Posted on 03/16/2007 8:57:43 PM PDT by HarmlessLovableFuzzball
HONOLULU, March 12 — To his high school classmates, Barack Obama was a pleasant if undistinguished student, the guy who seemed happiest on the basketball court, the first to dive into the pumpkin carving at Halloween, the one whose oratorical prowess was largely limited to out-debating classmates over the relative qualities of point guards.
But Mr. Obama’s family here in Hawaii saw a more complex young man, a person whose racial confusion and feelings of alienation were matched with equal parts ambition, disquietude and lofty notions about where his internal struggles might lead.
“There was always a joke between my mom and Barack that he would be the first black president,” his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, said in an interview over tea. “So there were intimations of all this early on. He has always been restless. There was always somewhere else he needed to go.”
It was his early search for a cultural identity on this plumeria-scented island populated with people of diverse origins, but relatively few blacks, that presaged his current political persona, his sister suggested.
“He couldn’t sit back and wait for the answers to come to him,” said Ms. Soetoro-Ng, the child of Mr. Obama’s mother from another marriage, who remains close to him. “He had to pursue those answers actively. People from very far-away places collide here, and cultures collide, and there is a blending and negotiation that is constant.”
She continued, “I think Hawaii gave him a sense that a lot of different voices and textures can sort of live together, however imperfectly, and he would walk in many worlds and feel a level of comfort.”
The political narrative of Mr. Obama was written about 4,500 miles and a cultural universe away from here, largely in Illinois.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Another hard-hitting piece on Obama from the New York Times.
Which one is he?
Ridiculous getups? Never been to the Islands, have we? Looks pretty normal to me.
Okay so the guy has these "conflicts" and identity confusions and we need to elect him as president because of . . . ?
Sold me. We definitely need an individual in the WH that still searches for his soul and self. Someone not sure of his identity in a complex and diverse world where cultures collide.
Solid makings of a President.
It's a fluff piece, not really news just a "lets get to know him in the best possibly light."
The real dirt will be dug up once the campaign starts, although if that $125 or so in unpaid tickets was all, he's a freaking saint.
Obama's white grandmother--the woman who largely raised and nurtured him--is still alive. She is 82 and lives alone in a modest Hawaii apartment. Since Obama decided it was to his personal and professional advantage to be "black", white Grandma remains off stage. If one googles "Obama" and "grandmother", one will get scads of stories/photo ops about the African woman who may or may not be Obama's blood grandma on dad's side. He met her once or twice, on trips to Kenya. But the grandmother who made Obama's breakfasts,ironed his school clothes and took him to the dentist remains in purdah. What an ungrateful, racist little twerp!
Yes, the presidency as therapy. That's the ticket.
Must have been tough growing up in Hawaii, NOT
It's only tough growing up in Hawaii if you're haole (white).
Haoles were (and are) fair game for all sorts of discrimination and violence.
But Barry, not being haole, wouldn't have faced these problems growing up in Hawaii.
But they wouldn't talk about that in the NYTimes, although even in this article it's hinted at:
“I had my own issues to worry about,” said Mr. Hale, who is white — or ha’ole (pronounced HOW-ley) — the Hawaiian term for white outsider. “Being a ha’ole from Punahou, now that was the worst,” he recalled.
I was not referring to his skin color. I was attempting humor, in that Hawaii would appear to be nice place to grow up.
Yeah, it's nice on the surface, but if you're haole or look haole there's a lot of places you're not welcome. You learn to stay in certain parts of the island, not to go into parks or in any public restrooms or to certain beaches, or anywhere where there are groups of "locals" standing around. It's a sort of sixth sense you develop.
I was only jumped and beaten twice when I was growing up. Both within 1/4 mile of where I lived. Once by five guys in a car that cut me off as I was walking along the road, the second time by 3 guys in a park. They were basically doing it for fun, and they know the police won't do anything about it. After the second time I used to carry a machete in my backpack because I vowed it wouldn't happen again, but fortnately the second time was the last.
I'm actually part-Hawaiian, but I look haole so I was fair game for a beating.
LOL.
Its all about timing. The grandmother will be trotted out once the primaries are over and if Obama wins. From then on he will need to broaden his appeal, but until that time she is best tucked far far away.
Maybe I am being too cynical.
--But Barry, not being haole, wouldn't have faced these problems growing up in Hawaii.--
On the other hand, he was and is an AHOLE.
Sorry for following,
when I first read posting, I misread Haole.
By the way, same is true in states,aholes everywhere
Typical aloha attire for photo taking or every Friday. My kids' class photos look about the same, from kindergarten through high school. Don't knock it till you tried it. I love living in a culture where I've only had to wear pantyhose once or twice a year.
Note that to be in that class at Punahou, his parents or grandparents were set back probably $4000-5000 a year, considering it's up over $15K a year now. Even for elementary.
It’s obvious that you have not checked your facts. Spend a few minutes reading. You may learn something. Ignorance is a killer.
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