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

My own thoughts:

a) I hope that Michelle continues to be herself, and no one else. If she chooses to step out of the house wearing little or no make up, some will chide her for being ugly, but then to many a woman of her hue whether au natural or looking as if she’d just had a Fashion Fair makeover would still be unacceptable. Perception is reality is the truth and since we as individuals all have varying perceptions we’re never all going to agree on any given subject, including this one.

b) Admin, you’re not the only only one who didn’t know where to begin in addressing the “striking cobra” and “barking like an angry dog” comments. I have rarely seen a fellow human being described in such a stomach dropping fashion and hope I never do again, for frankly it is truly disturbing….

c)Miss Orange, the greatest irony of all is that you are criticising someone for hectoring and haranguing people, scolding, shouting and pouring forth all kinds of negative energy when in my mind’s eye I can picture you with ease doing the very same……

Perhaps, if you were more of an “energetic”, “positive” and “happy” person yourself, you would be less inclined to perceive the opposite of those qualities in Michelle (and most likely others that you don’t wish to “hang out” with….). Just a thought

I have to thank you, though. Through your comments,you’ve given me an even greater appreciation of what Michelle is up against, and my admiration for her is all the greater because of that.

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!

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 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?

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.

1 – Michelle IS NOT angry; she is passionate and strong.
2 – Michelle IS angry; and it is justified.

Well, I can’t exactly tackle both of those arguments at once since they contradict each other, but let’s take Admin:

“I just want you to consider the possibility that what you see as ANGER other people see as passion.”

What to do? I SAID SPECIFICALLY in my post, “A lot is in the eye of the beholder. You see strength, independence, all the things we’re supposedly not ready for. I see anger.”

I don’t know how we’re ever going to get anywhere in this “dialogue on race” that Obama called for if people literally refuse to listen. I’d like to continue the discussion, but is there any point when you read straight past me?