So some of you are now discovering what I’ve known for a while, people on the internet can say some pretty mean and hateful things about Sasha and Malia Obama. Some of you have posted links to other sites in the comments section. I hope this post explains why those links haven’t made any of our posts. The attacks on the weeMichelles will only continue over the course of the summer as they are seen out in public with their parents. In addition, the Drudge Report is basically a gatekeeper for mainstream media. Sorry, its the truth. He opens up a topic for discussion and then mainstream media will eventually run with it.
You can dislike the Drudge Report, but don’t be whimsical about its influence. The Drudge Report is the modern day version of Pandora’s Box. When he put up the photo of Malia Obama’s t-shirt, he opened a door and eventually others in MSM will follow. The blogosphere already has.
Some people have even suggested that we start a blog just about attacks on the weeMichelles, I personally find the thought of an entire blog about a 7 and 11 year-old creepy. Sure we post about them occasionally here, but the extent of the posts tend to be “Oh look. Adorable. YAY!” and then we move on. Almost always, the post is in relation to their public appearance with their Mom. So I don’t see the need to have an entire blog to serve as a big ol’ repository of all the hateful things people have to say about little kids.
To be honest, I shelter this blog’s readership a great deal. I let comments that are critical of First Lady Michelle Obama through as long as they don’t contain epithets, references to certain animals, and overt sexual references. I have a different standard for nasty comments addressing the weeMichelles by name and I have noticed that now that Sasha and Malia are out of school and being photographed more often, that a line which was not crossed before was breached. I think that will only get worse with the Drudge Report feature on Malia Obama’s shirt. Basically that signaled that what had remained the province of message boards and blog comments sections went above the fold. So you can expect more criticism of an 11 year-old and a 7 year-old in the mainstream media as well. So then the question becomes how do we cover that HERE?
One day, if they aren’t already, they are going to Google themselves and I want the top search engine results to be “Oh look. Adorable YAY!” not the mean and hateful things people have said about them.
I have no intention of not reading the Drudge Report or that progressive website y’all know I can’t stand due to their naked sexism and racism disguised as post-racialism. Why read them? Because its pretty hard to have a website dedicated to monitoring “media” about the First Lady and not read some of the most popular news aggregation sites online. That’s like not reading an intelligence estimate.
So making the call on what to post about the First Lady is easy. The weeMichelles not so much. I think children should be adored and not obsessed over. I think you can still cover media coverage of them, but in their role as the children of the First Lady of the United States. What say you?
Posted by Gina
14 Comments, Comment or Ping
Bea
Leave the children alone. Adults who attack children in this venue have the mindsets of children! “Mean Girls” is the typical example of this. Most people use blogs and comments to spew hatred and vile and that has no place for objectivity and the real point of the article, blog, etc. Ignorance needs to take a permanent holiday.
Jul 13th, 2009
rikyrah
thanks for the explanation.
Jul 13th, 2009
Dana
Gina, you have explained your reasoning very clearly and I certainly respect your foresight.
I’m very sure all the Obamas appreciate what you’ve accomplished already with MOW.
Jul 13th, 2009
Anne
I respect each of our positions on this matter. I did just post the hatred because the international press is picking it up. I quoted Vancouver and Ireland. The Irish newspaper used huge type, to quote the words; I’ve never seen this ever. Gawker had it yesterday; MSNBC ran a piece today.
Also, I think it’s tough to be taken seriously as responsible media outlets when we don’t follow what’s a developing story. Sorry if I offend any of you for running the story, For African Americans — even moreso than me — it must be just disgusting and hurtful to read this trash. I do believe in monitoring the opposition, however. Anne
Jul 13th, 2009
Cee Cee
Gina,
I am liking the way you are reporting on the First Lady and the little ones that is why ever since I found your blog I keep coming back. So put me done as a NO in the separate blog about negative reports on the Obamas. There is no need for that since there are so many right-wing blogs doing that already. I specifically come here to read about events Mrs. Obama is up to as the First Lady (which I can’t find anywhere else if there is no drama connect to it).
Jul 13th, 2009
A. Darton
As you know I am in the corner of the First Lady 100%, and I hate any lowlife who will go after a 11 and 8 year old child. I have never said anything negative about Sarah Palin’s kids. And I think there are right wing people who disagree with the President, but they do not fine it necessary to attack the President and his Family. Then there are the right wing Haters, who only gold in life is to put down this African-American Family. It is their racists hate which fuel them. It really take lowlifes to go after kids. But I come to this blog not to see alot of bull, if that is what I’m going to get I will no longer come here. It is your choice to do as you please. I guess you try to set the record straight, when those racists idiots spread their hate. I thank you for that.
Jul 13th, 2009
Aminah Hanan
I say no to a separate blog for the weeMichelles. I agree that when they Google their names the top search should be something positive. They deserve to have childhoods that are free of scrutiny and dissection. To focus on them would only add fuel to the haters fire and give them a place to dump their garbage and I can’t agree to that. As a woman I will always say hands off the children, no matter their parents.
Jul 13th, 2009
kimya
I wish I could agree with the rest of you people but, not so, well if you are going to write about the WEE MICHELLE’S , you write the good and the bad! and yes, we want to cover up the ugly as if it doe’s not exist, but, we have two little AFRICAN AMERICAN girl’s living in the WHITE HOUSE, and this is HISTORY!
Now most of you say”oh let’s just dismiss the fact that, these little girl’s are under attack! and yes I pray that the WEE MICHELLE’S will never run up on the DRUDGE REPORT! but if they do, I hope they will find a WEBSITE that will stand against all the EVIL, VILE, thing’s that are being said about them.
I will bet you that the PRESIDENT and FIRST LADY know about every mean vicious thing that has been written about them, and when they find out that AFRICAN AMERICAN’S are outraged, I’m sure that they feel assured that, we are looking out for them, we can voice our opinion about the attack’s on their family, but they cannot, they have to take it all in and pretend as if everything is just find, but, it is not.
Jul 13th, 2009
admin
Um Kimya its not the Drudge report site people are referring to http://gawker.com/5312952/hate-speech-against-malia-obama-on-conservative-blogs-reported-by-hate-speech-planting-journalist
Jul 13th, 2009
susan marr
Of course this type of thing will continue to happen and get worse, it shows what Black people have always said that there are people out there who will hold onto prejudice, hatred and racism against us. It is even sadder when they pick on the children who are innocent but this is the country we live in where people still refuse to grow up and act like adults.
Jul 14th, 2009
DIANE LONG
I SAID IT ONCE AND I’LL SAY IT AGAIN; PEOPLE NEED TO LEAVE THE CHILDREN OUT OF THINGS. I ALSO SAID THAT WHEN THE MEDIA WAS DISCUSSING GOV PALENS CHILDREN AND LATE NIGHT TELEVISION MORONS WERE TALKING SLEAZY ABOUT HER 14 AND 18 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER’S. I DO NOT CARE WHAT COLOR A PERSON IS; “ATTACKING THEIR CHILDREN” SHOULD NOT BE TOLERATED; THIS WILL A CAN COURSE SOMEONE TO GET HURT IF YOU SAY THE WRONG THING AND THAT CHILD’S FATHER IS STANDING THERE. “CUT IT OUT” LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. GOD IS NOT PLEASED WITH PEOPLE ATTACKING CHILDREN. A CHILD IS SOMEONE WHO IS UNDER 21 YEARS OLD SO KEEP ALL YOUR COMMENETS TO YOURSELF!!
Jul 14th, 2009
kimya
The WEE MICHELLE’S were being attacked on the FREE REPUBLIC as well as other racist website’s.
Jul 14th, 2009
Janice
Simple, just don’t cover the negative. Let the negative posters do their own evil leg work; when we give out sites or visit their sites, we give them undue credability.
Don’t even mention the name of the sites; when you do, you are giving them free advertisement.
Do not read “junk”; it becomes a part of you.
Jul 15th, 2009
DeloresT
We must continue to pray for the president and his family. If America doesn’t care for his actions, they can vote him out in 2012. Let’s especially pray that the kids will continue to be the kind, intelligent kids that they appear to be.
Jul 15th, 2009