The BN Village - View Single Post

BrooklynGal · (#1 (**permalink**))

I was just having a conversation with my two Black male co-workers (there’s only three of us colored folk in my department), and was astounded by the complete open hatred they both have for Barack Obama.

We were discussing this ridiculous article about the Black ‘bourgeoisie’s’ response to the Obamas after which they started with their hate.

These two brothers at my job are very upwardly mobile and can be described as ‘bougie’. They are highly educated, both have high-yella Black women and for all intents and purposes, consider themselves to be yuppy, living a white life in Black skin. (By the way, these are the two brothers who were so mad about not being invited to the Lebanese co-worker’s wedding).

They are quite unlike the brothers I worked with at my old department who were yuppy but all voted for Obama and love him.

I don’t know where this extreme hatred for Obama springs from, but during our conversation, they kept going on and on about how ‘useless’ he is. I still don’t know what they mean when they say ‘useless’ because when I asked them to explain, they just hid behind a whole lot of obfuscation. And they seem to take the fact that he’s President very personal. I mean, they are just frowning like a mofo.

I’ve been seeing this in a number of Black men – since before the election, Black Afrocentric men or Black ‘bougie’ men who either call Obama a ‘coon’ a ‘tool’, ineffective, powerless, a robot or whatever.

It’s almost as though many of these brothers were ‘mad’ at him for running, for reaching for something they thought he didn’t or shouldn’t deserve. Or for whatever, who knows...?

Now I voted for Obama. Not because I thought he was gonna be some Black panacea and fix all my wounds, but basically because he’s Black and I wasn’t gonna vote for them damn crackers. I do not expect my life to change in leaps and bounds under Obama. I consider him to be a politician and not a ‘Black Leader’. I knew that all along, even when I early-voted for him and I am not ashamed to say I voted for the brother coz he’s Black and that’s it.

But I don’t get this extreme hatred a number of Black men have for him. It’s like they need to say the most hateful things about him, his manhood, his intelligence etc.

And I see this mostly from two sets of Black men: The hyper-Black Nationalist Afrocentric brother, or the Ultra-Edumecated Whitified Black Bourgie Yuppy.

Never from regular round-the-way brothers working a nine to five. At the Barbershop where I get my hair cut, from the brothers in the mailroom at my job, from just ‘regular’ cats, I don’t see this deep hatred for Obama and I wonder why?? In fact, most of these cats are quick to say they know ain’t nothing gonna change but they have photos of him, Michelle and his family all up and down the barbershop walls and mailroom.

All my male Caribbean and African friends have nothing but love for him and voted for him (though some have been rabid Republicans in the past). I don’t hear this extreme hatred from them. None of my Senegalese, Nigerian, Trini, Jamaican, Guyanese or Belizean male friends have brought out the vitriol like some of the AA brothers I know or work with.

And I’m trying to wrap my mind around why?

I mean, on the one hand, I can get the Afrocentric angle about him not ‘doing anything for Black people’. But who said that was gonna be his mandate?

Then on the bourgie angle, I just don’t get it. Sometimes I think it’s a backlash from Black men who are used to being the ‘shining example’ first-this first-that brother and ain’t too happy that Obama’s come along and upset the HNIC cart.

Or maybe I’m just blind and something deeper’s going on.