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That's why he was presumptively awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Each individual is responsible for changing his or her mentality. Not sure why people thought electing a President of mixed heritage would cure a destructive ideology that has polluted this nation for centuries.
I listened to to the entire speech. She wasn't whinning or preaching hate and division. She told those kids what the reality of their situation is and urged them to rise above it. Most of the posts on this thread simply reinforce the fact that there is a racist element that forever exists in some people in this country, and you never know under what circumstances you will encounter it, but it is still there and for the foreseeable future always will be.
I do not to support Obama's policies, I think he follows a different political philosophy than I do. But I don't hate him and his wife, don't think they are closeted Muslims trying to destroy America, I don't refer to the First Lady as Moochelle. I respectfully disagree with their vision for the country, but I do want to emphasize "respectfully."
It's sad other are so blinded by hate, they cannot see what their hateful rhetoric makes them look like to others.
This was not a one-off, this was not just one time where Michelle or her husband characterized the US population as nothing but a bunch of nasty, mean, racial bigots, religious bigots, class bigots, misogynistic homophobes, etc... It's a running theme thru most all of the Obama's public speeches.
That is what she did here, she characterized you and me, and the entire population, as nothing but a pack of racists. Apparently, poor Michelle and Barack suffer the sting of indignities of our daily racial slights.
The racists are so bad out there, that poor little black kids, living less than a mile from museum, are not welcome there, including poor Michelle.
“And growing up on the South Side of Chicago, I was one of those kids myself. So I know that feeling of not belonging in a place like this. And today, as first lady, I know how that feeling limits the horizons of far too many of our young people.”
You college grads need not worry, brave Michelle will teach you how she "learned to block" us out. Oh we are still there, still the mean nasty racists that we are, still dishing out our daily sting of racial indignities and preventing kids form entering museums, but she's just learned to block us out; and you too can learn to block us out. See, a very uplifting speech by the First Lady, yes indeed.
You can certainly make that argument. Get rid of any kind of AA, 'hate' crimes (they're just crimes now), Black History month, discrimination suits, school quotas, etc. People will still think in terms of race, as it's probably the single strongest way to form up groups, but get the government 100% out of it.
A tricky upcoming thing will be advances in DNA (and similar) technologies. Let's say you can predict that someone is much more likely to be a criminal or a genius due to a cheek swab, what now?
It really is shameful that most people who preach and riot against racism are actually PROMOTING it in their own ways. They don't realize this. Bad publicity or fighting a cause is still promoting the cause.
This is akin to starting a war to make peace; it doesn't work like that. To get peace, be peaceful. Starting a war for peace only escalates the issue and it'll never go away, you're only creating more wars.
The word classy should NEVER be used
in the same sentence as any of the Obama's.
Ever.
They've done more damage than Bush....
And I didn't think that was possible.
It consistently amazes how blind some people are to reality.
First, the conservative tribune's interpretation of the Flotus'es words is way off.
They couldn't let those words stand on their own, they have to explain what she really means using this irrational focus on white people(two words the First Lady never uttered).
The message she had was hopeful. It was the very message that conservatives say they want which was you have to define who you are as a person and strive despite how many others will see you, despite racism.
This is the basic divide on her speech as I see it.
Any black person that stands in front of other black people and says racism is irrelevant will have zero credibility with that audience.
For many other Americans, they find this extremely upsetting and want her to say racism is nearly gone in America, look at me and my husband.
But the statistics overwhelmingly support/prove that racial discrimination in jobs, housing, criminal justice system, etc is rampant in America.
Black Americans know this cause they live it everyday.
Many other Americans seem to be upset when a prominent black American acknowledges their own life experiences in which racial discrimination plays a role.
This is a weird and controlling desire in those Americans because they seem to want define black Americans' lives while ignoring what black Americans say about their own life experiences.
The real question is for those who insist racism is irrelevant, what statistics about American life are they using to reach that conclusion?
In America, there are huge gigantic racial inequities across the board in all areas of American life.
The likelihood that huge, widespread and across the board gigantic racial inequities would continue to exist in America given its structure and history without racism being the cause, is non-existent.
What this woman doesn't understand is, white people have doors closed on them .. she thinks white people are born with every door opening and everything going great. It doesn't . Far from it.. only difference is, we don't blame it on being white!!
And I might add Police stop white people, give them tickets, and can be very militant towards whites when doing their job. Blacks think they get a hard time because they are black.. whites experience the same..
Mrs. Obama sat in a black power church and heard all the negative G D America for twenty years about how bad blacks have it.. it is no wonder she is negative!
The barriers and obstacles that get in people's ways can be numerous, you simply learn to go around them, overcome them, and break them down.
People can treat you poorly because they are resentful, biased, prejudiced, bigoted against you, even if you are the same exact race as them, but you don't let it eat away at you.
A small minority of people might get in your way, and cause you grief, because they allow their petty emotional hangups to intrude into their professional life. Maybe you are prettier then they, maybe you are smarter or more industrious then they, maybe they just look down on you because of your politics, religion, height, weight or unattractiveness, who knows, but for Michelle to focus only on racial bigotry was sad and pathetic.
If you are going to ask people to look within and find the strength to rise above any of the obstacles in life, then use generic terms. The challenges in life are not limited to just your skin color. Overcoming the challenge of building the next life saving drug will not be overcome simply by blocking our racism.
If you are going to give an uplifting speech to overcome adversity you certainly should not turn that commencement speech into a public, poor little me scree, vomiting out an avalanche of the perceived racial slights and indignities you feel were unjustly foisted upon you in your life.
I listened to to the entire speech. She wasn't whinning or preaching hate and division. She told those kids what the reality of their situation is and urged them to rise above it. Most of the posts on this thread simply reinforce the fact that there is a racist element that forever exists in some people in this country, and you never know under what circumstances you will encounter it, but it is still there and for the foreseeable future always will be.
So she had to tell them the reality of their situation? In other words, tell them what to think.
It consistently amazes how blind some people are to reality.
First, the conservative tribune's interpretation of the Flotus'es words is way off.
They couldn't let those words stand on their own, they have to explain what she really means using this irrational focus on white people(two words the First Lady never uttered).
The message she had was hopeful. It was the very message that conservatives say they want which was you have to define who you are as a person and strive despite how many others will see you, despite racism.
A speech about racism was not appropriate for a commencement speech. If she wants to discuss racism in America, find a different venue. Just by attending the school and graduating, those students have made great achievements and they deserved better than that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Iamme73
Any black person that stands in front of other black people and says racism is irrelevant will have zero credibility with that audience.
It's not all about race and skin color. Anyone who stands in front of other people and says their attractiveness, intelligence, weight, height, mannerisms, accent, ethnicity, religion, politics, etc.. , "is irrelevant will have zero credibility with that audience." to make it about nothing but race was out of place, and inappropriate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Iamme73
For many other Americans, they find this extremely upsetting and want her to say racism is nearly gone in America, look at me and my husband.
Yeah, poor Michelle and Barack, suffering the daily indignities of racial slights.... daily.
there is a place for a discussion about Michelle reciting a long-winded litany of her life-long perceptions of racial slights, but it was not here at a commencement speech.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Iamme73
But the statistics overwhelmingly support/prove that racial discrimination in jobs, housing, criminal justice system, etc is rampant in America.
No, it's not rampant, you just think it is because it's all you know.
Go to a foreign country and see what real racial, religious, ethnic and class bigotry looks like. Most all countries consist of an overwhelming majority of one single race or ethnicity. The USA is a huge melting pot of every race, culture, religion; this is not the norm around the world. Go to country like Japan, where the vast majority are of one race, culture and ethnicity, and live there as a minority to see what bigotry is really like. Or be a Christian in an Islamic state.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Iamme73
The likelihood that huge, widespread and across the board gigantic racial inequities would continue to exist in America given its structure and history without racism being the cause, is non-existent.
And yet we elected a black man as president, twice, and we have prospects of Latinos and blacks and women running for president this time around as well.
There will always be bigots in the world, but to focus on them and pretend they are the majority in this country is ignorant. The Hutu slaughtered the Tutsi, and it did not matter that they were of the same race. Even being the same exact race, bigots will invent tribal bigotry to set them apart from the others.
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See, a very uplifting speech by the First Lady, yes indeed.
