“I
remember the day after the 2016 Election, a friend of mine who happens to be white,
remarked on social media that he “finally wasn’t embarrassed by America and our
President.” Others claimed they had "suffered" during Obama's presidency.
Since
then I’ve heard those sentiments echoed by more white folks than I can count: supposed relief at once again having a
leader who instills pride.
Since I
don’t have the time to ask each of them individually, I’ll ask here:
What exactly were
you embarrassed by?
Were you
embarrassed by Barack Obama's lone and enduring twenty-five year marriage to a strong
woman whom he’s never ceased to publicly praise, respect, or cherish?
Were
you embarrassed by the way he lovingly and sweetly parented and
protected his daughters?
Were you
embarrassed by his eloquence, his quick wit, his easy humor, his seeming
comfort meeting with both world leaders and street cleaners; by his bright
smile or his sense of empathy or his steadiness—perhaps by his lack of
personal scandals or verbal gaffes or impulsive tirades?
No. Of
course you weren’t.
As as for how you suffered, how did you suffer when the American Auto industry broke sales records, or when clean energy
doubled, or when the deficit was cut, or when unemployment was cut in half, or
when Osama bin Laden was eliminated or the stock market tripled or when he won
the Nobel Peace Prize, or became Time Person of the Year?
Honestly,
I don’t believe ever suffered by being embarrassed. That word implies an association
that brings ridicule, one that makes you ashamed by association, and if that’s something
you claim to have experienced over the eight years of having Barack Obama
representing you in the world, I’m going to suggest you rethink your word
choice.
You
weren’t “embarrassed” by Barack Obama.
You were
threatened by him.
You were offended by him.
You were challenged by him.
You were enraged by him.
You were offended by him.
You were challenged by him.
You were enraged by him.
But I
don’t believe it had anything to do with his resume or his experience or his
character or his conduct in office because many of you seem fully proud right
now to be associated with a three-time married, serial adulterer and
confessed predator; a man whose election and business dealings and
relationships are riddled with controversy and malfeasance. You’re
perfectly fine being represented by a bullying, obnoxious, genitalia-grabbing,
Tweet-ranting, Prime Minister-shoving charlatan who’s managed to offend all our
allies and insult distinguish world leaders, National public servants, and local authorities. And you’re okay with him putting on
religious faith like a rented, dusty, ill-fitting tuxedo and immediately
tossing it in the garbage when he’s finished with it.
None of
that you’re embarrassed by? I wonder how that works.
Actually,
I’m afraid I have an idea. I hope I’m wrong.
Listen,
you’re perfectly within your rights to have disagreed with Barack
Obama’s policies or to have taken issue with his tactics. No one’s
claiming he was a flawless politician or a perfect human being. But
somehow I don’t think that’s what we’re talking about here. I think the
thing President Obama did that really upset you, white friend, was
having a complexion that was far darker than you were ever comfortable with. I
think the President we have now feels much better, decidedly whiter.
Because
objectively speaking, if what’s happening in our country right now doesn’t
cause you great shame, I don’t believe embarrassment is ever something you struggle with.
No, if
you claimed to be “embarrassed” by Barack Obama but you’re not embarrassed by
Donald Trump, I’m going to strongly suggest it was largely a pigmentation issue.