Michelle Obama is not an 'angry Black woman'

Michelle Obama

I've followed the Obamas from the first day they appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, when the TV host encouraged Senator Barack Obama to run for president. He did not say yes or no that day.

But he did finally make up his mind to run. After he announced that he was going to run the media commenced its obsessive focus on Rev. Wright, the president's birth certificate, his speaking style, his correct pronunciation of countries and world leaders, his being bi-racial, and a thesis written by Michelle Obama when she attended Yale University. The media complex took its cues from Fox and Sean Hannity, whose primary goal was to destroy the Obama candidacy.

If there was a news bulletin that Satan was going to appear in person on Fox within the hour, Hannity would not cover it unless Barack Obama was standing next Satan. Even then he would say the presidential candidate sold his soul to Satan to win the election. He would say Obama had conspired with the Devil before announcing his candidacy.

After reading a thesis written by Michelle Obama, the media and critics evolved into certified psychiatrists capable of analyzing her personality through her words. They labeled  her an "angry Black woman." A racist. She hates White people. Hannity said he had a video of her calling White people "Whitey." He never did play the video. It did not exist. That did not matter to those hungry for a scandal. Hannity was successful in pulling the so-called mainstream media into the slime bucket with him.

And so the ridicule continued. Critics examined Michelle's speeches, looking for a bankable word or statement. When Hannity thought he found a "gotcha" on the scale of Rev. Wright, he would take a single sentence or word and create a Fox news story.  Although no one ever witnessed this "angry Back woman" going batty during or after her husband's campaign, it did not stop the speculation. Even John McCain's wife threw in her two cents.

The media knew if they kept pushing the notion that Michelle was an angry Black woman it would resonate with those who despised her without knowing her. Sure enough, I began reading comments on a variety of blogs and in newspapers. Threaders repeated media talking points word-for-word. Some even questioned the validity of Michelle's education. Photos of her were photo-shopped to make her look unattractive and angry.

I never accepted the "angry" hype, because the same media said President Obama is an "angry Black man."  When he did not loose his temper, they said he is unfeeling, too elitist, too aloft, too educated. In fact, some pundits got into angry debates with each other when they discussed the President's ability to rise above spoon fed gossip and insinuations. They resented his "coolness" under pressure. Media critics had created images and personalities for Barack and Michelle Obama, and they expected them to live up to the stereotypes.

As a Black woman with a quick temper that I've learned to control, I can testify with certainty that Michelle Obama is not an angry Black woman.  So why not write a book about angry White women and men? There are plenty of them holding office in Washington, DC and every states. Oh, what am I asking? African American stereotypes sell better than the truth about angry White men and women in politics. 

I never heard critics say, nor have I read in the media that Nancy Reagan, Laura Bush and Barbara Bush are /were angry White women.