Barack Obama and the Psychology of Race
President Obama lost something invaluable last week when he weighed in on the arrest of his friend, Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., saying the Cambridge police acted stupidly. He lost the presumption that he is colorblind and embraces all races and both genders equally.
This colorblindness was, perhaps, the fondest hope of the American public when we elected President Obama to our highest office. As the son of a white woman from Kansas and a black man from Kenya we hoped his election marked the ascent of a leader possessed of so much empathy, so much intelligence and such a desire to understand all perspectives and experiences that he could resonate with anyone’s needs and disenfranchise no one.
That hope has withered for many, and it will be difficult to resurrect. The fact that President Obama remained in a church headed by a pastor (Reverend Wright) who denounced white people, together with the fact that the First Lady says she felt no pride in our country until very recently, together with the fact that President Obama nominated a woman to the Supreme Court who slurred white judges as inferior, together with the President’s recent unwarranted slur of a white police sergeant as stupid seems to reveal deep-seated anger in him and constitutes a psychological pattern of insensitivity to the feelings of Caucasians. He is a President who now (and hopefully only temporarily) seems the least colorblind of my lifetime, a terrible irony and tragedy I certainly didn’t imagine transpiring when he announced his candidacy.
The emotions some white people are sharing with me seem to parallel the feelings that African Americans may have struggled with in the past. They tell me that they fear President Obama resents them, but won’t say so plainly, that he considers them “less than” others, maybe even demonic (like Reverend Wright does), but won’t admit it. This gives them, and it gives me, a sliver of insight into how painful it must have been for disenfranchised minorities for decades in this country. But the price of that slim window on the feelings of others has been high, indeed. For the millions of white Americans who now better understand what it feels like to doubt that the President of the United States is their President, too, our heightened empathy comes with deep sadness and not a little anxiety.
President Obama doesn’t seem to understand the full depth of what has transpired. It can’t be glossed over with the words he shared after the Crowley fiasco:
“This has been ratcheting up, and I obviously helped to contribute ratcheting it up. I want to make clear that in my choice of words, I think I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department and Sgt. Crowley specifically. And I could’ve calibrated those words differently.”
He then invited Crowley over to the White House for a beer with Professor Gates.
What we needed, as white Americans, for all Americans, was a moment less about political caution and false camaraderie and more about self-revelation. I kept thinking, as I listened to President Obama, of how short his statement fell from the words of another great African American politician, Jesse Jackson. During the 1984 Presidential campaign, when Jackson sought the Democratic nomination, he referred to New York City as Hymietown, a slur against Jews. I remember him taking the podium at the Democratic Convention and apologizing. It was 25 years ago, and I was just 22-years-old, so forgive me if I have forgotten some of the words. Most of them are seared into my memory—these two-and-a-half decades later:
“If I have offended anyone, or renewed old fears, I am deeply sorry. Charge it to my head and not my heart. I am an imperfect servant. God is not yet finished with me.”
That was plenty good enough for me. I didn’t believe Jackson could fake a statement like that. And I never questioned the man’s heart again.
President Obama, we need that kind of eloquence and honesty right now. We need you to do that kind of soul-searching and let us in on the result.
Tags: African Americans, Americans, apology, arrest, black, Cambridge Police Department, Caucasians, colorblind, Democratic Convention, Dr. Keith Ablow, empathy, equality, gender, Harvard professor, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Jesse Jackson, Jews, minorities, police sergeant, President Obama, race, Reverend Wright, Sgt. Crowley, white, White House
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Sorry Doc but, I never accepted the ruse of Obama being colorblind and/or a post-racial candidate. Anyone who has ever lived in Chicago can see thru the Obama ruse to begin with.
WOW or WTF, whichever is more appropriate. I’m a caucasion, intelligent and disagree with your hysterical, whiney, knee-jerk interpretation of Obama’s comments as being particularily racist.
His wife did not say she “never” felt any pride in the US; Sotomayer’s comment doesn’t warrent the racial twist ascribed to it, not to mention it IS an observation anyone might make about a historically all-white, all-male “club” (so what- they broke the black and female barrier after 200 years, whoopdy-do).
Obamas’ off-the-cuff comment about the Gates incident was unfortunate and he shouldn’t have said anything without knowing the facts but to say it was racist puts a spin on it that just wasn’t there- the dude was a friend of his, the dude was in his own house. He was probably lucky the cop was non-racist or he might have been shot. Stupidly.
I can’t help but think you’re a racist poser.
I never believed that Obama was color blind either… because of Rev. Wright and that whole “black identity” thing. But, for those like you who did believe that: now perhaps you can see why we couldn’t understand why you would support him. Ladies and Gentlement he idn’t lie, he just didn’t declare his position in the typical angry, overbearing way that we are used to hearing that sentiment from a Reverend Wright, for example. You see, he spent the entire campaign “calibrating his words” ever-so-very carefully. I do NOT expext to hear an honest apology, because,in my opinion, he doesn’t really believe there was anything wrong with the sentiment he expressed. He is simply aware that it is not “popular” with “white folks”.
Amy, your argument may have held some merit, and I might have considered it. That is until you had to insult Dr. Ablow, and sling the “racist poser” lefty code-word. You’d think that one of these days a liberal would figure it out: If you can’t make your point or present your argument without resorting to name-calling and insults, then your point is not worth listening to.
I totally disagree with AMYost. I can never feel okay about Michelle Obama after her comment, “This is the first time in my adult life that I have felt proud of my country.” Guess what? I totally disagree with the politics of the current administration, but I am STILL proud of my country. Sotomayor said the wrong thing. She has since realized she said the wrong thing and tried to recast her racist statement. A judge’s job is to avoid PREJUDICE; Sotomayor’s statements reveal she doesn’t want to do that. I love the concept of choosing a Hispanic woman, but not Sotomayor. The real racist in the Gates situation is Gates himself. Gates revealed the paranoia that many African-Americans feel: that white people are out to get them. I believe most white people want African-Americans to do well and feel bad about the abuses that took place in the PAST. That’s why it isn’t “whoopdy-doo” after 200 years: people alive now cannot be held responsible for what happened before they were born, after all. Obama should not have said “stupidly,” and the idea that the whole thing can be solved over a beer is frankly naive. It is interesting that AMYost calls Mr. Ablow a racist. Mr. Ablow was trying to discuss the race issues in this country. Attorney General Holder may call our country a “nation of cowards” when it comes to discussing race, but the fact is that white people are not free to truly disuss it because when we try we are immediately accused of racism. Quit the namecalling.
Afraid to put up my original post? Afraid it might seem racist? Yeah, I’m a racist pig. That’s why I, a Caucasian, have been married to a Japanese from Japan for the past 38 years. That is why I kissed my former subordinate on the cheek for doing such a great job for me, even though he is black. That is why my closest friend in college was a black man.
I don’t care if you post it or not. I just thought you people had more between your legs than a watermelon. I hope that I don’t have to explain that, even though it was just to needle you a little. I wouldn’t mind having an ice cold, juicy, sweet watermelon between my legs right now.
kitty
@AMYOST
I COULD’VE HAVE SAID IT BETTER. I ACTUALLY WAS BEGINNING 2 ENJOY YOUR BLOG MR ABLOW. THIS RHETORIC DESERVES A BIG FAT BOOOOOOO. I’M DISAPPOINTED 2 SAY THE LEAST. I’M GLAD I NOW KNOW HOW YOU REALLY FEEL. SORRY YOU HAD 2 JUMP ON THE ANTI OBAMA BANDWAGON
I did not have hopes that Obama would transcend race, and during his campaign, he did not lead me to believe this. He plainly stated that he was going to level the playing field and made numerous references to race and wealth. Further, where did anyone get the idea that they can’t be arrested in their own house? Of course you can be arrested in your own house, if you break the law in your house.
Reprehensible comments, doctor. You already said, on the air, that you agree with Glenn Beck. Are you willing to stand behind that now?
For you to equate your current disagreements with how black Americans felt about our president back in the days of slavery and Jim Crow is disgusting.
Either you’re playing to your little crowd of right-wingers with race bating, or you are seriously obtuse. Which is it, “doctor”?
How many “Oprah” type shows do you think you’re going to be booked on in the future once people learn about your racist-lite views?
Reprehensible comments, doctor. You already said, on the air, that you agree with Glenn Beck. Are you willing to stand behind that now?
For you to take your current disagreements with President Obama and equate them with how black Americans felt about our president back in the days of slavery and Jim Crow is disgusting.
Either you’re playing to your little crowd of right-wingers with race bating, or you are seriously obtuse. Which is it, doctor?
How many “Oprah” type shows do you think you’re going to be booked on in the future once people learn about your racist-lite views?
I don’t know what you heard sir, but I didn’t hear the president say anything negative about any race of people. He never called anyone racist. I heard him say “I don’t know what role race played in this incident”. He also spoke of how far we have come as a nation; his being president being evidence of that. The president did tell the truth, “The Cambridge Police acted stupidly”. For the record, I agree. Lets leave race out of it for a moment. A man was on his porch protesting/complaining about what he felt was police misconduct. The man is taken to jail for disorderly conduct. The charges were quickly dropped, i.e no case, never should have been arrested. The president felt that was a stupid thing to do. Maybe the president didn’t have all the facts, but what he did speak on, he knew those facts. The police acted stupidly. At least we have a president who is honest and speaks the truth. Wow, what a breath of fresh air.
WOW to you Amy. One does not need to be neither intelligent nor Caucasian to disagree. To state that you are both to justify your position most likely means you are neither. Your rant too seems a wee bit whiney. 1st, Mrs. Obama did say this was the first time she was proud of the US, before the first IS never. 2nd, saying anyone is intellectually inferior based on their race IS racist. 3rd, as you the intelligent one put it, the “dude” was in his house, but the “dude” followed the Sgt out on the porch in public and began to shout at him. No cop would have just walked away. Watch COPS once in a while and you will see officers walk away from someone only to have that person begin to shout at them. The officer tells them to quiet down or they will be arrested. Then the individual says something else and the officer arrests them. 4th, it was the Prof that brought race into it and Obama did not question his friend, instead he stated the “police acted stupidly”. This means that he did not have an issue with what his friend said, vualah racist. To say that he probably would have been shot if the cop was racist, too is a wee bit racist. And name calling (racist poser) probably means you are a liberal. Why are you watching FOX?
WOW to you Amy. One does not need to be neither intelligent nor Caucasian to disagree. To state that you are both to justify your position most likely means you are neither. Your rant too seems a wee bit whiney. 1st, Mrs. Obama did say this was the first time she was proud of the US, before the first IS never. 2nd, saying anyone is intellectually inferior based on their race is racist. 3rd, as you the intelligent one put it, the dude was in his house, but the dude followed the Sgt out on the porch in public and began to shout at him. No cop would have just walked away. Watch COPS once in a while and you will see officers walk away from someone only to have that person begin to shout at them. The officer tells them to quiet down or they will be arrested. Then the individual says something else and the officer arrests them. 4th, it was the Prof that brought race into it and Obama did not question his friend, instead he stated the “police acted stupidly”. This means that he did not have an issue with what his friend said, vualah racist. To say that he probably would have been shot if the cop was racist, too is a wee bit racist. And name calling (poser) probably means you are a liberal. Why are you watching FOX?
Michelle Obama said “For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country”. I characterize that to be the same as “never”. President Obama and his wife ARE racist. It was apparent during his campaigning and now this latest incident just stamps it in. For what ever reason, our president has deep seeded hatred for white people.
Well, if there’s anything I know about Dr. Ablow, it’s that he is neither hysterical, nor whiney… nor a racist poser.
Although I agree with many of the above replier’s points, I also agree with Dr. Ablow’s points–especially about how Obama handled the situation (in a less than honest, and very politicianly) way.
The comparison of the quotes by Obama and Jesse Jackson is, I think, the whole point here.
Honesty and self-disclosure are what’s called for, not just in this situation, but everywhere.
…”And that’s all I have to say about that”…
You should be ashamed of yourself as a professional psychiatrist stating that the President has a “psychological pattern of insensitivity toward caucasians”; where is the so-called ‘pattern’?
You don’t know that to be true and have done zero clinical work to determine if it is true.
You have no proof or scientific ground in any way whatsoever regarding the President’s psychological patterns.
Surely it is not proved true because the President made a remark about the police.
You are being very unprofessional, and worse still, using your professional title as a pretense for objectivity.
Dr. George Cornecelli
I believe that Obama’s “stupidly” comment was most unfortunate and very irresponsible for the leader of our country. Obama spoke critically of the police when had little more than a cursory understanding of the events he chose to criticize. I and probably most citizens of this the greatest country on earth expect more from our nation’s leader. I expect him to not only be colorblind but to also be reserved in his comments especially when those comments come without adequate information.
What distresses me more is the intricately measured words Obama used to glaze over or spin out of ” the stupidity” of his negative comments about the police actions. He fell well short of manhood by failing to actually apologize for his overly quick negative characterization. Anyone can make a mistake but when mistakes are made apologies are due. As reasonable people know, every police officer arresting any member of a minority is not a racist though that generalization resounds abundantly. The Obama comment came as an official statement of the Presideent and his failure to apologize for that comment adds fuel to that police/racist attitude.
The apology is not only due to Officer Crowley but to every American irrespective of the color of their skin.
AMYost, what makes Sam a racist poser? He never implied any racial bias. Nor did he pretend to be something he is not. Unlike you, Ms. Sotomayor (spell check, dear), and the Obamas.
Anyone who has been in a leadership position knows that perception is the reality. They have repeatedly set this perception themselves and with no assistance. When the President makes a knee jerk reaction without the full story, siding with a friend who acted irrationally instead of an officer of the law who kept his cool and responded to the facts he had available at the time, it sets a perception. (HE IS THE PRESIDENT. His job is to make the right decision, not the easy one.) When the First Lady states that for the first time in her adult life she has felt pride in the country (which by simple logic implies what our author wrote) it sets a perception. (Like it or not, she represents her husband) When the President’s pick for the Supreme Court has a history of dealing with different races differently and implying that she as a “wise latina” is better suited than other candidates who are not, it sets a perception. True or not, those perceptions reinforce one another and become truth in the public eye. He and his administration know this and have not controlled it, which sends the message that they are ok with it. It is either of poor damage control or thoughts becoming words. Making the rest of us wonder, how long before words become actions?
Racism is there/here/everywhere whether President Obama said it with actual words…or we witness it through our own eyes…Why does everyone think President Obama is an idiot? he lives in the same world that you and I do, and he knows what’s going on!!”lost something invaluable” are you kidding? perhaps we need to open YOUR EYES and place YOUR FEET back on THIS planet!!
I am the daughter of a white mother & a Native American father. I was born & raised off reservation because my father was in the military at the time of my birth.
Dr. Ablow I agree with what you said regarding Obama as far as his loss of America’s
‘presumption’ of his being colorblind. However, I also agree with Sam Deakins. I’ve never lived in Chicago, but I’ve sure lived on and off the rez. Obama is a racist, of course. Anyone of color would acknowledge this if they were to be truthful.
His wife is black & his two children are one quarter white. My experience of being half Indian, marrying a white man & having ‘white’ children…had my children been fathered by an Indian? I would be protective…in regard to the white race. I’m sometimes looked down on because I’m dark. If I’ve experienced “racism” then what is the resultant response?
This is difficult to articulate in 1500 characters. I would go on, but being so limited, there is one more thing that I MUST say. A caucasian calls a caucasian a racist. Now THAT is acting stupidly! There is no experience to draw from to make such a remark. AMYost has no idea what it’s like to be Obama or me. Besides, when the chips are down and we are standing “naked” before our fellow human beings, every one of is racist in one way or another. The more a person argues they’re not, the more they prove themselves to be.
I am appalled at the AMYost response.
Dr. Ablow I’ve always admired you, my admiration has now turned to respect
Well Goodness Me! What a hornet’s nest this has turned out to be!
To anyone who felt the need to lash out at Dr. Ablow, I think maybe you have some issues to work out.
To anyone who felt the need to lash out at AMYost, well…
AMY, I really don’t want to hurt your feelings, but come on! If your response wasn’t knee-jerk, I don’t know what is (the same goes for those who jumped on that bandwagon).
I was born in Hawaii (like Obama), left before school-age, and later returned. I’m caucasian, and liberal (albeit an open-minded liberal).
I love Hawaii, and I never experienced any racism there, despite being a minority race. But back when Obama was a kid going to school there, he probably was the recipient of much bigotry (being both caucasian and African). Kids can be really mean, especially if they’re raised by “racist” parents.
Nothing makes me more nauseous than racism. No doubt there are many, many people who have fallen prey to this vicious and cowardly phenomenon.
BUT, it’s my belief that racism is merely a symptom of people who have been abused, and/or brainwashed to believe that “The Other” (anyone different from them) is the enemy.
While I feel enormous empathy for any recipient of bigotry, I also feel the same empathy for those who would display bigotry in the first place. “What must have happened to them to harbor all this blind hatred?” I ask myself.
I don’t think Obama is racist.
I do think we need to seek out and heal the roots of racism in this world…