"The angry black man" racist meme... does this influence President Obama at all ?

[steve2470]

I read during the 2008 campaign that it did influence his public persona. Was that incorrect ?

[NOLALady]

1. Who knows?

Probably.

[Blue Meany]

2. My middle-class black friends keep telling me that is exactly

why he isn't doing all the things that progressives would like. They say "a black man just can't get away with that..." I tend to think they are at least partly right, but even if they are wrong the fact that they *know* he can't do these things is very telling.

[gateley]

5. I would agree with your friends - it seems so cut and dried to those

of us who HAVEN'T suffered from racial discrimination. We tend to view him as just our Prez, too many people (I've been appalled to witness) view him as That Black Man Who Has No Right To Try To Tell Me How To Run My Life.

:(

[indurancevile]

11. The majority of the US population voted for him. If he can't act on his campaign promises out of

fear of being painted "an angry black man" then he shouldn't have run. And personally, I think this is just a talking point.

[gateley]

18. The fact that he got such an overwhelming majority of votes made it

all the more shocking to me observing the level of racism and hatred that is out there for him.

If you're not Black, ask a Black person if it's "just a talking point".

[indurancevile]

20. racism exists. that's not the reason for the disaffection with obama. regardless of the psyops.

[gateley]

24. It's not the reason for the dissatisfaction with those of us who aren't

racist, it's the DRIVING reason for the dissatisfaction with those who are.

[indurancevile]

27. your argument is that some people are racist? so what? they were just as racist

when more than half the voters picked obama. what's changed?

[mazzarro]

26. I agree with them on that; but the thing I don't know is

why has he not done a gentlemanly thing and quit the job when he realize that he has become jammed in and can no longer do what he promised during his campaign.

[Poll_Blind]

3. When his fellow Democrat addressed rumors of Obama's alleged Muslim religious faith by saying:

"No, no,...there's nothing to base that on. As Far As I Know."

...then you have to be careful about just every damned thing you do. So, yes, I'd say. I'd also say that he's a pretty cool customer, naturally, anyway. Though he can lose his cool- there was an instance on the Senate floor where he was really angry with Joe Lieberman and basically pulled him by the cuff to a private space where he could give him a piece of his mind.

Hillary Clinton: "As Far As I Know"

PB

[sasha031]

4. how I wish we had a angry black man in the WH

[gateley]

7. We would get even less accomplished. WE would like it if

he was an ass-kicker, but THEY wouldn't see him as being strong, they'd view him as "uppity". (Hope I didn't offend anyone by using that word, but I honestly think that's how they would respond, and a BIG part of why they're so anti-Obama.:()

[Mosaic]

13. Let's analyze that word

Some whites think they are superior and that they are "up", so if a black man thinks, rightly so, he is their equal he is just trying to go "up".

We are all equal, no one is trying to go up. Before the "whites" lived in the northern parts of earth, the mongoloid race had already been in those place for thousands of years. No one is superior, whites came from monkeys just as much as anyone else.

Please never use that word again.

[gateley]

19. Boy, I apologized if it offended anyone but you are way off telling

me to "never use that word again". I'm stunned by your thinking you have the right to tell anyone how/what to say. Wow.

Your explanation of equality among races falls way short. Looks good on paper, and it's what most of us feel and believe, but in reality human beings have always been tribal and felt threatened by others outside of their tribe.

You don't have to convince ME that we're all equal, believe me.

And apparently, you didn't understand the meaning of my message.

[jwirr]

22. He was not saying he agrees with that word merely that there are

people who still think that way. We need to face the fact that the enemies of MLK are still alive and kicking and they hate our president not because of his actions but simply because he is black and in THEIR opinion not worthy. It is a terrible attitude and is injurious to the whole human kind. To not recognize this is to stick our heads in the sand and assume this damn world is doing just fine.

[treestar]

6. I think Obama's personality is just the way it is

He's not a table pounder. He's cool and in control. IMO this country needs more of that. We have the media and plenty of people with hair on fire - such people never handle anything well. People who get excited or emotional easily don't get things done or don't do them well.

[jwirr]

23. I have been saying that about the debt ceiling debate for a while

but I certainly hope I am right.

[Iggo]

8. Fun fact: He's been black his whole life.

:hi:

[AndyTiedye]

9. He Must Avoid It At All Costs, or the Mighty Slime Machine Would Destroy Him

[Stardust]

10. Makes sense to me. It's about the only thing that does. The racists in America

would not tolerate it and would be even more outraged than they are now. More fodder for the bloviating blatherers on Fox Boobs.

[undeterred]

12. Obama is the least angry black or white man I've ever seen.

I thought perhaps he was being very careful never to let an angry side show just because he could be characterized that way. But to my knowledge nobody has ever seen him really angry. I mean, when he's angry, he's still calm and controlled. That's just the way he is.

[steve2470]

14. I agree with you

I think with all the BS that the R's and the RW have thrown at him, I would have lost my **** at least once in public. I'm glad he's President and not me.

[Mosaic]

15. The President is Black

He is human, and yes he will get mad sometimes.

Deal with it.

Get used to it, from anyone of color.

[provis99]

25. Obama has never gotten mad. That's the fucking problem.

He's a caving marshmallow.

[Raine]

30. Deal with what?? He Never gets mad, that's just it. nt

[certainot]

16. the right dominates media so they get it both ways- he can't look weak/timid/uncertain either

[loyalsister]

17. I think so

People here really need to read what he has written. He consciously set out to learn what it means to be a black man in this country.
He essentially learned to be a black man in his early adult years. He explicitly stated that part of his growth was experimenting with "black anger." He found out where it would lead if he were to behave like a stereotype. He knows he benefitted from having to option to reject a disposition, rather than to try to eliminate it. Taking that lesson is one thing that hugely contributed to his success. (Social success, academic success, etc). He is heavily invested in "eradicating the slander that says a black kid with a book is acting white"
Anyone knows that you try to put forward a good impression when you go to a job interview. He is being watched that way every day of his presidency because so many people are locked into their stereotypes. I believe that they are baiting him with some of the most absurd accusations imaginable hoping he will show his "true black self."

[H2O Man]

21. I think that this

is a very real part of why he presents in public as he does. I think that this,his advisors, and his personality/nature, combine to produce the President Barack Obama that the public sees.

[yurbud]

28. it has nothing to do with personality--it's about who has the money to buy influence

or buy a bullet if he doesn't follow their orders.

[Raine]

29. I just wish he would get angry, I've never seen anyone

who comes that close to having ice water in his veins. Obama never gets mad, if only he would. :argh: