He may be president now, but Barack Obama says he’s a black man who has been mistaken for the valet and worries his daughters could face stereotypes.
“There’s no black male my age, who’s a professional, who hasn’t come out of a restaurant and is waiting for their car and somebody didn’t hand them their car keys,” Obama told People magazine in an interview out Wednesday. That happened to him, he said.
First lady Michelle Obama said her husband also once was mistaken for a waiter at a black-tie party and asked for coffee. She said even when she went to Target as first lady, a fellow shopper asked her to get something from a shelf.
“I think people forget that we’ve lived in the White House for six years,” she said. “Before that, Barack Obama was a black man that lived on the South Side of Chicago, who had his share of troubles catching cabs.”
The first couple spoke about their experiences with racism amid protests nationwide over the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in State Island, New York. Mrs. Obama said they have long talked to their girls about racism and the issues that have been raised in the wake of the two men’s deaths.
“These conversations aren’t new to us,” she said. “I mean, when you’re raising black kids you have to talk about these issues because they’re real.”
The president said his daughters have grown up in a time of enormous progress and take for granted that it makes no sense to treat someone differently for their race, sexual orientation or disability. He said he and the first lady remind them that prejudices are still there and that they should reflect on any hidden biases they may have, including about themselves as black girls. “We don’t want them to be constrained by any of these stereotypes,” he said.
“So when something like Ferguson or the Trayvon Martin case happens, around the dinner table we’re pointing out to them that too often in our society black boys are still perceived as more dangerous or riskier, they get less benefit of the doubt, and that it will be part of their task, their generation’s task, to continue to try to eradicate some of those old stereotypes,” Obama said.
The president said although racial relations have gotten better, more progress is needed.
“The small irritations or indignities that we experience are nothing compared to what a previous generation experienced,” Obama said. “It’s one thing for me to be mistaken for a waiter at a gala. It’s another thing for my son to be mistaken for a robber and to be handcuffed, or worse, if he happens to be walking down the street and is dressed the way teenagers dress.”
(AP)
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15 Responses
Dr. Ben Carson ( a well known Baltimore African American surgeon, who is a possible Republican candidate in 2016) tells a similar story about being mistaken for a hospital orderly (when he was a young resident). How he reacted to it, and how Obama reacted to being mistaken for a stereotype, probably explains most of the differences between the “Red” and “Blue” approaches to politics. Obama gets all twisted, and Carson enjoyed proudly explaining he was the physician.
As we all know, discrimination is a constant, and if you it become the focus of you life you won’t be able get get on with living your life.
so what. It happens to all people.he is just a race baiter. The president is acting like a 15 year old punk. Nothing is good enough for him.
Even worse — he’s been mistaken as a president….
The poor downtrodden persecuted Obama’s are just oozing with phoniness. Their children will be protected/shielded for the rest of their lives. They will have 24/7 security until their dying day. As children of the President of the United States, they will never ever experience any “racism” in their lives. No one will ever G-d forbid ask them for a favor to take something down from a top shelf when they go “shopping”. The Obama’s are such arrogant condescending self aggrandizing gold diggers.
Hey Barakie baby,
You aren’t even smart enough to do a good job of cleaning the toilets in a men’s prison, let alone running our country. That is unless you are judged favorably on running our country into the ground.
Obama would make a far better valet than President.
A valet would be a step up for him.
Of course “black boys are still perceived as more dangerous or riskier” – Their crime rate is considerably higher.
The level of ignorance displayed in comments 1 – 7 is so high that I would suggest to the YWN editors that they consider taking down the comments, or the whole news article, rather than allow their readers – at least the small portion who post comments – to further disgrace themselves, lest it spill over to any portion of the Jewish community.
nfgo3: So you approve of Obama’s “chip on the shoulder” attitude, and disapprove of Carson’s “enjoy their shock and get on with it” approach.
and how do you deal with prejudice? Do you keep to a narrow “ghetto” to avoid the problem (no goyim around, no anti-semitism – never go more than a few blocks from 13th Ave).? You never encounter someone who is shocked to find an orthodox Jew who is other that a semi-literate(in western languages and culture) doing something other than schnorring, retailing or being a rabbi?
Obama’s reaction is understandable, but it shows him to be a unable to truely change things (and remember, he looks black but was raised in a totally non-black environment). Carson (who was raised as an inner city lower class black) is probably the more reasonable way to address the problem of functioning in a society with much discrimination.
I will NOT be a shnorrer in B.P. I will shop monthly at Grand Silver and eat at Amnons Pizza daily. I would hire Obama even now, as a lame duck, he could valet my car from grocery, to fish monger, to Eichlers for my oil and wicks. Don’t feel bad, was mistaken for Michelle once. Must have been the ends of my sheitel. Need a new conditioner..
lol @ nfgo3,
dont you just love democrats
oh the sean hannety show, they brought up a good point about this, that how can michelle, surrounded by secret service, who has everything scripted, have something like this happen (additionally, i dont see anything racist about that comment, is asking for help racist?)
I have to agree with #9. I’m not a fan of our current president either, but seriously?
I’m not sure he’d make a better valet. Does he even know how to park a car?
We know the moochele story isn’t true because she used the same story a few years ago with only very slight changes.
This whole premise is bull!! I’ve been asked to take something down from a high shelf, did the person think i was an eved in mitzrayim? NO, I WAS TALLER!!!!
I’m sick and tired of their complaining all the time. GEVALD, YOU’RE THE STINKING PRESIDENT HUSH ALREADY WITH YOUR SHTUSIM!!