Posted on 12/17/2014 6:40:04 AM PST by COUNTrecount
The Obamas talked with People magazine about dealing with their "own racist experiences," as the magazine described.
Michelle Obama told one story that recently took place, even as she was first lady of the United States.
"I tell this story – I mean, even as the first lady – during that wonderfully publicized trip I took to Target, not highly disguised, the only person who came up to me in the store was a woman who asked me to help her take something off a shelf. Because she didn't see me as the first lady, she saw me as someone who could help her. Those kinds of things happen in life. So it isn't anything new," Michelle Obama, who is 5'11", said.
She also said that her husband, Barack Obama, was asked to get coffee when he was wearing a tux. "He was wearing a tuxedo at a black-tie dinner, and somebody asked him to get coffee," she told People.
The president told his own experiences. "There's no black male my age, who's a professional, who hasn't come out of a restaurant and is waiting for their car and somebody didn't hand them their car keys," Obama told the magazine.
I’m 5’10” and am often asked by the vertically inclined if I can get things off of the top shelf. It’s not a racial thing. It’s a neighborly thing.
As for being asked to get coffee, that’s happened, too. Especially when I’ve worked in an office with a lot of men. They wanted me to make it, too. I didn’t fret about it or get offended. I told them to make it themselves. No problem.
Scary thought the Dems dump Warren and Michelle runs?
I’ve been thinking this for a long time. Lately though I’ve been thinking that their shelf lives may have expired. Ditto for Hillary and Jeb.
Better than being asked to let me stand her fat arse as a stool to reach the top shelf.
As Chris Rock said, if you don’t want to be thought of as a Target employee, don’t wear the uniform.
None of us see you as the first lady, Wook.
No idea whatsoever of courtesy. I help people all the time, even if it’s just holding the door for a lady. About a month ago I was at IHOP with my daughter when this elderly lady at the checkout had her checkcard denied. I offered to take care of it for her. After all, it was less than $8.00. I say thank you, excuse me, tip my hat to ladies (I’m a cowboy hat wearer) and even help elderly people put their groceries in the car.
Look what has happened to common courtesy in this country. The Obamas are just common.
Even more, how pathetic is it that a small kindness shown to a stranger has to be blown up to some sort of national news story?
Although I'm not extraordinarily tall, I've been asked to help people in this manner. I didn't immediately think, "This person views me as a servant."
I bet even short people have been asked by strangers for directions or some small favor, and yet I haven't seen any news stories about it.
I like my coffee black and bitter, does that count?
Many Target employees dress like that, right? Could it be someone just asked for help and you happened to be there? Naaaaaaaaaaaa, its the black thing again. The fact that you all are black and live in the White House still means nothing to either of you. Your hatred of America is still so deep that it will never go away.
Target employees wear Red shirts with beige pants/slacks. She would not be mistaken for an employees unless she dressed like one. This claim does not pass the smell test...
Egad! She was mistaken for a [shudder] Target employee! Quel horrible!
Meanwhile, Hutus and Tutsis are hacking each other into chum, Sierra Leoneans are dying of Ebola by the cartload, and Somalians are starving to death under the heel of anarchic warlords.
Talk about a First-world problem ...
And that’s assuming this ever happened in the first place, which, as numerous posters have pointed out, is highly unlikely.
Anyone who would walk up to the nearest black man and just hand him their keys deserves to lose their car.
Big deal! I’ve been asked to get things off a high shelf from other people. I’ve been asked where things are at in a store. Heck ... for some reason people ask me for directions on the street ... LOL ...
Or as a lady of any number.
I was at a Home Depot wearing a red sweatshirt and people were asking me plumbing questions.
I feel so used!
They asked her to take her a$$ off the shelve for fear of collapse....
So she’s above giving someone a helping hand because she’s married to the president?
I have news for this unspeakable, lurching beast. We don’t have royalty in this country. She is a citizen employee of all of us, nothing more, and I would love to tell her so.
And then I would INSTRUCT her as my employee to get something off the top shelf for me.
I ask tall people to help with retrieving upper shelf items all the time. Don’t stop to even think about their gender or race .. all I care about is their height!
What she speaks of here (and I truly doubt the incident even happened) is just looking for a grievance. I’m familiar with the area where that Target is located; it’s extremely ‘diverse,’ near Reagan Natl Airport just outside DC. The nearby Pentagon City shopping mall (Nordstrom, etc) has a huge African-American clientele. No one around there believes for one minute that a well-to-do African American doesn’t “belong” or that all of them have lower level jobs (and what’s wrong with that?). This is pure BS.
Happens to me all the time, because, you know, I'm tall and can reach up there. (Mind you, I don't see short folks volunteering to get stuff off the bottom shelves for me, but, whatever.)
Should I scream "racism"? I'm a goofy white guy, after all, and we're the most persecuted ethnic group in the country these days.
Anyone who would walk up to the nearest black man and just hand him their keys deserves to lose their car.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.