WHY DO PEOPLE HATE PRESIDENT OBAMA?
The household was up so early that cold morning in Virginia that it
was still dark outside. The excitement was tangible; three generations of
Black Folks gathered by history, by love, by relationship. Bound by
membership in the great connection (the A.M.E. Church) and by their great
affection for Barack Obama, they had gathered from the east coast to the
west coast on January 20, 2009. The children laughed and danced around their
elders, the elders smiled and glanced around, Lord, the day had finally
come. Grandchildren, great grandchildren, great- great grandchildren of
slaves placed layer upon layer of clothing on their feet, hands, heads and
bodies to ward off the freezing cold, they would be standing out in the
Washington D.C. Mall for hours.
The time to leave had come; there was prayer, then a mass exodus to the
cars, then the bus, then the train. Three hours on the Metro was not too
long…for they were going to see the first African American inaugurated as
President of the United States of America.
Ten months later, at a town hall meeting in New Orleans, President
Obama is asked one last question, this time by one Tyren Scott, a fourth
grader. Master Scott, asked a question no doubt in the minds of the children
who had gathered for the inauguration, the children who had personally
witnessed the love and joy in the air in our nation’s capital, who had seen
black people and brown people and white people gather together in a sense of
wonder that the moment had finally come, that a knife had been struck into
the heart of racism. Tyren asked the President, “Why do people hate you? And
why, aren’t they supposed to love you, if God is Love?” Our President,
gracious and wise as usual, assured Tyren that not everybody hated him, he
was elected after all. He then explained a bit about politics and hard times
and let Tyren know that he, the President, was a tough guy. He could handle
it.
We know Mr. Obama can handle it, but we must explore the question
more deeply. Why do people hate Barack Obama? This is a phenomenon that has
been building since January 20, 2009. It is finally out in the open, “out of
the mouth of babes.” What has been happening in the dark is coming to the
light. There is a backlash sweeping across our country. There is hatred
sweeping across our country. Threats on the life of our president are higher
than ever, meanness abounds in the land. If God is love, then God is not in
the midst of the bigots hiding behind “politics” as usual. What has happened
since January? We will examine this dark cloud of hatred by looking at
political issues, historical lessons, and the psychological impact of
behavior. And after all is said and done, conclude that there may be reasons
for this hatred, but NO EXCUSE!
Mr. Obama told Tyren that politics was one of the reasons that it
seemed that everybody hated him. Currently there are several areas that
arouse great debate: the
economy, health care reform, war, the Nobel Prize, and Fox News. It seems
that the Haters have short memories. Didn’t our President inherit an economy
that was in the tank, didn’t our president inherit two wars, and didn’t our
president inherit a healthcare crisis? Not only do the Haters have short
memories, they also have devalued the labor of our President so that one
would think that he has had de minimus impact on these issues. Yet, Lucia
Mutikani just recently reported for Reuters on Monday October 12, 2009 “That
the worst U.S. recession since the Great Depression has ended.” She goes on
to report that the labor market is still struggling and so the pace of
recovery is will be slowed. But ten months after taking office economists
are saying the Recession Mr. Obama inherited is over. No one would believe
that if they listened to the Haters.
No one would believe that there is a healthcare crisis either, if
they listened to the Haters. But I just read recently that a mother in
Missouri, donated her kidney to her son, and as a result, now has a
pre-existing condition that bars her from obtaining medical insurance. The
Congressional Black Congress wrote to Mr. Obama stating “As Members of
Congress who represent the men, women and children who are
disproportionately under –and uninsured, and whose health and wellness have
suffered because of the numerous gaps in our nation’s health care system, we
are deeply concerned… “The Haters have insurance. So they have devalued its
necessity.
The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize brought out the true art of
devaluation in the Haters. The Washington Post was replete with
articles,even reporting that Mr. Obama’s odds of winning were 25 to 1.
Newsweek reporter Christopher Hitchens wrote on October 14, 2009, that Mr.
Obama was under qualified or perhaps overrated as he was given the Nobel for
good intentions not yet to be translated into hard facts. However, the Nobel
Jury simply responded “we simply disagree that he has done nothing. He got
the prize for what he has done”, further stating that Mr. Obama reached out
to the Muslim world and “modified” a Bush-era proposal for an anti-missile
shield in Europe. In speaking to fellow citizens and persons of color who do
business in Europe and Asia, I have heard that it is now easier to negotiate
and be looked at as a true partner as the world seems to trust America more
since Barack Obama’s election. Perhaps
the Haters devalued the modification of the Anti-Missile shield and its
previous threat to world peace because they don’t live or work in Europe!
Historically however, the Haters do not have a ground to stand on, here or
in Europe. How quickly we forget. But it was Martin Luther King Jr. himself
who said while accepting the Nobel that while he accepted the award, “22
million Negroes of the USA were engaged in creative battle to end the long
night of racial injustice… I must ask why this prize is awarded to a
movement which is beleaguered and committed to unrelenting struggle: to a
movement which has not won the very peace and brotherhood which is the
essence of the Nobel Prize?”He concluded that the Jury acted in “recognition
that nonviolence is not sterile passivity but a powerful moral force which
makes for social transformation.”
Students of history are also aware that social transformation can be
accompanied by extreme cognitive dissonance. Psychologists say that this
state occurs when someone holds two contradictory ideas simultaneously.
Psychologist Leon Festinger originally studied this phenomenon of decision
making. It is important because it could be the reason that people hate
Barack Obama. We gladly inaugurated Mr. Obama on the 20th of
January, but by the 21st, some folks probably started thinking
What have I done? You see they
held two contradictory ideas, they hated George Bush and they were racists.
They voted for Mr. Obama because they disliked Bush so much they
“overlooked” the President’s race.
Nonetheless, according to former president Jimmy Carter, “That racism
inclination still exists. And I think it’s bubbled up to the surface because
of the belief among many white people, not just in the South but around the
country, that African Americans are not qualified to lead this great
country”. Mr. Carter has gone on to say “I think an overwhelming portion of
the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based
on the fact that he is a black man.” Sharon Begley, Science Editor for
Newsweek, recently reported that “when people experience cognitive
dissonance, it turns out, brain activity causes us to back and fill
mentally” In other words, when our contradictory belief systems cause us
mental and emotional pain, we find ways around them. For instance, we
devalue and minimize the contradictory belief. We rationalize and become
hypocrites. That is how the Haters justify their voting for Mr. Obama yet
now “hate” him. They gave him ten months to solve the problems of the world
after all, ten months to clean up eight years of George W. Bush. Yes, people
hate President Obama because they are hypocrites. Under it all, they are
still racists.
How shall we conclude then to young Tyren’s astute question? Well
Tyren, unfortunately little man, the Haters are unwilling to examine their
true motives. But remember, Martin Luther King Jr. accepted his Nobel Peace
Prize “with an abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future
of mankind.” Mr. Obama has transformed his faith into an audacious hope and
has said of his hope in the Black Church that “we were able to see faith as
more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death, it was an
active, palpable agent in the world” As an agent of this hope, President
Obama will accept his Nobel Peace Prize as well.
Don’t worry about the Haters Tyren; we will continue to uncover them
for who they are and what they are. They may have reasons to hate the
President, but no Excuse. Mr. Obama has unleashed the agent of change and it
will not be stopped; for he too has set loose “a powerful moral force which
makes for social transformation”
SUBMITTED BY STATE OF THE COUNTRY COMMITTEE
Rev. Kelvin Calloway, Chair
Rev. Delman Howard
Rev. Kenneth Baker
Rev. Roosevelt Lindsey
Rev. Clyde Oden
Rev. Cheryl K. Tucker
Rev. Timothy Coston Sr
Rev. Donnell Miles
Rev. Harrison Ridgeway
Rev. Gayle Davis-Culp
Delegates: Johnson Chapel, Santa Ana,
First A.M.E./L.A., Grant/L.A.
Written by: Rev. Cheryl K. Tucker