Michelle Obama Watch

maybe he could have just given it to them privately
but then again i don’t really see the harm in it
i remember someone asking him when he was on the campaign trail
how did his children feel about him running for prez
so in a way this letter seemed to be for Sasha and Malia
and for anyone who wanted to know why he would put his family
under a microscope

the magazine asked him to write it, and he did, not a big deal at all. most of it (99% i’d say) is a pretty generic letter to america’s children; chances are slim any of it was written by obama himself and it’s unlikely the girls well ever even see this letter. i find all the people who complain about any mention that the obamas make of their kids to be quite bizarre; i’ve heard people complain that they took their kids to the lincoln memorial or that they share anecdotes about them from their lives. hello, the obamas are parents; why should they be expected to be any different from all other parents who gasp, do in fact tell stories about their kids in their daily lives, and dare to take their kids outside the house; just because they happen to have cameras following them everywhere doesn’t make everything a photo op with some ulterior motive. judging from some people’s reactions, any time we see or hear about the girls, it’s seen as a violation of the obamas’ stated desire for privacy for their kids; that seems like a pretty impossible standard to live by. it’s as though some folks don’t have any understanding of the way the president’s official press pool, and separately the tabloid media works; we haven’t had young kids in the white house in quite a while, and the technology and media culture we live in has changed quite drastically in that time, there’s not as much control as people assume there is. i think most of the people harping on this stuff, simply see whatever motives they want to see in a given situation; it’s an unrealistic expectation for the girls to be completely separated from their parents’ public lives; they are involved parents (something i think everyone encourages) and their kids are the center of their lives (not least because they are young and can’t live independently of their parents), we can’t expect them to disappear into the background because their parents are under a magnifying glass.

Come on folk.

It is an OPEN letter.

The purpose of an OPEN letter is to speak to a wide number of people through your specific letter to one(two) person(people). It is a public declaration of love and appreciation to his daughters for THEIR sacrifice as well as an example of how you include your children in your decision making process while still allowing them to BE children.

I really need yall to lighten up and let that man raise his children.

President Obama knows that he is an extremely highly visible role model for millions of young people of every heritage. His public letter to his daughters is in the tradition of respected and public African American males encouraging their literal and figurative heirs through this form. Check out Letters to a Black Boy by Bob Teague or, more recently, Dru Hill’s books (among others.)

Those who receive support and encouragement from the letter are the ones for whom it is meant.

INKOGNEGRO –

You’re name alone takes away any attention you deserve. Barack should not be “raising” his children in the public eye if he doesn’t want comments about it, period. All the public outrage about the daughters and Mrs. Obama stem from the insane brain washing media coverage that was given to Barack and his family during the campaign and now that he is president, it is even worse.

Here is the truth of the matter Michelle dresses ugly and needs braces on her teeth, they kids need to stay out of the news (good or bad) because they are kids and should therefore be off limits. If Michelle didn’t dress ugly and classless she wouldn’t get talked about. For all of you out there, take an simple ettiquete class and you will learn that Michelle is classless.

She has already proven herself to be the worst and most classless first lady in the history of our nation, hopefully her next 3 years and 10 months will be a little better!!!!