Obama's Grandmother: Just a "Typical White Person"

In response to 610 AM host Angela Cataldi's comment about Barack Obama's reference to his white grandmother in his recent speech on race, Obama replied "The point I was making was not that my grandmother harbors any racial animosity, but that she is a typical white person. If she sees somebody on the street that she doesn't know (pause) there's a reaction in her that doesn't go away and it comes out in the wrong way."

Right, because typical white people have a "fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe."

His point was that his grandmother was not a racist. Just, you know, a typical white person, who, apparently is.

Could Hillary have gotten away with saying "he's just a typical black person" about Jeremiah Wright, or any African American for that matter?

Yeah, I didn't think so.

Don't worry, I'm aware of this country's history, and the experiences as a person of some color as well as being of minority gender. But that doesn't give me the right to generalize or stereotype just because I've been stereotyped against.

All it shows us is that we're all racists. Even ones who make great speeches about them.

Quotes via. More commentary here.

Kristen can be found over at Motherhood Uncensored when she's not chasing after her two kids.

Comments

[Kim]

Nicely said Kristen.

[Lawyer Mama]

Good point! Is that how all the happas feel?

Oh wait...I reverted to "typical white person" mode.

(I'm so joking, in case you couldn't tell.)

[PunditMom]

Yeah, I'm just a "typical" white person, ducking into stores whenever I see a person of color because I'm afraid. You know how "we" all are. Oh wait -- that would mean I could never go out with my daughter since she's Asian.

No way in HELL would Clinton ever have gotten away with something like that. That comment alone shows how long this road is in terms of dealing with race.

No, if you'll excuse me, I have to go hide from PunditGirl.

[Glennia]

I've thought a lot about this statement since I heard about it, and agree with you on some level, but still give him the benefit of the doubt. The question that we all have to ask ourselves is not "am I a racist?" but "How am I a racist?" No doubt that Obama has biases and a definition of "typical" based on his experiences, as does Hillary, and as do I.

When I was in law school, my best friend was African American. Her (also AfAm) boyfriend told me that whenever he walked to campus, white ladies would pull their purses closer to their chests as they passed him. I said, "No way!" I looked at him, in his penny loafers, Ralph Lauren sweater and button-downed shirt, and thought he looked like a law student (which he was) and not a pursesnatcher.

One day, we walked to the bus together and we were chatting about school. One person after another passed us, and sure enough, EVERY white woman stepped aside and clutched her purse, some subtley, some with fear in their eyes. To him, that was "typical" white behavior. To me, it was astonishing. In case you think this is a southern phenomenon, this happened in Chicago.

I'm not saying Obama is right in this assumption, or that it's not a racist/stereotypical statement. I'm just saying that our biases are based on experience. If Hillary had said it, it would be disingenous because it's probably not part of her experience of the world.

[Jennifer]

But, this is the problem. We're all so quick to jump on each other -- everyone, all sides -- and to point out what we see as each other's failings or stumbles, that we end up not really talking about the real issues. We jump up and down and say, "See! Look! He/She/We never would have said THAT", but we don't listen to each other. We don't get closer to solving any problems.

[Sharon]

Why oh why do we have to hold Barack and even Hillary to such ridiculously high standards that none of us could live up to. Both Hillary and Barack are exceptional candidates...period. Let's focus on the issues and not this silly stuff.

[Motherhood Uncensored]

Sure, we all have biases based on our experiences. I'm pointing out the irony. Everyone is a racist in one way or another.

You're right. Hillary could not have made a statement like that, being a white privileged woman. She could have said "typical man" however -- although that's not racist, but sexist.

Key thing is, she didn't just make a huge long speech about race either.

Better to have said that we are all racists, his white grandmother and his pastor, EVEN HIM. However, it's identifying our biases and working with them, learning about people, AND not using them to make judgments (LIKE UM, WHO WE ARE VOTING FOR).

[JayMonster]

I have made this complaint a lot (it seems) lately, whether it be about Obama, his preacher man, or the virually popular whatwhitepeoplelike.com It is sad how people think the cure for racism is more racism.

[Jennifer James]

I am a black, 33-year-old woman, nice looking, intelligent, well-read, and accomplished and do you know that I wear my iPod every time I go for a walk because without fail when I walk by a white person in a car they will LOCK THEIR DOOR and I can't stand the sound of the click. It always happens and it hurts. My husband rarely goes for a run at night because white folks get scared.. walk the other way... or break their neck to get on the other side of the street.

Now, while there may be a few white people who aren't afraid of black people when they walk or run by, I bet 95% of white people are. It's the truth, but some people can't handle the truth.

[jen]

i can understand the umbrage. we white folks are less used to being put into boxes maybe, but the boxes exist. and they exist for all groups of people based on how they've interacted with and impacted others.

and even if it's offensive - it's still the opportunity to dialogue rather than dismiss. let's talk about why Jennifer James has people treat her like that. Why Obama would use the word typical...let's just start talking.

[Jennifer James]

Now, that I've re-read my previous comment, I realize that that was the pain speaking. 95% is rather high, I admit. Instead of trying to come up with a percentage, I'll just say that I've personally experienced racism in my life many times.

That said, I'm glad Obama has prompted this discourse about race because I think we can all agree it will do nothing more than make our country better.

[debbie - i obsess]

and I'll admit to having, within the last few years, come to the slow, sickening realization that I'm somewhat racist. I mean, I try DESPERATELY to pretend I'm not, because I so don't want to be; but it's in our culture, hence, it's in me, and I've gone out of my way to prove to myself so many times that I'm not, but it makes me feel like it's this desperate covering-up of something deeper, so it must be, right? and that horrifies me, because I don't WANT it, but it's there, somehow.

And I want to stop ignoring it, stop pretending, but still acknowledge how much respect and admiration I have for people of every stripe and hue who go beyond themselves to achieve incredible things, without making it about their ancestral heritage, only, maybe it's important for us to start saying that we're proud of our heritage and -- oh my god it's so confusing.

I just want to get beyond it, somehow, but how? I want - I want us to be united. To be proud of each other. To stop dividing ourselves up into cliques and groups and classes and echelons and - dude. I want to be able to snap at a kid who's misbehaving in public and not worry that I'll get yelled at because I'm white and he's some other ethnic persuasion, I want the black or asian or latina woman or man nearby who sees my kid being a brat to feel similarly free to tell him to knock it off, I want us to be a COMMUNITY. I want us to recognize that we can all help each other, stop being so split-up!

How do we get there?

[cynematic]

I'd like to add that Obama's grandmother is of a generation that bridged the pre-Civil Rights era and post-1965 Civil Rights legislation. So it wouldn't surprise me if her reaction to people of color, saying and doing things that make Obama cringe, is more typical for people of her age.

Because let's face it, interracial marriages (to take one example) have only been "legal" since 1967 and Loving v. Virginia, when the U.S. Supreme Court declared anti-miscgenation laws unconstitutional. Only since 1967, people!! Before that, states could actually make laws saying that it was against the law for people of different races to marry! (Granted, this varied by state and plenty of people ignored whatever law was on the books.)

Just some perspective. I feel no need to jump to the defense of white people and their racism. I'm Asian American and I'm too busy dealing with racism against other people of color from my retiree parents and in myself and trying to keep my son from learning it...i.e., too busy with my own issues!

[honglien123]

Jennifer James, let's move this conversation a little beyond black and white shall we? Since another group that's been accused of racism during this primary (or at least blindly following our leaders) for voting for Obama in large numbers are Asian Americans.

I'm a 30 year old Asian American woman and I live in Oakland which is a minority majority city. The only time my mom and I were ever almost mugged was when a group of black teenagers cornered us while we were talking home from a neighborhood store and demanded all our money. (My mom screamed at the top of her lungs that this was our neighborhood and they should get out of there.) The only time my mom's business has been robbed has been by black people who have twice run in and snatched customer's purses. My uncle who took the bus to work, was beaten up twice (in a decent neighborhood) by black men who yelled racial epithets at him (he's a college financial aid counselor who helps low income students get as much aid as they can for college)...twice, he doesn't take the bus anymore. We have never had any other crime related experiences perpetrated against us by people who didn't happen to be black. Considering our experiences, how would you feel if I said WE felt 95% of blacks might want to harm us or steal from us and ok maybe 95% is too high but it's the pain speaking?

What if you knew we have taken in a homeless woman who happens to be black into our home for over a month in the past to help her get off her feet? Or that my mom is close friends with many African Americans through her work and has visited and helped many of her clients (many of whom happen to be black) in their homes and nursing homes? Your pain is real, but our experience is not unique and our pain is real too but despite our experiences we would NEVER think or say that a certain percentage of black people were racists or that it was "typical" of blacks to behave a certain way because that's racist too. We should never excuse racist behavior as typical of a person's race but rather typical of the person.

[honglien123]

Oops, I meant Asian Americans were accused of racism for NOT voting for Obama in large numbers.

[Mom101]

This is such a great discussion and I great with so many of the points on all the side. My mom has spent years dealing with racial and gender differences in the classroom, and like Glennia (both smart women) has always says to me "The question that we all have to ask ourselves is not "am I a racist?" but "How am I a racist?"" If he just came out and said that I think it would go a long way to continueing the dialog.

I also agree that in referring to his mother, it's a very specific reference to a white woman of "a certain age" in the South. Oh the poor politician - downed by imprecise language every time. It's maddening.