasses in public much.

I guess Australia is the only country with a more mayfly sense of recency than us!

This says that sometimes leaders lose power and are replaced due to the mining industry:

This says that the plan to close the secret US base in Australia seemed to result in a CIA coup:


The Mining Industry's Leaked Xmas Party

3 hr 7 min 40 secs Peter Dutton says:

Friends I make you this promise - a Dutton coalition government will be the best friend the resource sector in Australia will ever have... ...we will do all these things because I want to turbocharge mining in Australia.

 

[Patooka]

I have been a member of this forum for over 20 years and this is the first time I'm seriously considering using the ignore function in the interests of my own fucking sanity.

 

[bilby]

You're telling me that the nation that has basically dominated every form of visual media for over a century has some quirky standards pertaining to how their heads of state should look? That's about as profound a discovery as saying the modelling industry holds women up to unrealistic standards or that quadriplegics have been severely underrepresented in the sport of figure skating.

In the US it seems glasses are a disadvantage in terms of how electable they are as the President (even if they are somewhat popular like Bernie Sanders). In Australia not only does the disadvantage seem not to apply but in fact the glasses seem to be an advantage. That's like saying that quadriplegics are overrepresented in figure skating in some countries, which would be profound.
BTW here is the opposition leader before and after glasses:

FTFY.

 

[excreationist]

BTW when Labor is showing Dutton in their attack ads they seem to always show him without glasses...

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Something else to think about here: television.

In the old days glasses didn't have anti-reflection coatings. And there are a lot of bright lights in a TV studio.