Semi-Literate Michelle Obama Got By On Affirmative Action [Reader Post]

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There is a little ugly-but-true hit piece (the best kind) on Michelle Obama from Dinesh D’Souza at Townhall.

Consider the case of Michelle Obama. She was raised in a two-parent, middle-class family. She applied to one of America’s top universities, Princeton, and was admitted. Of this experience, Michelle says on the stump, “All my life I have confronted people who had a certain expectation of me. Every step of the way, there has been people telling me what I couldn’t do. When I applied to Princeton, they said: you can’t go there, your test scores aren’t high enough.”

Which is all very moving, except that her test scores weren’t high enough. Michelle Obama is part of the affirmative action generation of above-average but far-from-stellar performers who were granted preferential admission to America’s most elite institutions.

Michelle notes that she graduated with honors in her major. Again, the problem is that her undergraduate thesis is on the web. You might expect that she wrote about Shakespeare’s sonnets or the political evolution of W.E.B. Du Bois. Well, no. Essentially Michelle Obama wrote about the problems of being a black woman at an Ivy League university.

In this post, Michelle Obama: Blacks Who Assimilate Into “White Culture” Are Uncle Toms, Michelle vents and whines about how unfair everything is. From her thesis.

I have found that at Princeton no matter how liberal and open-minded some of my White professors and classmates try to be toward me, I sometimes feel like a visitor on campus; as if I really don’t belong. Regardless of the circumstances underwhich [sic] I interact with Whites at Princeton, it often seems as if, to them, I will always be Black first and a student second.

~~~

These experiences have made it apparent to me that the path I have chosen to follow by attending Princeton will likely lead to the further integration and/or assimilation into a White cultural and social structure that will only allow me to remain on the periphery of society; never becoming a full participant. This realization has presently, made my goals to actively utilize my resources to benefit the Black community more desirable.

Oh, and isn’t it a little ironic that the same “White cultural and social structure that will only allow me to remain on the periphery of society” finds her a hair’s breadth from becoming First Lady?

D’Sousa digs a bit deeper and takes her back to high school grammar class.

Here is a typical passage: “By actually working with the Black lower class or within their communities as a result of their ideologies, a separationist may better understand the desparation of their situation and feel more hopeless about a resolution as opposed to an integrationist who is ignorant to their plight.”

Alas, the grammar is all wrong here. More than once, the tenses are garbled. People are ignorant “of” the plight of the lower class, not ignorant “to” their plight. And “desparation” should be spelled “desperation.” To wreak so much havoc on the English language in one sentence, without conveying anything of substance, is perhaps deserving of a prize. Is this what her professors were thinking when they granted her honors? Whatever the Obamorons say, let’s remember that that these are not mere typos; they reflect an estranged relationship to the English language. Moreover they appear not in an off-the-cuff transcript but in a thesis that is supposed to reflect the culmination of one’s college career.

Opponents of Affimative Action will knowingly nod their heads at Mrs. Obama’s conundrum. When you achieve a goal on any grounds other than your own merits, the pride is that much less earned, the reward that much less satisfactory. The “beneficiaries” of such programs will always have that little nagging doubt about whether they could have reached the goal on their own. Those that did reach the same goal on the merits will always think their achievement is just that much more valid and valuable than those who got the “helping hand.”

Her anger may be justified, but it should be directed at the system of official cheating that got her there, not those that oppose it.

H/T Ace

Also find Bill Dupray at The Patriot Room.

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“semi-illiterate” is right. I’ll never forget her say “We went to Harvard..and BARACK AND ME..”
BARACK AND ME? Can you even SAY that if you TRY??

She and B. Hussein would never have gotten to where they are today without Affirmative Action, that great enabler of mediocrity through racial preference. Remember that her hubby became president of the Harvard Law Review solely by the graces of Affirmative Action over merit. His reign was considered to be the worst and least productive in the Law Review’s illustrious history. They have the nerve – nay, the audacity – to diss White society.

I don’t see this as a hit piece unless one is suggesting that giving a person special treatment just because of the color of their skin is a bad thing. Is it? In 2008+, as America reaches a point in demographics where no one race has 51% of the population, should a race with 49% of the population be dismissed because of the color of their skin while others are given special treatment as Michelle Obama has been? It’s a question that deserves careful discussion. Has Affirmative Action run its course?

Ashan,

Support your allegation.

As opposed to Cindy McCain. Anyone want to turn their critical eyes on her ? Let’s see, a former cheerleader at USC from which she graduated she starts having an affair with a married (but honey i am trying to get separated) followed by later drug addiction and theft of pills from her own charity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cindy_mccain And the hard right wants to try and smear Michelle’s own personal history ?

Michelle was also a legacy at Princeton, her older brother was there he also received his B.A. there although unlike Michelle he did not graduate cum laude. He then got his masters at University of Chicago.
Ashan you sound a bit bitter, was he selected over yourself ?

…”there HAS been people”… Good Lord, the woman can’t even speak english. I’ll bet the rough draft of her oh so scholarly thesis was a riot.

Puppy,

Please point out where she said there “has been” people.

So this is what Dinesh and you folks have been reduced to — combing someone’s undergraduate work for typos and mispellings.

Cindy McCain…Very Interesting!
No comparison between her and Obama’s “unproud” wife.

Cindy McCain

Bet you would have never guessed this one! No matter your politics.
The media will never tell of this, so pass it on.

GO GIRL!!!!!!!!!!

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal on Cindy McCain, John’s wife.
All I ever saw was this attractive woman standing beside John. I was surprised
how talented and involved with world problems she is. This is a summary of the article.

She graduated from Southern Cal and was a special-needs
teacher.

After her Dad died she became involved with his beer distributing firm and is now the chairwoman.
Sales have doubled since she has taken over from her father.

They have a marriage prenuptial agreement, her assets remain separate.
She is involved around the world clearing land mines – travels to these
countries on a detonation team and service on their board.

They have a 19 year old serving in Iraq , another son in the Naval Academy ,
a daughter recently graduated from Columbia Univ. , an adopted daughter in
high school, and a son who is the finance guy at the beer firm.

Raised kids in Phoenix , Az. rather than Washington DC . (better
atmosphere) He commuted.

In 1991, Mrs. McCain came across a girl in an orphanage in Bangladesh .
Mother Teresa implored Mrs. McCain to take the baby with severe cleft palate.
She did so without first telling her husband. The couple adopted the girl who has
had a dozen operations to repair her cleft palate and other medical problems.

They have a Family Foundation for children’s causes.

She’s active with ‘Halo Trust’ – to clear land mines, provide water and
food in war ravaged and developing countries.

She will join an overseas mission of ‘Operation Smile’, a charity for corrective surgery on children’s faces.

She has had two back surgeries and became addicted to pain killers.
She talks openly about it which she says is part of the recovery process.

I’m surprised the media is so quiet about her attributes. She sounds more
capable than Hillary or Obama. We would really get two for the price
of one. A person with business and international experience.
John did work for the firm for awhile when he left the Navy. She,
however, has the real business experience. Very interesting.

Dave Noble, look in the first “blockquote” section, the third sentence.

As for the MO vs CM battles, the only judgment I can make comes of their various public appearances. MO has portrayed herself as a fair weather patriot far too often for my tastes. She, like her husband, prefers to think of herself as a black first, American second. That is inappropriate for a POTUS, leader of a diverse population, and a First Lady who act as our representatives to the world.

Dave Noble, look in the first “blockquote” section, the third sentence.

Mata, this moron can’t even read the words he posts. Why do expect him to take the time to read what other people post?

Mata,

Nice to hear from you. I’m sorry, not that it matters a big whoop, but I still can’t find it. Could you give me a little context?

I think we have a fundametal disagreement on what constitutes patriotism. I think it’s natural and appropriate that Michelle Obama thinks of herself as a black first and an American second. How could it be any different psychologically? All the time I was in the military, I knew my rank, but that wasn’t me, it was a part of me. I was always Dave Noble, Charlie Noble’s boy. Now if my dad had been black, I think that would have been a more fundamental part of my personality than the fact that I was a military officer, something of which I was proud and to which I was dedicated. The fact that I am an American, as much as I realize what a blessing that is, is far more abstract than that I was a military officer.

What do you think?

I think it’s natural and appropriate that Michelle Obama thinks of herself as a black first and an American second.

WTF?!?! Are you kidding me? If that is the case, then she, and her husband do not need to be in the White House. (I’ll be more than happy to provide other, more pertinant reasons why they shouldn’t be in the WH, but that is an absurd statement!!!)

Here you go, Dave Nobel… from the first blockquoted (ala the section in the color box) section in Duprays post:

Consider the case of Michelle Obama. She was raised in a two-parent, middle-class family. She applied to one of America’s top universities, Princeton, and was admitted. Of this experience, Michelle says on the stump, “All my life I have confronted people who had a certain expectation of me. Every step of the way, there has been people telling me what I couldn’t do.

Now, as far as if that’s glaring grammarical error – it’s debatable, and based on her context. It depends if it was “people” as a single collective unit, or “people” as several separate units. i.e the “people of the USA” is a single unit. “Peoples of the world” are several units. One would use a singular form the other a plurality. So I would guess it depended upon if it was a singular collective of “people” telling here what she couldn’t do, or several units of “people” telling her what she couldn’t do. If it’s the former, it sure t’aint a majority…. There’s always going to be negative Nellie’s in the world. She doesn’t hold a monopoly on being confronted with those trying to quash personal dreams.

My opinion on black first, American second… I’m not as sure that’s a definition of patriotism as much as it is an indication that she views the nation as piecemeal. First she sees separate classes and groups, and only after that does she consider the bond of diverse people under one nation. For a candidate and a DNC party to promote separate classes over national unity – all while the lip service screams “unity” – is a sad study in dichotomy.

But let’s examine that black first bit. MO’s family tree can be placed back to US roots further than my own. I am the grandchild of Ukrainian/Hungarian immigrants who came here thru Ellis Island. I don’t think of myself as a Slav-American or a Euro-American. Nor do I think of myself as a Caucasian-American or white-American, nor give exceptional weight to the color of my, or any one else’s, skin.

I am US soil born, red-blooded American thru and thru… period. My grandparents were Slavs or Euros. I do not demean my heritage by doing this. Nor do I give it weight over my birthright as an American. I am simply an American with Slav/Euro ancestry.

But then, this hypenated Americanism bit has always been a beef of mine. Oddly enough, those clinging to the hypenated concept are usually quite far removed from ancestry that was not born on this soil. BHO happens to be a rare example … sorry, meant *exception*… of this. He is a generation closer to his foreign roots than I. But he is still an American.

The whole point of patriotism is the bond between all as a nation…. regardless of color or nationality. To place import of your class/race first – over and above the national bond of all – is, to me, highly inappropriate for the leader of the free world. I will not condone any hypenated nonsense from my POTUS. He must be American first in his representation, or does not get my respect.

Now, as far as if that’s glaring grammarical error – it’s debatable, and based on her context. It depends if it was “people” as a single collective unit, or “people” as several separate units. i.e the “people of the USA” is a single unit.

I disagree and do consider it a glaring error. This is a question of “There is” vs “There are.” Both are correct depending on the context of use. In this case you would look at “There is people” vs “There are people.” “There is people” is really poor grammar so the correct usage would be “There have been people.” Or can you actually think of a time when using the phrase “There is people” as a part of sentence would be acceptable? I know I can’t.

I believe, Buzz… to use your examples… the correct grammical use would be “there is a people”. In which case, had MO used “there has been *a* people” might have been construed as more correct.

However the concept of people as singular and plural units is an absolute in grammar. Either way, for a college thesis, it was an embarrassing presentation.

I am US soil born, red-blooded American thru and thru… period. My grandparents were Slavs or Euros. I do not demean my heritage by doing this. Nor do I give it weight over my birthright as an American. I am simply an American with Slav/Euro ancestry.

You mean like these

The People I owe my Freedom to who after 43 years I finally found?

If you ever want to talk on Austia-Hungary and the Slavs MataH, let me know. I’d love to exchange info. I’ve been doing a lot of research the past few months.

(added: an article that explains it better than Icould: Yes, Barack Obama, We Are Bitter

Correcting my own grammar in #15… LOL… I didn’t mean to type “peoples of the world”, I meant “people of the world” being several units.

However, to admit most common usage in language, most just use “persons”. But that’s why I say it can be debatable, depending upon to whom to speak, and how anal the language expert is.

I must correct something as well. My link said “The people I owe my freedom too” that is not right. I owe my freedom to the men and women that founded this country and gave the oppourtunity for an illiterate peasant to come here and make a better life. I stand corrected.

2nd edit: Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

I’ll get off my soapbox

I believe, Buzz… to use your examples… the correct grammical use would be “there is a people”. In which case, had MO used “there has been *a* people” might have been construed as more correct.

But that’s not even close to what the original sentence was implying. Yes “there is a people” is a correct phrase, but that only would be referring to a singular group of people. Its very obvious MO is not referring to only one single group that has always been around to tell her she can’t do something.

How be pointin out her bad grammer be hepin hur chidrens?

You racists!

Thanks, Mata,

Just out of curiosity, how do we know she didn’t actually say “have”? Do we have audio or video?

Also, why is it O.K. to do this to Michelle Obama and not the President? There are virtually endless comparable examples for him. I’ve heard many of them with my own ears. I once heard him refer to our enemies as being in the darkness and and us being in the “lightness.”

GWB – Andover, Yale, Harvard.

My SAT scores (which were really not all that impressive) were higher than his but didn’t get me into Princeton (I know I applied). Yet his got him into Yale.
Affirmative Action for rich kids from powerful families.

I believe the quotes in question attributed to MO were from her college thesis. Thus the “look askance” at an Ivy league college thesis having such a deplorable grasp of the English language. And in this, I have to agree. Diplomas are a demand for just about any job but flipping burgers anymore. But I have to say I know more with high school only from the 60s, and life’s experience… combined with a thirst for knowledge… that blow away those with diplomas. I believe the standards for degrees have been lowered to an embarrassing low. And MO’s thesis certainly reflects either carelessness, or a less than impressive grasp of grammar for one in an Ivy league college.

However I don’t give a rat’s butt about her grammar, as I said before. I care about her attitudes and self presentation. For me, she would be an embarrassment as a First Lady.

Dave Noble, I think the question you should ask yourself is why it has been fair to do this to the President (it’s been going on for eight years now) but NOT Michelle Obama, or her husband (he of the “inhalator” for asthmatic children? We have been treated to years of liberals’ assumption that “Bush is an idiot” based on his verbalizations. Well, Dave, Michelle Obama’s written thesis is fair game as are her statements. I only wish that we could get our hands on some of Barack’s term papers. One can only guess why they are not being released.

Ya’ll have such a talent for grammar.

Were any of you speech writers for GWB.

I wonder who wrote his master’s thesis? The Strategery of Beer Pong!

And McCain didn’t get affirmative action, but he definitely did not stay in the Naval Academy based on merit, being third from the bottom of his class.

If he wins, we will have another C,D student for President.

As C,D students, MO or BHO would have never saw the halls of the Ivy League even with affirmative action. More likely, community college.

How many slots did GWB, JM and their kind steal from top performers due to daddy’s connections or family money.

Just For The Record, CM seems like a nice lady and everyone makes mistakes. That doesn’t make the evil or terrible people.

But from a lot of these comments, there are very few open minds here.

There’s a difference between open minds, and having holes in your head.

As for letter grades in school…yes, even presidents” (and wannabe-presidents like Kerry and Gore) can get bad grades.

Einstein , Leonardo da Vinci …..others come to mind.

Did you have a point to make?

Just For The Record

The stellar commentary from Mata and others (in other posts) is demeaned by the snarky, mental midgetry of individuals that seem to get some dark sexual gratification at trying to tear down a woman because her husband is running for President.

Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama should be off limits, but many of the monkeys in the peanut gallery just can’t seem to recognize that this line of personal destruction only denigrates our process and commentary and makes us all look small.

Just For The Record
I suggest that those who are concerned about how much money CM spends or her pass personal problems or MO master’s thesis or whether she was an AA beneficiary, get a life.

(I was going to say that they go back to their former favorite pastime forearm workouts to mini me private gratification videos, but that might get me banned from the board and would be a bit snarky.)

Moreover, I don’t really mean it. It just seems undercut the quality of the discussion and there are so many more great topics of discussion available.

It’s amazing how the libs have created the culture of personal destruction, especially when it comes to GOP first ladies (they tried to destroy Nancy Reagan and constantly made fun of Barbara Bush) that they now whine about any criticism of Michelle Obama.

Since we know next to nothing about Obama, it does help to look for personality clues by examining his spouse. But past a point, I would agree it’s not helpful.

Why waste too much time attaching unpatriotic Michelle when her husband is just as bad or WORSE?

Obama would raise everyone’s taxes, destroy our military, weaken our alliances and let the left wing loons run riot with their flawed social strategies.

Also Obama’s spouse is going out on the campaign trail and doing a bit more than just talking about how she supports her husband or loves him. She’s essentially opening herself up to the criticisms of other campaign spokesmen and Obama’s advisors.

I don’t see McCain’s wife doing anything close to that.

Although her writing is not horrible, it is probably at about the same level as a typical college graduate from a decent state university. Among other things, it is clear that she does not yet grasp how to use commas and semicolons. She also does not have a very good understanding of how to use a dash (for example, “thank you” should only be hyphenated when it is being used as an adjective). Another common error in her writing involves the incorrect placement of commas and periods outside of the quotation marks. That is not correct American punctuation.

At the same time, I realize that I did not know all of these rules either when I was a college student. For instance, I often used the word “towards,” which is actually British. I incorrectly placed commas and periods outside of quotation marks and did not really know how to place commas around quotation marks. At the same time, I went to a state university rather than Princeton. I also majored in Biochemistry, which meant that I spent more time on math and science classes and less time on writing. Nevertheless, I feel like I could probably write as well or better than she did when I graduated.

By the way, do you know who can really write well? Hillary. Check out her thesis if you want an example of good college writing. She knows where to put those commas!

@Dave Noble: I think you were not an officer I would want to serve with. You would have always thought of yourself instead of those who you were supposed to lead!