- Share This Post
- submit
- 14
-
Sparkle (0)
A post, "The Interview Obama Regrets, But We Love," has hundreds of hits from CNN and Google, telling of the nation's obsession with the Obamas, the nation's next First Family. Some surfers are especially fascinated with President-elect Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7.
People want to know where will the girls go to school in Washington, D.C.? What kind of puppy will they bring to the White House? How is Michelle Obama preparing her daughters for the move? How will Malia decorate her room? The Obama children will be the youngest children to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue since the Kennedy children and President Jimmy Carter's daughter, Amy.
That "Obama regrets" post and other Obama family posts at WSATA also get visits through BlackPlanet.com mostly from an Oct. 31 exclusive interview with Michelle Obama by Alyson Mance in which the future First Lady answers multiple questions, one of which queries how Michelle Obama feels about being compared to Claire Huxtable (Phylicia Rashad), a fictional character and the mother on The Cosby Show:
Do you feel a new-found responsibility as a black beauty/family icon? You’ve been compared to Claire Huxtable so many times!
You know, being compared to American icons like Claire Huxtable is flattering of course, but let me tell you, this whole experience is a whirlwind. Barack and I both come from normal, very ordinary circumstances. Of course, we’re also incredibly blessed. Our families were very close and loving, with strong values.And today, Barack and I work each day to pass those values along to our daughters. So really, we are your typical American family. And that’s something that I think really comes through when you learn about Barack, and when you hear his message. He and I both know what it’s like to struggle. We both came from families who worked incredibly hard to give us opportunities, and always pushed us to work hard so that we could give back to the communities that need our help the most. And I think that’s one of the reasons that so many people from all walks of life have been inspired by Barack’s message of change. Because his story… and my story … really are the American dream. And we want to make sure every person gets their chance at that dream. ("Michelle Obama Said What?" at BlackPlanet.com)
In the pre-election interview, Mrs. Obama also said that if she were to become First Lady her daughters would be her priority. However, once assured their needs had been met, she "would keep working on finding ways to support working women and families" as her First Lady cause. That answer is in keeping with what the Mrs. Obama blogged at BlogHer during the campaign.
Conjecture that the Obamas are like the Huxtables and so The Cosby Show helped to open the door for a black family to live in The White House has popped up around the Net and in the mainstream press. My daughter and I had discussed the Huxtable connection privately, and I reminded her, because she was so young during The Cosby Show's TV reign, that the Huxtables were not everyone's favorite. Some African-Americans complained that The Cosby Show did not reflect the majority of African-Americans because the Huxtable family was upper-middle class.
I was a fan of the show because besides it being funny and a positive African-American image, The Cosby Show reflected my upbringing and values more closely than other black family comedies such as The Jeffersons and Good Times. However, my family was a middle class family, not upper-middle. I am the daughter of a postal worker and a school teacher, not a lawyer and doctor, but my extended family includes doctors, both PhD. and MD, academic administrators, and between my parents, aunts, and uncles, I experienced steady promotion of African-American pride and an appreciation of our heritage that viewers saw on The Cosby Show.
As I watched the parade of sweatshirts on the the show from historically black colleges, observed Cliff and Claire's expectation that the children will succeed academically,
