Posted on 11/26/2017 7:35:09 AM PST by drewh
Amid all the scrutiny that Malia Obama has been subjected to in her first months at Harvard University, nothing has attracted as much press attention as her being snapped by eager paparazzi kissing a white guy.
The guy—identified by enterprising journalists as 19-year-old Rory Farquharson—is a British-born Harvard sophomore. The kiss, outside last week’s Harvard-Yale football game, suggests that the 19-year-old former first daughter is boldly asserting her independence after eight sheltered years in the White House.
The families of presidents have always been the subject of tabloid fascination, but Malia Obama, like her father Barack Obama before her, inhabits an unprecedented position in America’s centuries-long race debate. Many, including other first daughters past and present, have argued quite reasonably that the press should leave Malia alone. Of course, that’s unlikely to happen. Never before has such a high-profile young woman of color navigated her way through the Ivy League dating pool. Which is why it’s all the more intriguing that Obama’s journey—at least for now—has ended with a white guy.
Marriage rates overall are in precipitous decline across America, but this is especially true for black Americans—only 30% of black American adults were married in 2015, Pew researchers found. Black women—particularly those with the most education like Obama—are faced with a limited pool if they seek to date within their race. Due to a host of societal conditions—from early death to mass incarceration—twice as many black women attend college as black men.
Among all demographics, African American women are the least likely to date outside their race—with barely 12% marrying non-black spouses. The reasons behind this trend are as disturbing as they are depressing. For one thing, black women are America’s least-desired ethnic group by men of all races, according to ongoing research by dating site OK Cupid. On a community level, explained Stanford law professor Ralph Richard Banks in his book Is Marriage for White People?, black women often face a type of pressure to marry within the race that white simply women do not experience.
“There is still enormous social pressure on black women to only marry black men—to ‘sustain’ the race and build strong black families,” Banks told me in an interview in 2011. “In short, no matter the personal cost,” Banks said, “black women are encouraged to marry ‘down’ before they marry ‘out.'”
So far, Obama’s kiss is been met with relatively little backlash. This decorum, however, is likely to fade if Obama continues to date—and ultimately marry—outside her race. One need only look to the vitriol heaped upon tennis star Serena Williams last winter when she revealed her engagement to Alex Ohanian, the white co-founder of Reddit who’s now her husband (and daughter’s father). Williams’ announcement was met with messages of anger, betrayal and dismay across #blacktwitter. Williams may be rich, famous, and stratospherically accomplished, but for many black Americans her romantic decisions are not fully her own.
Like Williams, Obama cannot escape the optics of her new boyfriend’s whiteness. Whether we like it or not, Farquharson’s race and class—his father is a CEO of an investment fund and he was the “head boy” at an expensive private school in the UK—have implications far beyond her rarefied milieu.
For the moment, at least, those implications are likely still years away. At just 19, Obama’s long-term romantic trajectory is impossible to predict. What is certain is that the frustrating absence of black male peers means that nobody should be surprised if Obama chooses to date—or eventually marry—”out.”
When I was younger I was friends with a black guy that was our neighbor. He dated Hispanics. He said they were closer to his race but not quite as worthless or crazy. Lol. Haven’t seen him in many years but would bet that he married an American of Mexican descent.
Black women were always available to others. My issue was later in life. Their rear ends looked like air conditioners sticking out a window.
Oh my God, that’s funny, air conditioners sticking out a window, LOL.
The fact that they both are at Harvard and the boy’s father runs a hedge fund is more relevant than race. Harvard is doing its job as a puppy-mill for oligarchs and printed money financiers who run the Western World.
Besides, if they produce offspring, I do not doubt that MSNBC will celebrate the fact they are having “black babies” simply because that will be the most politically correct narrative available to them at the time.
The obsession with race will end when whites are finished being bred out.
Um... her father is as white as he is black. And her mom is a typical African American, who all have on average 17% white European genes. So Malia has over 30% white European genes. Why can’t she make out with a white guy if she wants? She doesn’t owe Africa or black America anything.
Stop focusing on skin color, media. It’s just dumb.
If your local newspaper was running a story on interracial love affairs - AND they saw YOUR mother or sister kissing a black man - they would NOT run the picture. Why? Because your mother and sister are NOT public figures... They’re private citizens.
It’s the same reason reporters don’t get ‘juicy’ quotes from rookie cops - the kind that could get a higher ranked person fired... because the ‘lower ranked’ person is NOT a public figure and NOT considered fair game. (meaning the newspaper could get sued)
I know Obama’s children are adults. I also know they should NOT be treated as public figures... because in my opinion they have NOT held themselves out to the public to be judged. That makes them private citizens.
I see pictures of private citizens in our local paper all the time. I will have to disagree that being a private citizen prevents you from being photographed.
I also know they should NOT be treated as public figures... because in my opinion they have NOT held themselves out to the public to be judged. That makes them private citizens.
If you place yourself in the center of power and celebrity - take a job working for Weinstein, attend the Sundance Film Festival, etc., - putting yourself in the middle of cameras with celebrities and the rich and famous - you can expect to be followed, photographed, written about in People Magazine, and especially, to appear online.
I think you either have blinders or are living in the past, but I may be wrong. In the meantime, we disagree.
Malia Obama Fan Page on Facebook
Yes, street scene pictures are perfectly legal... there is no 'expectation of privacy' on a public street. Same at a music festival or a football game etc, etc, etc... Private citizens at a picnic - private citizens giving a check to charity, garden club meeting etc. - all those are acceptable and will be found in any newspaper.
We seem to be talking past each other - probably my fault...happens.
Is not Malia an adult? I believe she is 19 y/o now.
The paparazzi following her is no big news ... but her parents allowing her to take a position with Harvey Swinestein is more interesting. She was 18 when she worked *under* him.
She’s got the angry look down already.
Or mine... In any case, I wish you the best.
Yes, considering most my age were serving in the military, many overseas, by that age.
Absolutely yes. And many of them dying, giving their all, so the Husseins could procreate and sully their sacrifice.
I know of no sacrifice these bottom dwellers ever made. They and their spawn will never get my respect.
I can see this discussion taking place in 1960. But this is 2017. Malia can kiss whoever she pleases. That the black community is up in arms tells us who the real racists are.
Thanks - best wishes to you too fellow freeper...
Men like Weinstein are very careful NOT to abuse the children of people MORE powerful than they are... Obama’s daughters were safe.
Bill Clinton also chose powerless women to abuse - never the ‘daughters of elites’... One more reason to hate the creepy Clintons...
You have a valid point.
Seems odd, to me, that exposing the child to the likes of HW, was playing with fire. The parents had to know of his reputation.
Maybe the SS intimidated the lot. Who knows.
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