Michelle Obama’s Rules Of Assimilation (nytimes Opinion Piece) Do You Agree?

FemmeCreole

Island Gyal
Barack Obama was responding to a question at the MBK Rising town hall when he talked about twerking and chains etc.

While at the “MBK! Rising” conference in Oakland, Calif., last week, a student asked Barack Obama how to change the narrative on how men of color are generally perceived. He answered in the Obama-branded way he usually does when he speaks to large groups of young black men—thoughtful, measured, sincere, witty, and veering towards respectability. (The Q&A starts around the 51 minute mark.)

As he concluded his answer, he remarked that “If you’re very confident about your sexuality, you don’t have to have eight women around you twerking.” This was both a very obvious attempt to provide some levity (he says “twerking” with a performative affect, like he was just advised by a nephew how to pronounce it 15 minutes ago) and the latest example of his disappointing habit of being a bit of a scoldsomething Derecka Purnell articulated in the New York Times last week.

I'm not sure why some folks take this negatively. He was speaking to a room full of young black men. Some of them in the room needed to hear that. We like to task successful black men to use their platform for good. Which black man has more visibility than Barack? Many young men still think that that's what they need to do to be a man.
 
Last edited:

Everything Zen

Well-Known Member
Thank you @FemmeCreole for the link. He was specifically speaking to the general themes of hip hop music- which we discussed on this board ad nauseum. The way this was being characterized I thought he was tongue lashing the Morehouse students themselves to not run around wearing gold chains and have women twerking around them.

I’m still open to a potential condescending attitude in his tone towards black folks but I have yet to see it.
 

Miss_Luna

Well-Known Member
But Michelle is not a millennial... so she is not going to have a millennial's approach to dealing with workplace conflict... Let us know how that worked out for you in thirty years!


I'm 100% aware that Michelle isn't a millennial. I expected some acknowledgement that this happens and wanted to know how she was able to rise above it. If anything, I wanted to get a non-millennial response where I don't have to be snarky or passive aggressive.

The shade is also unnecessary. But, I don't know, check Forbes in 30 years and maybe you'll see how it worked out for me. :drunk:

ETA: You know, I think you've just proven my point. I don't have the answers and I know this, but in order to create success for the next 30 years it would be helpful to get advice and opinions from people that have gone through it, but that is not the case.
 
Last edited:

HappilyLiberal

Well-Known Member
ETA: You know, I think you've just proven my point. I don't have the answers and I know this, but in order to create success for the next 30 years it would be helpful to get advice and opinions from people that have gone through it, but that is not the case.

This is a completely serious response...

Michelle told us how she survived that environment. The problem is that you do not want to follow the path she took and, on top of that, want to criticize her for the choices she made. So, what kind of advice are you looking for since the advice she is giving you is unacceptable?
 

Miss_Luna

Well-Known Member
This is a completely serious response...

Michelle told us how she survived that environment. The problem is that you do not want to follow the path she took and, on top of that, want to criticize her for the choices she made. So, what kind of advice are you looking for since the advice she is giving you is unacceptable?

I think you’ve misread or misinterpreted what I was saying in my criticism of the book.
You are right in that I don’t want to be an attorney or work in the community partnership sector, like Michelle. However, her experience in being a “first” at the many tables she’s been able to sit at is an experience that resonates with me. I wanted to learn how she managed to get through those experiences with her integrity in-tact and how she dealt with the intersectionality of being Black and a woman.

I’ve never criticized any of her life decisions and I would never. She has been successful enough that I want to LEARN from her. The “path” you are mentioning is what I’m trying to follow and what I’m stating I did not find in the book. That was my feedback on the book, not a criticism of her life choices.
 
Last edited:

SoopremeBeing

Well-Known Member
That being said, having proper decorum is certain spaces is not about assimilating IMO. Everything is not for everywhere. Some attitudes and behaviors are toxic and has done nothing to improve the lives of most of the folks who live that life. There is nothing wrong in trying to get people to do better. It’s not about being preached at and it’s not about doing it to appease white folks.

THANK YOU! This is it in a nutshell. But people would prefer to get mad at everyone else, including the Obamas. I don’t get it.
 

SoopremeBeing

Well-Known Member
Barack Obama was responding to a question at the MBK Rising town hall when he talked about twerking and chains etc.

While at the “MBK! Rising” conference in Oakland, Calif., last week, a student asked Barack Obama how to change the narrative on how men of color are generally perceived. He answered in the Obama-branded way he usually does when he speaks to large groups of young black men—thoughtful, measured, sincere, witty, and veering towards respectability. (The Q&A starts around the 51 minute mark.)

As he concluded his answer, he remarked that “If you’re very confident about your sexuality, you don’t have to have eight women around you twerking.” This was both a very obvious attempt to provide some levity (he says “twerking” with a performative affect, like he was just advised by a nephew how to pronounce it 15 minutes ago) and the latest example of his disappointing habit of being a bit of a scoldsomething Derecka Purnell articulated in the New York Times last week.

I'm not sure why some folks take this negatively. He was speaking to a room full of young black men. Some of them in the room needed to hear that. We like to task successful black men to use their platform for good. Which black man has more visibility than Barack? Many young men still think that that's what they need to do to be a man.

People took offense because they lack accountability. It’s a constant pass-the-buck attitude. Or they blame Black women. Heaven forbid they look deep inside, and realize how their priorities are screwed up by their own hand.

I had a mindset of wanting every Black person to succeed and have more power in securing their legacy, but I learned very quickly that you can’t save everybody. The fact that some people still believe in the “being White” aspect when it comes to college, jobs, and money means that some are still grossly unaware of Black history and our achievements in general. Those Black folks that figure it out will be very fruitful.

I have nothing for those who refuse to wake up.
 

nyeredzi

Well-Known Member
Go to the 51 minute mark to see the question and his response

Is this an example of Barack Obama's problematic speech? Can someone clarify what is problematic, preferably with when he said it in that clip (time)? I listened for a few minutes at minute 51 and maybe I'm old and out of touch with millenials too, because I didn't see what was wrong.
 

HappilyLiberal

Well-Known Member
Is this an example of Barack Obama's problematic speech? Can someone clarify what is problematic, preferably with when he said it in that clip (time)? I listened for a few minutes at minute 51 and maybe I'm old and out of touch with millenials too, because I didn't see what was wrong.

I think part of the problem is that these white millennials are running around here doing whatever and black millennials are looking at that and thinking they can do the same--albeit in a more "black" manner (which is never a good idea). These kids grew up/are growing up in the post-civil rights era and have bought into the freedom parts of that hook, line, and sinker. To a certain extent, these pro-black millennials are suffering from the same pathos as the conservative black millenials except their pathos is potentially more dangerous to them humanly, socially, and economically.
 
Last edited:

RoundEyedGirl504

Well-Known Member
Thank you @FemmeCreole for the link. He was specifically speaking to the general themes of hip hop music- which we discussed on this board ad nauseum. The way this was being characterized I thought he was tongue lashing the Morehouse students themselves to not run around wearing gold chains and have women twerking around them.

I’m still open to a potential condescending attitude in his tone towards black folks but I have yet to see it.

She posted the town hall from Oakland that happened recently, not the Morehouse commencement speech from a few years ago, which is what @Southernbella. was referring to. Just an FYI.
 

Everything Zen

Well-Known Member
^^^Thanks. There must be some confusion between the speeches/events bc someone originally said Michelle caught heat for Barack’s recent comments then there was the quote about twerking and gold chains. I’ll definitely check it out as I was confused bc Morehouse wasn’t mentioned anywhere.
 

RoundEyedGirl504

Well-Known Member
^^^Thanks. There must be some confusion between the speeches/events bc someone originally said Michelle caught heat for Barack’s recent comments then there was the quote about twerking and gold chains. I’ll definitely check it out as I was confused bc Morehouse wasn’t mentioned anywhere.

I said that it’s possible Michelle is getting some blow back in this article because there have been a few think pieces written about that Oakland discussion and how people feel the Obamas, specifically Barack tends to be condescending towards black audiences.

The morehouse speech was a few years back, but there was a similar discussion had then as well.
 
Top