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The other day I was walking with my 12-year-old cousin into the train located in a predominantly white area to get to my class at Columbia University, 20 minutes away from my house. Those on the train stared as I held my cousin's hand, assuming that my cousin was my very own daughter. I spoke to my cousin about school and whether or not she's excited to enter high school next year. The white man and woman in front of me simply stared. They felt disgusted.
Their body language led me to feel unwanted in my community, since my town is a very quiet suburban area. This sort of racist and sexist situation happens every day, and it's beginning to creep into the White House.
Where can the line be drawn between simple dislike for President Obama and racist hatred for him? Is there even a bright line separating the two feelings? For years now conservatives have been coming out with negative commentary on “the left” and even moderate liberals; their negative commentary somehow evolved into something deeper than a few attack ads on the TV… it’s spreading to the Free Republic blog and it’s attacking the children—the young girls—of President Barack Obama.
An article by the Vancouver Sun says it all.
Their body language led me to feel unwanted in my community, since my town is a very quiet suburban area. This sort of racist and sexist situation happens every day, and it's beginning to creep into the White House.
Where can the line be drawn between simple dislike for President Obama and racist hatred for him? Is there even a bright line separating the two feelings? For years now conservatives have been coming out with negative commentary on “the left” and even moderate liberals; their negative commentary somehow evolved into something deeper than a few attack ads on the TV… it’s spreading to the Free Republic blog and it’s attacking the children—the young girls—of President Barack Obama.
An article by the Vancouver Sun says it all.
This is no longer an interesting debate between the left and the right. This is becoming a racially charged debate. Here are a few comments posted on the blog next to a picture of Malia Obama wearing a t-shirt with the peace sign on it:
“A typical street whore.""A bunch of ghetto thugs.""Ghetto street trash.""Wonder when she will get her first abortion."
Let’s focus on the conservatives first. What exactly entails a “street whore”? And how is there a correlation between that and Malia Obama? Sure, these insults didn’t blatantly say “black thugs!” but the implication was there… and the implication was filled with hatred.
Take it from me: to be a young black or Hispanic woman in the United States is to face a double standard that hinders any progress we may encounter. It doesn’t matter how expensive our straightening irons are, how “preppy” our clothes are, or how westernized our accents may be: if you are black or brown in the US, you are a target for insults and malice. Malia Obama is an 11 year old girl wearing a white t-shirt with the peace sign on it, and she too is being subjected to white supremacist language with a male dominated tone.
Another comment on the blog read: "DIRTBAGS! All of them. Our [White House] is now a joke to the rest of the world. We have no respect and this is not going to turn out well, mark my words. We will be hit, and much worse than last time. We are now seen as weak and vulnerable. Ghetto and Chicago thugs have taken over."
Ghetto and Chicago thugs? Let’s take this in for a moment. What constitutes as “ghetto”? Wearing a navy blue business suit and living in America’s most prized house, also known as the White House—or the President’s Mansion? The term “ghetto” was added to this commentary for a simple and obvious reason: it has become a stereotype that the black community is “ghetto”, living in poverty and without a school based education. But I have trouble acknowledging that our First Family is “ghetto”. Didn’t Barack Obama graduate from Columbia University and Harvard Law School? Aren’t those two of the best and oldest universities in the nation?
There is a glass ceiling that women, regardless of color, have trouble breaking. This glass ceiling isn’t there because we simply can’t achieve this “success”. It is there because society prohibits us from breaking it. “Wonder[ing] when she’ll get her first abortion”, as stated by a commenter on this blog, is indicative of the racist and sexist language conservatives have thrown not only at Malia but also the black and female community. Is it suddenly a stereotype that all black women will experience the pain of an abortion?
Whether it be around the holiday season when I can’t step into a clothing store without the salespeople inconspicuously following me around, or when I get stared and scorned at for walking into the subway with my 12-year-old cousin, racism and sexism are alive and well today in the United States.
In the eyes of many conservatives, such as those commenting the Free Republic blog, young women of color cannot rise above the social or political ranks. We are subjected to a ghetto lifestyle filled with unintended pregnancies. So why do we even try?
But a strong base of support can overpower this horrible stereotype that marginalizes young women of color. I don’t think any of us can ever accept that Malia Obama is a “typical street whore” nor will we tolerate such sexist language. The color of her skin and my skin should never permit malice.
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Wow, this is really unbelievable. I can't imagine anyone being so cruel! No one deserves to be talked about like that, especially Malia. She's just 11 years old! And she was wearing a shirt with a peace symbol on it! I really hope that she doesn't hear about this.
# Posted By Mahayana
| 7/12/09 01:12 PM
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I definitely hear you on this one. It is remarkable how much women of color have acheived this country yet we still have to face racism and sexism. It is horrible to see these hateful comments against Malia. I hope that there will be more awareness and action about what women of color STILL go through in the US. I think one of the biggest ways we can change this and make a difference is to have more positive images of women of color in the media. For example, Eva McKend, an intern at Ms. Magazine, started A Campaign For Me, a campaign for positive images of black women in the media.
# Posted By 
vanessaaishacoleman
| 7/14/09 09:20 PM
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vanessaaishacoleman
| 7/14/09 09:20 PM
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