A recent article post on The Root, “The Obama Man Crush,” wondered why such men as diverse as: “Colin Powell, Michael Eric Dyson, Andrew Sullivan, Tom Joyner, Ted Kennedy, Bill Richardson, Christopher Hitchens and numerous others, appear to have such a "man crush" on Sen. Obama?”
According to the writer, Jewel Woods, a male gender analyst specializing in men’s issue and executive director of the Renaissance Male Project, the answer is “white-collar masculinity.”
Put another way, it’s his lack of bona fides “niggatude.” To break it down even more, he doesn’t act like a textbook nigga: on the dole, in jail, and the father of umpteen out of wedlock children.
And the man also speaks Standard English.
According to Jewel: “With degrees from Columbia and Harvard and a background teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago, Obama surely represents a break from ‘traditional’ images of masculinity. But it must be more than his educational bona fides.”
Because Obama can blend the aforementioned attributes and still play basketball, he is viewed as “smooth,” and “smooth” is a subset of cool, and “sexy.”
According to the writer, Jewel Woods, a male gender analyst specializing in men’s issue and executive director of the Renaissance Male Project, the answer is “white-collar masculinity.”
Put another way, it’s his lack of bona fides “niggatude.” To break it down even more, he doesn’t act like a textbook nigga: on the dole, in jail, and the father of umpteen out of wedlock children.
And the man also speaks Standard English.
According to Jewel: “With degrees from Columbia and Harvard and a background teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago, Obama surely represents a break from ‘traditional’ images of masculinity. But it must be more than his educational bona fides.”
Because Obama can blend the aforementioned attributes and still play basketball, he is viewed as “smooth,” and “smooth” is a subset of cool, and “sexy.”
This is continuation of what I’ve called the “bitchification” of Obama, in which an intelligent, educated black man of mixed parentage has been interpreted as “female” in this campaign cycle.
It’s interesting to note the continuing “bitchification” of Obama. One of Salon’s political reporters months ago mentioned something of a similar nature: how Obama sounded more “feminine” because of his non-bellicose rhetoric, and how Clinton sounded more “masculine” because of her position on the war, and that reporter was merely writing about how an Iowan, a woman, was noting her perceptions of the two candidates. Well, that Salon reporter was roundly rebuked by Salon’s readers, accused of manufacturing Republican talking points.
Maureen Dowd had reduced him to “Obambi.” Friedman invoked “Tony Soprano, or Obama’s “inner Jimmy Carter.”
The point is Obama is considered a “bitch” or a “punk faggot” because he isn’t obsessed with bombing every other third world nation. Mind you, Obama mentioned dipping into Pakistan if actionable intelligence was obtained by the US on bin Laden, but he was then ridiculed as a rookie.
It’s interesting to note the continuing “bitchification” of Obama. One of Salon’s political reporters months ago mentioned something of a similar nature: how Obama sounded more “feminine” because of his non-bellicose rhetoric, and how Clinton sounded more “masculine” because of her position on the war, and that reporter was merely writing about how an Iowan, a woman, was noting her perceptions of the two candidates. Well, that Salon reporter was roundly rebuked by Salon’s readers, accused of manufacturing Republican talking points.
Maureen Dowd had reduced him to “Obambi.” Friedman invoked “Tony Soprano, or Obama’s “inner Jimmy Carter.”
The point is Obama is considered a “bitch” or a “punk faggot” because he isn’t obsessed with bombing every other third world nation. Mind you, Obama mentioned dipping into Pakistan if actionable intelligence was obtained by the US on bin Laden, but he was then ridiculed as a rookie.
But now the McCain campaign has noticed this “man crush” but has sough to center it within the media. Salon.com has posted that campaign’s contempt for the Man from Illinois by running an ad called “Obama Love.”
The ad, with the Frankie Valli singing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” has a series of video clips from the media’s chatterheads and some reporters gushing over Barack Obama. Of course, this totally ignores the fact that John McCain has also gotten good press and has considered the media his “base,” and Media Matters has noted how McCain’s foibles often go unchallenged.
But what this ad also shows is the utter contempt that McCain has for the pretty boy politician. What this ad also underscores is the “cult” of Obama, that his supporters are a crew of zombies who have attended too many love-ins.
Obama has once stated that he is aware of how people have a tendency to foist their projections onto him, but never has one politician meant so many different things to some many different people.
It’s the power of interpretation without being grounded in any of anchor reality.
The ad, with the Frankie Valli singing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” has a series of video clips from the media’s chatterheads and some reporters gushing over Barack Obama. Of course, this totally ignores the fact that John McCain has also gotten good press and has considered the media his “base,” and Media Matters has noted how McCain’s foibles often go unchallenged.
But what this ad also shows is the utter contempt that McCain has for the pretty boy politician. What this ad also underscores is the “cult” of Obama, that his supporters are a crew of zombies who have attended too many love-ins.
Obama has once stated that he is aware of how people have a tendency to foist their projections onto him, but never has one politician meant so many different things to some many different people.
It’s the power of interpretation without being grounded in any of anchor reality.
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