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Gloria Estefan, 54: 'I Feel Like A Baby Still'
Barack & Michelle dealing with racial issues
Filed under: In The News, Playground Bureau, Media
The applause over the first black presidential candidate in the history of the United States had barely died down when FOX News made the bizarre decision to use the subtitle "Obama's baby mama" as the subtitle to footage of the candidate's wife aired during a segment discussing conservative attacks on Michelle Obama.
While it's true that Michelle Obama is the mama to Barack's babies, "baby mama" is a Jamaican Creole slang term for a woman who is not married to her child's father. The term has been used frequently in hip hop songs and the vernacular of people trying to be hip.
The main problem with the term in this setting is that Michelle and Barack are married. As are Bill and Hillary, George and Laura, and John and Cindy McCain, yet never once have the white political mothers been referred to as baby mamas.
Getting these racial biases out in the open might be what it takes to finally be rid of them and Obama himself made it clear this past weekend that he's willing to do that, even speaking bluntly if need be, for the betterment of the country.
Speaking in front of a congregation of African-American church-goers on Father's Day, Obama called out bad dads saying, "Too many fathers are M.I.A, too many fathers are AWOL, missing from too many lives and too many homes. They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it." Obama noted that more than half of all black children now live in single parent households and that number has doubled since the time he was a child. But rather than just reciting statistics, Obama understands and can put a face on the numbers, he was only two years old when his own father abandoned their family.
He also told the congregation to stop over celebrating insignificant things and focus on the bigger picture and the future. "Don't get carried away with that eighth-grade graduation," he said, bringing many members of the congregation to their feet, applauding. "You're supposed to graduate from eighth grade."
No matter who wins in November, American society will owe a huge debt to Michelle and Barack Obama for serving as the lighting rods for starting these dialogs between citizens of all colors, and that's something their children can be very proud of.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
6-16-2008 @ 6:05PM
dee said...Seriously, Fox News should be deeply, deeply ashamed of themselves. It's just one more (not so) subtle way of pointing out that the Obamas are black, and therefore different and scary. FN hasn't been "fair" or "balanced" in a long time, but this is outrageous!
Reply
6-21-2008 @ 8:34PM
Henrietta Stemley said...You have to be black to understand what Michelle Obama meant
when saying, "For the first time in her adult life, she is proud of being an American." You don't have to be a rocket scientist either
to figure this statement out.
My question is, "Is America proud of Black Americans or African
Americans?" That is the question?
Don't be stupid and call them a racist. Those of you that has summed up this statement as "racist" is a racist and very insensitive to how blacks are treated and feel.
Do you honestly think we as blacks are proud of the way The Obamas are insulted for being a family? What about McCains babies mama? I find this very degrading and demeaning and quite
disrespectful. I am not proud of how Americans are treating this candidate. What A Shame!
6-16-2008 @ 6:24PM
Mihir said...what's the big deal?
obama himself implied white people are scared of blacks.
please lay off the feigned outrage and stick to quality parenting articles. it's what this site used to be good at.
Reply
6-16-2008 @ 7:39PM
ikate said..."feigned outrage"? No, my outrage is real. In doing this Fox blatantly compared the Obama's to unwed couples - which they know is a huge issue for conservatives. They were purposely adding fuel to the fire and (again) working for the McCain campaign. Not to mention disrespecting an accomplished woman.
And I DO see this as a parenting issue - it's a "teachable moment" on stereotyping in media. What Fox did here was give no respect to the fact that this woman is a minority who is also a Princeton University and Harvard Law School graduate, accomplished lawyer and mother of two. Instead they went a vulgar, crass and disrespectful route.
6-16-2008 @ 8:33PM
spotlight said...Well said ikate.
6-17-2008 @ 2:16AM
Carolyn said...Fox demands some pretty low expectations, but this is ridiculous even for them.
I'm still trying to imagine hearing Cindy referred to as John McCain's "baby mama."
Carolyn
http://www.momsontheedge.ca
Reply
6-17-2008 @ 1:28PM
Sandyone said...Is there something wrong with the parents of a baby not being married?
Reply
6-17-2008 @ 7:12PM
ikate said...No, there is nothing wrong with being a single parent and in my
opinion I think they deserve all the respect in the world.
However the term "baby mama" is usually used in a derogatory manner, usually referring to a woman who has a child with a man she has no relationship with, nor is he involved in the child's life. In recent history many single mothers have tried to take the phrase 'back' by using it to describe themselves with a positive spin. However, much like the term b*tch there is still a disrespectful tone to the phrase and it's low that a major news organization should never stoop to.
And when neo-conservative pandering Fox uses the term you can bet they were trying to play to their demographics' fear about the
degradation of so-called traditional values.
Reply