Barack Obama: On White Women

Let’s be honest. A group of sullen faced black dudes hanging out on a corner dressed in ethnic garb is threatening…period. Not just to “white women”, but to anyone who passes. Same deal with a group of white guys with jeans down around their butt, tattoos encircling their arms, scowling at you as you approach. This isn’t about race or prejudice, it’s about intimidation. How, exactly, does Obama think white women should react in this situation?

I once was present at a lecture given by the Director of Multicultural Affairs at a local university. One of his issues with whites was that they never looked a black person in the eye when passing them on the campus. I quickly pointed out to him that friendliness is a two-way street. How many times has that black person looked me in the eye with a smile as opposed to a glare? How many photos of black men with warm smiles have you seen? Don’t let Barack Obama deflect the blame. God gave us a fear response to protect us from harm. Black women are just as fearful of those dudes on the corner as white women are and if someone of any color glares at me, I will not be inclined to greet them with a big smile.

There will always be prejudice…racial, ethnic, geographical, political, sexual…and there will always be fear of those who present a threatening demeanor. Stereotypes aren’t developed in a room by some writer attempting to develop a character. They are born of incidents that happen again and again through a long history of events. The number of times that stereotypes prove to be true is what keeps them alive. So don’t insult and demean me by asking me to overlook your anger or attitude…change it!