Michelle Obama on Diversity, Comfort Zones, and America

I would LOVE to see this woman in the White House.

Jack is correct. Hillary will be good for America!
Hey Jack, why did you go back to January 2008 for this old piece on Michelle?
Gosh, they are roasting Hillary as gar back as 1993..lol

I am a Barack supporter. I am Bi-racial. I do believe Michelle is divisive and a racist. I can see Michelle Obama clearly being a member of Rev. Wright Church very easily.
I am a college student in my final year. I do not share that experience at all. I do not believe most people my age have on today’s campus.
I think Michelle has some very serious race issues. Frankly, I cannot see her in a role as a first lady.
Obama 08 – but leave Michelle in Chicago!

45 years ago it would have been the correct thing to do. Separate but equal was the norm. Black restrooms, black drinking fountains, back of the bus, disenfranchisement at the polls, the list goes on.
Now that we have some laws in place everyone things it is all taken care of.
Not!
We have a long way to go. This election is about our attitudes as it is about the candidates

In some sense, she is right in this observation. But why now?
How has she been all these years? Has she come out of her comfort zone to bridge cross-cultural and cross-ethnic alliances and friendships? Was this the motivation to stick to ethno-centric and afro-centric church for 20 years?
Certainly, now that she wants to be a “first lady” of all Americans, it may be very convenient to say this? She seems to be already imagining herself as J. Kennedy/Onassis as one can see in her changed attire.
Intersting that these politicians and their cronies always belittle the intelligence of people.

She seems to be saying if you don’t go for her husband’s “change”, you are basically ignorant and afraid of change. Fair or not, every time I see remarks like this, I can just imagine her sitting in that church listening to Rev. Wright’s theology. She just seems to have a giant chip on her shoulder every time she makes a speech. If I see her on TV, I turn it off because she comes off so angry all of the time.

I found this story searching for Michelle Obama`s whereabouts. Are they hiding her out?
I too, cant imagine her as First Lady.
She has a big…big chip on her shoulder.

Sounds like Wright got his point across to Michelle Obama, she’s all about racism…

Obama’s campaign loses points on originality on this one, by using misinterpretation argument. Obama’s group was the first to launch a negative, hateful interpretation of a statement the Bill Clinton made about the kind of campaign he would like to see. Bill Richardson said that Obama’s surrogate was incorrect in his interpretation.
Along comes Michelle Obama who is arguing misinterpretation. Is this the first time she has been misinterpreted by the right since she finally began to love America (now that she and Barack have scored the big bucks).

A man who favors Hillary over Michelle, even in politics, can’t be a man.
A woman with legs makes a difference in the White House.
It doesn’t surprise me one bit that the only male supporter showing up at the Hillary’s official and incredible silly blog (NO discussion on issues whatsoever, it’s all Ellen audience, shouting YOU GO GIRL!; compare THAT to the Obama site) calls himself ‘the gay guy’.
At that Hillary blog one of the women recently wrote “I simply stopped looking at the polls. They seem go change all the time.” And I’m not joking.

as an intelligent college educated black woman of 53year-I must say the problem I have with this is The Obamas are running and wooing everybody with their mantra of his being a Uniter
I find they have divide the country more since they have been on the scene.
and after reading and hearing some of the things Michelle Obama has said in the past-when I see her now up giving a speech talking about barack being a uniter-it almost sounds like rodney king saying-”Come on-ya’ll-can we, can we just get along…
These are Barack and Michelle should go back to chicago and do a little more for uniting the people in their city-before trying to give us the american people their half-baked, half-thought out (because their uniting is not working) plan for uniting the country.

A perfect first lady for the White House Mrs Obama.

Using the Obama standard, this is quite a racist statement by Michelle Obama. She should be ashamed of herself and her husband.
However, using my standard, I think her problem seems to be more psychological due to the fact she may have got in due to affirmative action. I read some where she said that she thought she was not good enough but now she thinks she is better than any one else or something like that. That thinking may have to do with the affirmative action.
Obviously, she seems to lack a certain political intelligence. She should stick to talking about changing diapers and cookie recipes for the sake of her husband’s campaign. Of course, I encourage her to talk about the race issue :-)

I’m not an Obama supporter at all, and I find that Michelle Obama usually has a HUGE chip on her shoulder and a big sense of entitlement. (And don’t get me started about someone who was then making half a mil a year trying to pretend she didn’t know how they were going to pay for dance lessons and summer camp — why reporters allowed her to get away with that is mind-boggling.)
BUT — I completely understand what she’s saying and I have no problem with it. Other things, yes. But I think she’s merely relating a truth as she knows it.
There’s a reason why most college campuses have “black student” organizations of some kind or another..

Yurgus is mad that people in the mainstream media are trying to put down their Obama For President hats off for a second and actually have to report some controversial news about their guy. lol.

Here’s how the media works in this country:
Everything the Clintons say is looked at under a microscope to identify all of the obvious evil intent lurking insidiously behind each word.
Everything controversial that the Obama’s say is all misunderstood. They never meant no one any harm. Just innocent mistakes!

It’s okay to hear what Mrs. Obama said in Columbia, which is actually a fairly integrated city.
But where’s the real story? A group of billionaire Clinton supporters wrote a memo on superdelegates today to Pelosi – which can only be read as a threat. I really like democracy. It’s a little stagggering to see the Clintons and their Forbes 400 friends attempt to buy the US election – which is what they are doing in today’s memo. I have been following politics for 40 years and I’ve never seen such a naked grasp for power and influence.

Um, Jo? Michelle Obama did grow up poor. I LIVE on the south side. Come visit and you’ll find that kids get shot in drive by shootings. Her dad had MS, and was a blue-collar worker, her mom was a homemaker. They weren’t rich so dont insinuate falsities.

Gee, can Michelle ever say anything GOOD about America? Has she ever? How sad for her. Millions across the globe would love to come here and trade places with her. Again, sooooo very sad. Thank God she will never be anything by the wife of a senator. Even that is something she doesn’t deserve.

I’m a 41 year old African-American male who spent all of my years in school (elementary, middle, high, undergrad and grad) in the minority. Michelle is right, at least from what I experienced.
At UVa we had what was (is?) known as the BBS: Black Bus Stop. It was a place to meet between classes and hang out with friends. That’s not to say that I didn’t spend any time with non-blacks on Grounds or avoided them. If that’s what I wanted, why would I have gone there? Or in Michelle’s case, why go to Princeton (and Harvard) if she’s so reticent about being around people of different race or cultures?
It amazes me that people get so outraged when people speak candidly about racial issues. Just because you may segregate yourself in one instance doesn’t make you a racist or mean that you can’t or won’t associate with other races. Sounds clichéd, but just look at most churches.
Instead, it just means that you associate with people with whom you may share a connection. I certainly shared more of a connection with the non-black students at UVa than with blacks I know who didn’t finish high school.
Also, this issue about “comfort zones” cuts both ways. I had a white suite-mate my second year who would think nothing of taking me to a fraternity party on Rugby Road, where most of the members were white. I also didn’t have a problem with going, and usually had a great time.
After hanging out with my friend one night on Rugby, we were supposed to go to a party thrown by a historically black fraternity. When it came time to go to that party, he wouldn’t go — because he thought he would feel uncomfortable. Even though I told him he wouldn’t be the only white person there, he refused. Did I think him racist? No.
One last thing, I think a lot of the political “outrage” over this story and the Rev. Wright issue is due more to finding a reason NOT to support a particular candidate. I’m certain a lot of the people who are “offended” by this couldn’t stand the scrutiny of having their honest thoughts and actions analyzed without similarly coming across as “racist”, whether accurate or not. And the media is complicit in furthering this. There’s little analysis of who thinks what or why; it’s more of a gotcha attitude to break another story. Did anyone in the media compare these comments to Michelle’s senior thesis at Princeton, which dealt with a similar theme and explored her progress as a minority there?

Great speech Michelle. Now go give it to your fellow Trinity Church members. Let us know how well it is “accepted” there. Lol.

STOP right there people. Michelle Obama might be the First lady, so you had better speak of her with respect. She knows what she is talking about. Not! I swear it’s like trying to run from the devil when you have been sleeping with him all your life.
President of the United States of America: (Barack Hussien Obama)
Not! Hillary/Edwards 08
Michelle is so racist…it is not funny!
All she did on vacation was stuff her face while hubby was tanning….when she went back to the hotel room and put food
in the microwave she said “HURRY”!!!
They asked her what she wants with her hamburger and she said a hot dog.
Look at the video on ABC News. She was chomping away. Hillary/Edwards 08
GET USED TO IT. He is my president and yours as well.

Michelle Obama has what I call a “racial chip” on her shoulder. It’s planted deep inside her, and I doubt she will ever be rid of it. That’s not the kind of person you want as First Lady. It just isn’t.

Tony posted:
“I believe that is all she was saying. You guys are making a mountain out of a molehill, AND I AM A DIEHARD CLINTON SUPPORTER!”
Tony, I, too, attended Ivy League graduate school. I am from a blue collar background. In fact, father did not graduate from grammar school.
IT WAS A BIG ADJUSTMENT. I used to joke that I felt like I was being main streamed as an adult. LOL
I do not read much into Michelle Obama’s statements, other than her call to CHANGE. Change what and why? People are uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings. It is what it is. In time, you become comfortable when you find common ground. At school, it may be subject matter of specific classes so you share ideas. For some, it may be extracuricular activities.
Right prior to my Ivy League graduate studies, I was sorting mail at the USPS, graveyard shift. I enjoyed every minute of my graduate school education. I appreciate being admitted. I appreciate the opportunites afforded me. I think that is where Michelle Obama and I diverge.

I’m a Hillary supporter, but I watched all (or most) of MB’s speech, and I was impressed. She’s clearly no flag-waver but her comments are intelligent and resonate, especially with a younger audience. I liked her a lot less when she made the comment about Hillary “not being able to run her own house,” so how could she run the White House? In any event she’s not the nominee, her husband is, and its his remarks (and the company he keeps) that we should judge him by.

gert,
Point of information. Italy did not exist during the time of JC. It is a new country. In fact, it is newer than USA. Thought you might like to know.

BKMC, you don’t like these negative comments in here do you? They make you feel bad don’t they? You want to just leave don’t you?
Now transfer all that to Michelle & Barack sitting for 20 years listening to negative stuff…and not doing a damn thing about it.
Exactly. That’s why they’re not worthy of the presidency.

Dear Superdelegates,
I am a white, middle-aged, lifetime Democrat with an MBA. Prior to the controversy with Rev Wright, I would have supported ANY Democrat you placed on the ballot in November. But now I will stay home if Obama is your choice. Please let me explain why. Throughout my college and working life, I have seen many blacks given opportunities that I myself would have appreciated. But I wasn’t and had to work hard to get everything I got in life. Now that I am retired, I need a candidate with their priorities straight and Obama is too focused on the African-American community and their all-about-me whining. With gas and heating prices escalating, the market tanking, grocery costs taking its bite out of a fixed pension and the Iraq war draining our resources, it’s the economy again, stupid.

gotta wonder,
Michelle Obama was a mediocre high school student. Her guidance counselor told her not to bother applying to Princeton. Michelle knew better as there was affirmative action in place and her brother was already a Princeton student so she probably enjoyed legacy points also. I know this from reading an interview conducted by TIME or Newsweek.
She was a very lucky girl.

Everyone who wanted to understand the comments did understand, just like always.
Obama ’08

Okay, Michelle, what will Obama owe to the largest special interest group in the country, the blacks? They put you were you are right now, so what will you give to them in return?

It is tough for Hillary and Obama to win alone. Get them on same ticket and end this chapter.

Mrs. Obama’s observations are accurate but not politically acceptable. I don’t see how I could vote for Mr. Obama given the probability he and/or his spouse may be biased in favor of any particular racial or ethnic group. The risk to the country is too great, and Mr. McCain is a relatively safe, though not very satisfying alternative.

To those of you who think she was making an anti American statement get a clue she was stating a fact . How many white people go to a black neighborhood an invite them to their house and how many black people go to a white neighborhood an invite white people to their house and how many Hispanics go to either neighborhood an do the same. Not that many does that mean that we are all racists? She is right when she says that’s America. We all need to extend ourselves to each other

bkmc, you say we are losing the opportunity to learn from two honest and capable people who can teach us about racial relations. i have to disagree with pretty much every word. honest and capable – no, for reasons so obvious i needn’t explain, except to koolaid drinkers who can’t be reasoned with. who can teach us about racial relations – no. we already know about racial relations and don’t need these two to teach us. who made them the authority? just the color of their skin? there are about 40 million people in this country with the same color skin. sorry, not buying it. losing the opportunity – more koolaid drinking. they sold impressionable people on this idea.

Mac
It sounds like your comfort zone is already being infringed upon

To those who are trumpeting Clinton teem up with Barack. She says he not ready to be president. She can not be VP
She is unfit to be VP after her RACE BAITING she divides this country plus she Lies about nonsensical things.Ducking and running sniper fire, NAFTA. and a host of other problems

Has anyone read Michelle Obama’s Princeton thesis? Then you should!

chgo921: You said, “…I think a lot of the political “outrage” over this story and the Rev. Wright issue is due more to finding a reason NOT to support a particular candidate.”
This black American has never needed to “find a reason” not to support Barack Obama for president. Something about him has made me uncomfortable from the very first time I watched one of his PERFORMANCES on TV.
If the Democrats are foolish enough to nominate him (which I doubt), he will lose big time in November.

Geraldine-Well, princess, the reverend Wright, Obama, and Michelle seems to be doing a magnificent job of messing up their own campaign with help from Hillary.

Talking about Rush Limbaugh: I think his description and analysis of Hillary’s current strategy as an ‘Operation Chaos’ (= to create as much confusion as possible about party rules, MI and FA, delegates, well, about the whole election process) is actually very good, and sharper than what the MSM generally offers us. It is amawing that the MSM still reacts to Ickes, Wolfson and Singer as demanded by these superspinners.

Goodness, how much handwringing can we do about race discussions. We have been discussing, debating, forming policy, throwing money, educating, and creating holidays regarding this issue for 50 years, with a lot of positive results. Who are they kidding…. Most people have got the race message by now, and have made significant and real changes. Mrs. Obama’s pastor however has not figured it out, so the assumption is that the rest of America hasn’t dealt with it. She might want to change her church so she isn’t so blind about the changes that have happened in the last 50 years, regarding race. Enough of the “we need more race dicussions” tripe!!! We need to find another church, if it is stuck in preaching the race ideology’s of 1935. Hey, It’s 2008 and (Bitterness) is not a virtue or an identity for a church, which appears to be motivated by a bitter pastor with a bitter congregation.

Deirdre-Election newswatch proves you wrong. Read-Sen. Barack Obama has led the race for good press and Sen. Hillary Clinton has lagged the farthest behind. From Dec 16 through Jan 27 five out of six on-air evaluations of Obama (84%) have been favorable, compared to a bare majority (51%) of evaluations of Mrs. Clinton.

Dogsoldier that might be because the news reporters have met the candidates…there is those percentages of positive and negative to report on with the candidates.
In fact I would say Hillary’s negatives are pretty good considering they haven’t touched a single scandal in her history… and you have to admit whether you think that all her scandals were made up or not…that’s weird.
Just because they have mroe to say positive about Barack might be because there is more…just the dem party is so sensitive because they have had to duck every year or two because a new Clinton “scandal or issue comes out….so we are ready to fight everytime someone says…well anything that might be hinting at anything that sounds like it’s questioning “the lord and lady”…

dl-It either is or isn’t. Read how you wish or twist to suit yourself. Up to you.

Michelle’s remarks are more than correct. I don’t think there are really very many of us who don’t usually hang out with whatever group we’re most comfortable with – it takes less effort. That is not any sort of “ism”, but taking comfort in what may be bland company.
The idea of trying other flavors takes ssome effort, but could yield more eexciting results.
I think Michelle would make a classy First Lady.

Sara-Michelle comfort zone speech appears to be just that, a speech. In her own life Michelle stayed deep in her comfort zone. All talk no action. Just words.

Sick and tired-Most Americans? Can we raise money to send you back? Just mention the paradise where you came from and we’ll help you along your way and quick.

Dogsoldier: Michelle is no action? YOU try to run a job as a hospital administrator, raise a family, and support the next president of the USA!

Niels,
well said!

malthusian77-No. I’m male. If I’m Obama’s mate we have no children and lose the straight vote immediately.

The Obamas have a problem. They like to get pedantic about race relations in this country, but their own personal conduct and choices reflect the divisiveness they decry. They had many choices in Chicago, but they chose and maintained Jeremiah Wright as their pastor. That choice speaks volumes as to their character.When someone incites an assembly with the hateful and bigoted language used again and again by Wright, you either lead them to a different message or you leave. You don’t sit passively, as Obama did, while your friends and family absorb the invective.
I certainly won’t be lectured by the Obamas. I find.their double standard offensive and I reject it. It is time to transcend the racial divisions in this country, not exacerbate them with the hypocracy and bigotry displayed by Obama and Wright.

Embracing stereotypes and ignorance —that’s America! Yes, anything negative is uniquely American, according to the Michelles of America. We do not live up to the black value system and the black theology as espoused by the Obamas’ church, so we are sorely lacking in all that makes the Trinity membership human.
We need Barack Obama to save our souls
and Michelle Obama to raise our consciousnesses. They are what we have
been waiting for all our lives. Now that they have arrived, we should all rise up to the level they have, and will, set for us. Heil, Obamas!

Mr and Mrs Michelle Barack Obama ( we all know who wears the pants in that marriage) attended Reverend Wrights church for 20 years. They have belittled the words of their pastor to say they are just sound bytes. It is not just a sound byte, it was unpatriotic and he preached it to a congregation of young and old alike. He gave this “major” speech,as the media likes to describe it, on race to defend his pastor and failed to acknowledge that such preaching is divisive and continues to feed the minds of more old and young black Americans against “typical” whites.

smartprimate,
you are right that Obama does not offer any big solution to race matters. But would that even be possible? There is only so much a politician can do, and I don’t think this is solved through legislation or government. He has sparked a debate, made people pause and reflect. To me, that is worth something.
But besides from that, he has a campaign to run, and there are many other issues to consider before deciding to vote for or against him.

Am sure Cindy McCain can weigh in brilliantly! She seems to be smarter than her husband, who happens to be dumb as a rock! Ignorant Americans continue to support ignorant and dumb leaders! What does this mean to our country?

I am not an Obama supporter but based on the comment Michelle supposedly made in this article the conservatives are
attempting to turn it into something it is not. She is an African-American woman
speaking from her own perspective and experience and it’s sad to think people are threatened by that in some way. I think all the candidates and their spouses have made some statements they perhaps would like to take back, that were misinterpreted or taken out of context and once in the media took on a life of it’s own. You’ve had Hillary embellishing on her Bosnia experience and Borack taking claim to be a Harvard law professor and his parents meeting at Selma which turned out to be not true.

Ah a perfect couple made in heaven, with lots of common things, ALL TALK, NO ACTION. BARACK and Michelle. Both need to get a life, better yet why don’t you donate some of that money you have been making! But please think twice if you plan on giving Rev. Wrights church. We will find out!

I agree with you Sharon. This post seems to attract some of the most biased and unbalanced comments I have ever seen. There are so many haters. It is alright to hold your view, but can’t you be less personal? My take on all this is as follows; Obama haters never had much to hate him for before, but now in the post-Wright era, anything goes!

The more I see and hear of Michelle Obama the more I don’t like her, is this really going to be the first lady, she needs to tone it down, she’s just giving the election to the republicans.

Ok. So only the Obama’s can talk about race. Only the Obama’s can help with the “race issues”. Clinton mentions how she would not have had a Paster like Wright—-suddenly the Obama camp yells at her for mentioning it— HUH?…. No one else can talk about this stuff but them?….. One speech does not negate the issue. ( if that was the answer MLK’s speech should have done it—NOT OBAMA’s !!)…oh please…

This was from Jan. 08. At least since the Wright controversy, she’s more reticent and cautious. On the You Tube link, in her typical manner, she chastises her listeners while offering the redemptive hope of her husband. Hopefully, her rhetoric will stay toned down.

Anything, anything, anything to bring Michelle and Barack Obama down. The media and others will do anything… Yea, this is America, but I have forgotten how beautiful America is, because our racism and bigotry is just plain ugly. It has stained us to the core of our ignorance.
We love you Michelle Obama, because you are one of the most beautiful American women.

To view people and situations critically is not demonizing. It’s expressing an opinion. I think Michelle Obamo has a way to go in presenting herself as first lady material. For one thing, she really wasn’t carrying off the 1960ish Jackie Kennedy look too well.

Bill38112,
If the church that you attend is racially mixed- beyond having a few blacks or whites, then your church is truly in the minority. Both whites and blacks agree that the most segregated hour in America is 11am on Sunday.
Trinity’s mission statement is about celebrating black people. The church is open to all people. Afrocentric is not racist. However, I am finding out that many white people think that any thing celebrating black people is anti-white. That is simply not true!

I don’t like McCain at all but I will never vote for Obama. I will protest against Obama if he is the nominee. He will make this country and this world just like the church he has attended for the past 20 years –hate filled. I know a lot of you Obama supporters would like that.

Michelle Obama is a racist and Anti-American. I would be too if I had listened to Rev. Wright for 20 years.

Josie, I fully realize that the CLIPS that have circulating on the internet of Rev Wright are hateful. However, they are clips. I have listened to the full sermons associated with the clips. Rev Wright said some things in those clips that I do not agree with. However, some of the things were true. The much maligned clip of the 9/11 sermon turned out to be a beautiful sermon. He was quoting a former ambassodor when he talked about “chickens coming home to roost”. The media showed that part- knowing that it would garner attention and anger people. But they did not say that Rev Wright was quoting someone. They did not show him praying for the victims. They did not show him calling for himself and the congregation to come closer to God and each other as a result of this “tragedy” (his words). Why is the media not required to report on the this story with balance and responsibility?
People can not assume to know this man or this church w/o doing some research. How many of us really want to be judged based on the actions of our worst days?

Geez, Michelle, and I thought you said you were really proud of America. Just words.
How dare she lecture America. What arrogance! She and Barack chose to do nothing about the hate speech that was spewed by “Uncle” Jeremiah for years and years, and now they want to lecture America and say that we are ignorant?
I reject that kind of politics. And so will America.

As I type I am asking the Lord to guide my words.
Michelle’s words struck so deeply in me— not just because I find it to be identical to my experience, but also that she was willing to say it in front of “other” people. These are the conversations that black people are having in America and truth be told, these are the conversations that white, latino and asian people are having too, if they ever think about the subject– at least they were in the highschool and colleges I attended. As a black woman who grew up in the Midwest as a daughter of two hard Christian working blue collar (and later college- educated) Southerners who lived through segregation and Jim Crow I have always been taught that love and tolerance is the key to change BUT that being realistic about the world I was facing was the only way to survive. When I was younger and came home crying because my white classmates had called me out of my name, told me my hair was nappy, told me I was too “white” to really be black, told me I was too smart to really be black, asked me if my mother was really my mother because she was “really dark” (which is funny because she’s so not) or asked how I “got such long hair”– when I came home and brought all this to my mother she said, “Do not hate people because they are ignorant. Pray for them. But do not succumb to their ignorance. You are not inferior. You are beautiful. You are smart and deserve to be here.”
This is the message that is prevalent in most black churches. That is afrocentric. There are so many places where we are not represented– in tv, in magazines, at school, in our jobs. In these places were are told our natural hair isn’t professional, our music is ignorant, our people are to blame for their lot in life…the list goes on, and it is hard to not feel inferior. Afrocentric is not anti-white. It is a lesson in self-love. I have heard for years and continue to read that when black people want more people blacks in media, more blacks in representative gov’t, more blacks in leadership roles, there is a contention of white people who say, “You want it so bad, then go get your own.” But when we do, go get our own universities, churches, tv channels, clothing lines, music labels, magazines….it is called separtist and racist. The message in most of these black churches is not “no white people”– I go to a church of more than 5000 and at least 1000 members are white– the message is, “black people you can be yourself here.” Now, we talk about hate speech– It is HATE for what we encounter on a regular basis. It is not hate for the people who, sometimes ignorantly, radiate racism. Even at 25 I have encountered both blatant and systematic racism in the deep South where I attended undergrad and in the Midwest where I graduated from law school and attend grad school. In hick towns and metropolis’. And it makes me ANGRY– but to avoid stooping to the level of my transgressors I vent in and to my circle of peers and in my church home. Rev. Wright’s message is not one of HATE for white people as a whole. It is disdain for a culture of “white america” that continues to be stuck in the past. There is the same disdain for “black folks” who won’t let go of that same past. Please don’t pretend like you don’t know (or haven’t yourself) anyone who has every said “black people” in the context of something negative and did not mean ALL black people. I wouldn’t call you or that person racist if you meant some black people. People feel comfortable doing that when they are with people of the same race because it is accepted and the context is understood. This is what Michelle was referring to. We all might have friends outside our race but feel more comfortable with those who are from the same “experience”. This does not ring true for all people, but I for the vast majority of Americans is does. THAT IS AMERICA! Why is it exclusive to America—because we are such a melting pot. There is no nation in the world who COULD have so many segregate groups because the populations simply do not exist. The outliers would just join in with other groups. For most black people who are dealing in the present and seeing racism on a regular basis (and b/c of circumstances alot of black people don’t) the need to talk about it is vital to our sanity. Michelle’s comments are so true. I recently befriended a white guy at work. He’s never really been around black people, even though he went to a college where at least 25% of the population is black. I am a very candid person and asked him straight out why he’d never had any black friends. He said, “I didn’t think I understood black people and we (white kids) just had our own group. They (blacks) had their own group. The asians did too. It’s like that everywhere.” He even discussed having negative feelings about the white kids who hung out with or dated black people. Then I asked him, “Why do you like me. I’m black and I hang out with mostly black people.” His response was, “I think if I knew more black people like you, I would have more (black) friends.” Did he mean “educated”, “non-ghetto” or those who don’t seem “angry”. “Yeah” he said. I thought for a second and said, “I do get angry, but I don’t let it consume me- but believe me when I am in private I VENT!” It isn’t fake or phony of Barack and Michelle to want change but also acknowledge reality. It isn’t hypocritical for them to go to a place that has been the sounding board and a place to vent in the black community since blacks have been in America. It doesn’t mean that they support EVERYTHING being said in the church, but it is understandable to me at least that they wouldn’t run away from a few sermons because they made them a bit uncomfortable when they feel like it is one of the only places to where true understanding is attained. They didn’t throw the baby out with the dishwater—. I know this is long. But is just saddens me that truth and candor such as Michelle’s will never be understood by some people because it will always be taken out of context— And this is because the context in where it is so “on point” is so far away from the context in which it comes off as condescending and racist. The only way to bridge that gap between the two worlds is to be OPEN and UPFRONT about it. If you don’t want change— please be honest enough to admit it. If you do, please stop condemning people for taking the makeup off and showing true faces. It is a humbling experience and it is scary and it will be for awhile if America is really going to be the great nation it could be—. But eventually WE can get past all of this– and the “thems” won’t be black people or white people (or asian, latino or those of middle-eastern descent)— We will shake our heads in disgust and pity at THEM, those who were too ignorant and scared to confront the truth and work to move past it. And for the poster who is in your senior year in college— you might have a mixed group of friends but there are both whites and blacks who wouldn’t hang with you for that very reason– they aren’t racist– they just aren’t comfortable.

I think that so many people are over-simplifying the Obamas’ relationship with Rev. Wright. Is he wrong? YES, in a lot of ways. Is his attitude full of irrational fervor, paranoia and hate? YES. Is any of it based on truth, proven by history? YES. Tuskeegee Experiments- Black men were knowledgeably allowed to progressively deteriorate from a disease that they thought they were being treated for by a government sanctioned, funded and managed clinic. The original breaking of the levees in New Orleans, not the Katrina version but the version where the government intentionally blew up the levees and flooded the Ninth Ward to protect the more affluent areas of New Orleans. Did both of these events happen? YES.
LOOK people. Obama is close to this man like family, but please name a single person that doesn’t have a family member who harbors political, religious or just general life views that they don’t agree with his or her self. I’m sure that plenty of the people jumping on the ‘Obama is bad because he has a familial relationship with a person with bad views’ band wagon have the exact same problem. I know for a fact that one white young man that I openly dated had family members that use the N word. Did he? NO. Did he agree with them using it? NO. If he did I’m sure he wouldn’t have been dating me. But back to the main point, when you accept people into your family you accept the good, the bad and the ugly. You can’t control family member’s actions. And honestly, I side with Obama in his refusal to abandon one of the only paternal role models and mentors that he has had in his life. If he’d distanced his self from Rev. Wright too quickly people would have been complaining about him lacking loyalty. Because I personally mistrust anyone that spends years with a person and then denies that relationship because the other person has said or done something (excluding criminal acts of course) they didn’t agree with or made them look bad for the blood sucking, mud raking press. The Obamas aren’t necessarily bad people because Uncle Wright said some crazy things in his declining years. Or wait is that explanation only valid for white people and families?