Michelle Obama Watch

OH goodness. I think the issue is WHY is it that the perception is that she’s ANGRY. now to many Black professional women, the stuff about not smiling or appearing angry will sound very familiar even though we are complete strangers. Again, it goes back to your life experience.

I agree I thought the whole, “use Michelle to “humanize” Barack ” tactic was silly and it put her in the role or appearing to tear down her husband. I know that that is not the case, and suspect the campaign put her up to it. If you listen to him today, he is still telling anecdotes about their home life that basically say “Michelle is not impressed” with him. In fact on The View there is some controversy over whether she said he was “pathetic” that is what some people heard.

Joi a lot of people will disagree with you about Michelle looking angry without makeup. I don’t think she was wearing a lot of makeup at the Father’s day speech and she didn’t look angry to me. But again, why is “angry” the word you associate with her?

I am not saying she is perfect, but I think if we deconstruct why she is being viewed in the way she is, that might hold answers for the way we view lots of other Black women.

Joi beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

You see striking Cobra and Angry dog. Oh goodness. I can’t even address that one, I will leave it to other people. I am sure they will have plenty to say.

I just want you to consider the possibility that what you see as ANGER other people see as passion. Passionate oratory is quite common in many cultures, not just Black America.

Black women have access to a full range of emotions, not just passivity and anger.

If she is not your cup of tea, that is fine, I just think that people should consider the fact that they are viewing what she says and does through a lens that makes them uncomfortable with Black women who are not dancing on poles are humming “Amazing Grace.”

When I see her, I think about Fannie Lou Hamer, Shirley Chisholm, and Barbara Jordan. Heck, I think about myself. I talk with my hands I’ve been told.

In the end, I hope that in the times of $5 gasoline, massive flooding in the midwest, rising inflation and foreclosures that you will make your choice for president, whomever that may be, based on his or her policies. Now THAT is what I wish the media would hog tie the candidates down and ask them. Tell me how they plan to get the price of gasoline down to $0.99 or pledge a billion dollars for the development of a hand cranked automobile so you can wind up your car in the morning for 60 seconds and drive for 60 miles. I’d vote for that person.

Miss Orange, I am at least glad that you can recognize us viewing her as being independent and strong, but your views unfortunately are echoed by many people. Black women aren’t nearly as strong as people think we are. Many of them aren’t nearly as strong as they think they have to be. At least we’ve peeled back on layer of the onion…. even if it has my eyes watering.

@Miss Orange,

Thank you for posting that. This is what Michelle is up against. Unbelievable.

half her image problem could be solved with a good video coach — it’s like she doesn’t get that the vehemence required to not look insipid onstage (as seen from the back of the room) is waaaay too much for a tight-focus telephoto lens.

OH thank you so much SNOWDROPSEXPLODES for restoring my faith. i was begginning to think I was the only one and was going to flee my own blog.

If Michelle was not a woman and a Black woman in particular, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion about how she looks or what er body language resembles.

She wouldn’t be getting chided for leaving the house without makeup and she CERTAINLY wouldn’t be called unattractive by complete strangers.

Clearly y’all have never seen CSPAN. Everyday men get up and speak passionately about any number if issues an nobody is telling them to tone it down.

Again, I think those of you who see anger are projecting based on preexisting stereotypes. There is nothing to fear about a Harvard educated attorney. What is she going to do? Write a brief?

Until next week.

Miss Orange, you have got to be kidding me.

If you see anger, it is appropriate in that clip. Would you not be angry if someone accused you of being something you’re not?

However, it is clear to me that she is upset about the comments, she is NOT focusing on how upset those comments made her. Instead she’s letting that energy fuel pride and passion about working class communities and what they can truly achieve.

How is that anything other than commendable.
She could’ve gone a tirade about it. She could’ve talked about how it wounded her and ranted about how untrue it all is, but she didn’t.

I think folks are missing the point though. Yes, white men get angry all the time. Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Lou Dobs, Sean Hannity, or white congressman when they’re making ANGRY passionate speeches about something. We’re use to that. These men are strong and fighting for what they believe in. But women don’t get the same pass. We know this. Like I said, you can argue until your blue in the face – Michelle can NOT afford to continue down this path. Go outside of this blog and onto other message boards. The venom and HATE this woman gets is brutal. My God, I think this country at times is filled with racist bigots. They had no choice but to re-make her image.

Every time Michelle has a misstep – it’s in the news cycle for weeks or months. And clips like this person posted on the comment section, only proves their point. I know you see a strong, intelligent, passionate black woman. Great. Now can you convince the rest of white America. Just like I’m not convincing you that her perception problem is real. You WON’T convince white folks that her anger is passion. They do NOT understand our community. And Michelle isn’t going to change them.

Assimilation is the price you pay for admission.

How odd this all is! I’m white and feminist and of the age where I’d be a typical (college-educated) Clinton supporter. What I see in Michelle Obama is a beautiful, classy woman with smarts! Oh, how I love intelligence! I see her as warm, ambitious, witty, strong (as in possessing “presence”), honest and perceptive. She is, indeed, what this country can produce at its best. I don’t see anger but realize how some people might, particularly in view of the Stepford wife imagery of Republican womanhood.

On the other hand, I wish we’d all stop thinking and caring about appearance and gut feelings and get back to the issues.

I think the discussion above just confirms that the true question really is WHY is she perceived as angry. I watched the clip and I did not see any anger. Just an opinion, a passionate and strong point of view. I agree with snodropexplodes. I have seen every man involved in the run for president display far greater passion and even anger without that anger being attributed to his core personality.
Even if during this speech she were angry. . . and that were the intent, she was discussing personal attacks of elitism and anger would be an appropriate response. Let’s all ask ourselves why are we so uncomfortable with a woman expressing anger. It seems that anytime a woman expresses displeasure in the public arena this is attributed to some personality flaw.
Michelle Obama is not an angry person. But she is entitled to express anger. If she were a man, she would be able to without being told to were make up and please our aesthetic sensibilities

@Miss Orange

It’s not that we’re reading past you, we just don’t agree with you. I’ll give you this, your perception is based on YOUR reality. You feel she’s angry. You have a lot of people that agree with you. So, Michelle is doing something about it. Trust me, you shouldn’t see anymore speeches concerning the issues. She’ll morph into a Cindy McCain – stand behind your husband while gazing lovingly. Michelle is not Hilary. She has NOOOOO desire to run for office nor has she ever marketed herself as a co-president unlike HIlary in the 90s.

I’m sorry but our country sucks donkey balls right now. If people want to focus on Michelle’s anger but NOT our high gas prices, foreclosure rates, 2 wars, trillion dollar deficit, healthcare crisis, food prices, global warming, and natural disasters i.e. Iowa and Katrina then shame on them.

I really think that the people who determine our elections are Cooter and Jimmydean. Jesus helps us all.

JOI,

I deliberately did not address ALL the arguments addressed at me; as I stated, they are contradictory. I chose Admin’s obvious failure to read what I had posted. To recap my exchange with her, I originally posted, “It’s a matter of perception,” and she answered, “You fail to realize that it’s a matter of perception.” In other words, I made a point, and she responded by serving my own point back at me as something I hadn’t considered.

When Admin gets back to me on her (I assume it’s a she) failure to listen, or when someone else here can come up with a good explanation for it, I shall continue our dialogue on race, as Obama instructed us to engage in. I can only take things one point at a time, and this is a point I can’t get beyond. I mean, if you don’t listen to me, why should I even bother?

So basically, these people want Michelle to sit back, shut up, and be pretty for photo-ops ala Cindy McCain, Laura Bush, etc. Hell no!! This woman is an accomplished, professional, educated woman. A hard-working wife and mother. Anyone can see that she and Barack had a true partnership when it came to their family and careers. I’m sorry, but she isn’t some piece of arm-candy, who speaks when spoken to, or walks 10 paces behind her husband (as Cindy McCain, seems to do) she is an accomplished person in her own right. I would say that she’s just an African-American version of Hilary Clinton circa 1992. I’m proud of her accomplishments, and what where she come from, and anyone who isn’t can you know what! Because let’s be honest here, the type of person/voter who will not vote for Obama because of Michelle not being the “right kind” of First Lady for the country pretty much also thinks that Barack Obama isn’t the “right kind” of President for the country either. In other words, I don’t picture this segment of the population going “well I like Barack, but that wife of his a real…”
So let’s not sugar coat what going on here.

All the Obamas’ can do is what they are doing now. Telling Michelle Obama’s story and reintroducing (not making over) her to America. After that, what can they do short of holding a gun to someone’s head, you can’t make them do a damn thing. If they want to like her they will, if they don’t, they won’t simple as that. But Michelle Obama or any other woman candidate/candidate spouse (even Cindy McCain) should not have to demean herself, or downplay her accomplishments to make some probably bigoted idiot vote for her husband.

>>I think first, we need to say there’s nothing wrong with anger. It’s all about how you direct it that matters.

Michelle hectors and harangues Americans for being “mean,” “cynical,” deliberately “divided,” “uninformed, uninvolved,” and cowardly (“Everybody cut and run”). She has the right to be as angry as she wants, and I have the right to dislike her company. Why should I listen to her scolding and shouting and going all negative on me, when I could be hanging out with happy, energetic, positive people who share my love for this country and its people?

NAHJA, thank you very much for your insight!

@NAHJA

u are entitled to your own opinion. . .but i am also african and i saw nothing but a regular looking black mother in michelle obama when i first saw her. . . perhaps u can answer this for me truthfully. . .what did u think of cindy mccain when u first saw her. . .?. . for me those loving gazes at john Mccain seemed too fake a lil bit scripted,a lil bit too rehearsed for t.v. . .non authentic. . .
The problem with Michelle obama (if u can call it a problem),is that she is too authentic…keeps it real for u hip hop heads…and some people just cant deal with that…
U see as an african living in america for 5yrs now i know firsthand how this society subliminally programs u to accept everything white as right. . the reason why i didnt fall was that i have always been a rebel at heart even in africa,.always a non conformer,always willing to think for myself. . .outside the box…for me the african american experience alone is the moral fiber by which america stands,it is the jeckyl and hyde of america…its strength and weakness at the same time..but also when it chooses to do right something the whole world can get comfort from. . .think about it,what seperates America from being just another canada or australia or western europe?. . it is that black experience with the pain and glory that says only in america. . so when next u all choose to judge Michelle obama make sure u do it within that american experience…cheers