Page 8 | To not get the big deal about Michelle Obama?

wellhellothereall · 2019-02-12T07:04:20+00:00

She married a bloke who became president...so why is she so revered, because she married well? I just don't get it.

Sheelala · 12/02/2019 11:26

It turns out I didn't pick those words very carefully or I should have previewed before posting. whatever you get the gist.

JacquesHammer · 12/02/2019 11:26

*No you wouldn't. You would say that they didn't mean everything he had achieved was down to her. So I'll pick my words more carefully.

What I have seen is posters happy to position that that for which Barack Obama is most renowned, is thanks to his wife as much as if not more so than himself*

Yeah....just as I expected.

CurtainsOpen · 12/02/2019 11:27

Michelle Obama is a hugely successful fellow woman, why are you reducing her to who she marr- oh wait, I get it now.

Mishappening · 12/02/2019 11:29

I don't put her on a pedestal but do admire her enormously. Read her book "Becoming" and see what her life is about.

redandyellowandpinkandgreen99 · 12/02/2019 11:32

There are some hugely bitter, self-loathing individuals on here who just love to put people down (especially successful, talented, attractive people,) because it makes them feel better about themselves and their lives. Because THEIR lives didn't turn out QUITE like they had hoped, and it makes them feel better to tear strips off people who have MUCH better lives than them..

Whether it's a successful, intelligent woman of colour, or a neighbour, or a relative, or a successful MAN of colour, or indeed ANY man or ANY woman, (white or black;) they will lay into them because it makes them feel better about their own shitty life!

HTH.

Sheelala · 12/02/2019 11:34

think one could make a very credible argument that, if Barack hadn't married Michelle, he may not have become President.

I firmly believe that Barack would not have become president had he not met Michelle

An equally valid question would be ‘Would Obama have become President if he hadnt married Michelle Obama’. It’s impossible to say how much of a role her ideas and support and assistance played in his ultimately being elected. My view is that she was an instrumental part of his success.

So it is offensive to say that Michelle Obama is only know because of her husband, but not that he is only known because of her. Got it.

SerenDippitty · 12/02/2019 11:37

OP do you think the same about Eleanor Roosevelt?

PengAly · 12/02/2019 11:38

@Sheelala you are massively misunderstanding the posts and what people are suggesting. I think explaining this to you would be a waste of time as you seems adament to prove everyone wrong regardless of what is said.

Sheelala · 12/02/2019 11:38

*they will lay into them because it makes them feel better about their own shitty life!

Well, they're certainly happy to lay into Trump and his wife (actually an attractive looking women but even that cannot be acknowledged whereas Michelle Obama's attractiveness can).

Besides, no one is laying into the women, just agreeing with the OP that we have only heard of her because of her husband and there is an element of fawning.

ItsABeatifulDayNow · 12/02/2019 11:38

Admiring someone for their ambition, strength of character, achievements, kindness, anything else isn't necessarily putting them on a pedestal - that description implies blinkered admiration of someone IMO.

Therefore I don't put Michelle Obama on a pedestal so to speak, but I hugely admire her (and many other women and men) for very real and tangible hard fought achievements unique to them.

I cannot fathom someone taking the time to accuse people of admiring someone like Michelle Obama too much in the world we live in today and I genuinely hope you do perhaps take the time to read her book or listen to the audio version as it may well change your mind.

I think sometimes in our bubbles of relative opportunity we look at someone outwardly so well put together, articulate and strong and we forget the very real obstacles and discrimination they have had to face - much of which may be invisible to us due to their success.

RiverTam · 12/02/2019 11:39

at least you've stopped adding HTH to your posts. Though it's always a good signpost to ignore what's been posted, so helpful in that regard I suppose.

PengAly · 12/02/2019 11:39

Well, they're certainly happy to lay into Trump and his wife (actually an attractive looking women but even that cannot be acknowledged whereas Michelle Obama's attractiveness can)

Ah we have a Trump supporter i see... Seriously are you suggesting the 2 women are equivalent in their achievements???

JacquesHammer · 12/02/2019 11:41

at least you've stopped adding HTH to your posts. Though it's always a good signpost to ignore what's been posted, so helpful in that regard I suppose

I have to hold my hands up, I started that

RiverTam · 12/02/2019 11:42

I actually think that in a way Obama achieved more as a community organizer than he did as president, he was a pretty ineffectual president. Great orator, though. But too intellectually superior and unwilling to work with others to be very effective.

Having read Becoming it does seem to me that becoming president is down to the teamwork of the family. The whole thing sounded a fucking circus.

Sheelala · 12/02/2019 11:42

RiverTam

I only started adding that after it was directed at me. As you would have known I suppose, having read the thread and all.

I actually like Michelle Obama and think she is a fine role model. But she has been put on a pedestal, and we do only know about her because of her husband.

Mmmmbrekkie · 12/02/2019 11:44

Indifferent to her

And then.....

I read her autobiography. And I’ve fallen head over heels in love with her. Seriously.

OldBrownShoe · 12/02/2019 11:45

I think sometimes in our bubbles of relative opportunity we look at someone outwardly so well put together, articulate and strong and we forget the very real obstacles and discrimination they have had to face - much of which may be invisible to us due to their success

But in the case of Michelle Obama, we wouldn’t be looking at her at all if she wasn’t the wife of Barrack Obama - because she’s a woman, and because she’s a black woman. Those successes would be unknown because she was born with two strikes against her.

PengAly · 12/02/2019 11:47

But in the case of Michelle Obama, we wouldn’t be looking at her at all if she wasn’t the wife of Barrack Obama - because she’s a woman, and because she’s a black woman. Those successes would be unknown because she was born with two strikes against her.

Exactly this. Also, why should it matter the reason we are looking at her? She still achieved her accomplishments regardless. The anti feminism on this thread is shocking.

theworldistoosmall · 12/02/2019 11:47

Well, she did help him. She mentored him at the law firm.
When she was a higher earner than him, she went parttime and became extremely active in his campaign.
I don't understand why that's offensive to state facts.

She would have been known locally before he became president because of the amount of work she was doing to help the disadvantaged. She broke a record in fundraising that remained unbroken 12 years after she left. Chances are, had he not become president we would have eventually heard of her because of her hard work and dedication that she put in from an early age.

She is a positive role model. I would rather have her as a role model than the likes of the wanna be reality show/get your tits out/fuck on tv people who are deemed as role models. At least she did some good before he was on the scene and continues to do so now.

Sheelala · 12/02/2019 11:50

Seriously are you suggesting the 2 women are equivalent in their achievements???

I'm pointing out that in general people have no hangups whatever about bashing prominent men and women, and they don't generally consider that it is to distract them from their own shitty lives, as was claimed.

Seriously indeed

At4oclockthenormalworld · 12/02/2019 11:52

It's all gone19 you have summed it up perfectly.

Those of you who have spent so long this morning tearing strips out of one incredible lady (also agree she has gorgeous arms!) surely must have some world changing activities you need to get back to, for you to be so qualified to be judging another.

Oh, wait ...

ItsABeatifulDayNow · 12/02/2019 11:58

@OldBrownShoe Nobody at all is disagreeing with you about the reasons she is well known - we are simply saying that those reasons do not in any way lessen or invalidate her considerable achievements.

PengAly · 12/02/2019 11:59

oh give it a rest Sheelala Your points make no sense and you obviously don't seem to be interested in understanding her achievements nor the concept of marital support. Just accusations that her success is somehow "offensive"

goldengummybear · 12/02/2019 11:59

we do only know about her because of her husband.

Does it matter whether or not we know about her in the UK? She was well known locally before he ran for office and has made lots of people's lives better through her work. Her husband's job meant that the scope of her work became international but in an alternative universe where he didn't run, she'd probably still be working hard to make her little area of the world a better place.

Tinkobell · 12/02/2019 12:13

MoB has tangibly improved the prospects of hundreds of young girls through her words and influence....her impact is real. Can the people knocking her on this thread say the same or better of themselves? If you can, that’s amazing...please write a book about it.