Photo meme slammed on Twitter for distorting Obamas' relationship
If you're going to post a "teachable moment" on the internet, it's probably a good idea to get your facts straight first, especially when it involves the first family.
If you’re going to post a “teachable moment” on the internet, it’s probably a good idea to get your facts straight beforehand, especially when it involves the first family.
This week, a suspected member of Hotep Twitter shared a “stand by your man”-type meme using a picture of the Obamas. In the post, Michelle and Barack are used to illustrate that when a woman gives a brother of modest means a chance, in time, (if she is faithful) he will be able to “give her the world.”
The intention was clearly to inspire, but there was just one problem with the analogy — it’s based on a false premise.
Michelle Obama didn’t take a chance on a poor brother who had nothing to his name. She dated a Harvard-educated man and was already quite successful even before meeting him. She didn’t lower her standards in the name of love and certainly didn’t need him to “give” her anything.
Many felt the Twitter post was a misguided attempt at telling women to take a gamble on a slacker and hope he turns out to be a winner, which is dubious advice at best. And Black Twitter was quick to let @itsTheJoJohnson know they were not having it.
https://twitter.com/itsTheJoJohnson/status/650439107991224320
@thetrudz @itsTheJoJohnson she was also…his boss. And already had her own career & goals she had accomplished.
— Reagan Gomez (@ReaganGomez) October 6, 2015
@itsTheJoJohnson Your wording took all of her hard work and success on her own away from her, & implied that her husband GAVE her all that.
— Wander (@illusorywander) October 6, 2015
@itsTheJoJohnson Dude, this is pure ignorance. Do you even know their story? He didn't give her the world, she earned it already!
— John Calhoun (@jacalhoun) October 6, 2015
No one tore the meme to shreds more thoroughly than Shaun King, whose rebuttal has gone viral in its own right. In his Facebook fact check, Kings explains to the misinformed brother that, “The caption in this photo implies that Michelle found a scrub, she stuck with him, and he eventually became a king. That’s a damn lie too.”
The young man in question has been flooded with responses all afternoon and now insists everyone is taking his post the wrong way.
https://twitter.com/itsTheJoJohnson/status/651453567946096640
https://twitter.com/itsTheJoJohnson/status/651450526912106496
Eventually, the two men spoke and cleared the air.
https://twitter.com/itsTheJoJohnson/status/651446971417403396
https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/651473857057017856
https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/651473992369446913
Check out King’s full post below.
More About:News
You Might Like
