Thank you to all of my readers who sent me images of Michelle and Barack Obama doing a fist bump or pound or dap, or whatever in the heck you call that in your neck of the woods, but before you get too giddy, might we pause to address how this simple hand expression is being portrayed in the media. What is cute today will surely become annoying in the not so near future. Here is a piece from MSNBC on the "First Bump"
Its our job to analyze these things so I am not a killjoy, I thought it was cute and a sign that they are friends not just husband and wife, so that's nice, but the media's obsession with that small gesture plays into the fact (IMHO) that the most ordinary of things to Black folks even after being in this country since before its founding, is somehow EXOTIC.
Right now I am rocking braids. While it no longer annoys me, you would be surprised how many non-black folks are entranced by my hair and feel the need to comment on it. As if hair braiding is witchcraft or voodoo.
Be careful about basking in the first pound because if this much attention got paid to the first pound, just wait until the weeMichelles decide they want to take swimming lessons or something and they start rocking cornrows. Just wait until everything that they do that may somehow be "ethnic" gets cooed over and psychoanalyzed. The "First Pound" is cute and all right now, but is every single thing that the Obamas do that is "different" get dissected , it is going to get really old really fast.
BTW, did y'all recognize the reporter that did this video for MSNBC? It is our old friend, Maria, the online/interactive reporter that was involved in the that anti-black woman propaganda NBC Nightly News put out last year called African American Women Where They Stand or as we called it last year: Black Women It Sucks to be YOU!. If you missed our coverage from last year, make sure you visit the archives for the month of November 2007 to read all of the posts (AND THE COMMENTS), the series started running on November 24th or so. To new readers, you will notice that back in those days we were much rowdier than we are now.
Y'all think this stuff is cute today, but I can assure you, it won't be cute after five months of "The First Pound," " The First Cornrows," "The First Relaxer," "The First Braids," I can't wait until Cindy McCain and Michelle start battling over recipe's. If Michelle uses walnuts instead of pecans, is that going to be "Exotic"?
Sampling of blog Reports about "First Pound" or "First Bump"
Barack Obama - A Brief History of the Fist Bump
| 2 hours ago by blukor08 Michelle and Barack Obama. Barack and Michelle Obama bump fists before his victory appearance Tuesday night in St. Paul, Minnesota. It's a hand gesture normally associated with sporting events and Bud Lite commercials. ... Daily News - http://blukor08.blogspot.com/ |
| 10 hours ago by Dan Smolen But I have to say that the intimacy displayed Tuesday night between Michelle and Barack Obama is, well, the likes of which I’ve never seen. May we introduce you to…the fist bump. Before the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for ... Fred2Blue - http://fred2blue.wordpress.com |
| 12 hours ago by andwhysee “But by far, our favorite headlines topped the flurry of earnest reports about the “fist bump heard round the world.” Not only does the intimate gesture between Michelle and Barack Obama, exchanged on Tuesday night in front of thousands ... andwhysee - http://andwhysee.wordpress.com |
| 13 hours ago by cranberryzero But when Michelle and Barack Obama exchanged fist bumps at his victory speech in St. Paul the other day, it never occurred to me that it would cause incredible bafflement by most of the mainstream media. I mean, they have young people ... I Heart Chaos - http://www.iheartchaos.com |
| 15 hours ago by Katie The Obama pound, exchanged between Michelle and Barack on Tuesday night, marked a historic moment. Yeah, there's that whole first black nominee for president thing. But more significant, is the fact that the greeting which has been ... Katie Halper - Katie Halper Dot Com - http://katiehalper.com |
| 4 Jun 2008 by Cassandra Marcella Brian Williams showed Barack Obama a still photo of this fist bump, which was so cool, and apparently, he gave a broad smile and Obama said "right there, that right there, that moment is what I love most about my wife. ... Memos to Mom - http://www.memos2mom.com/ |
| 9 hours ago by Amber The Daily News suggests it is "a fist bump of hope" which shows the Obama marriage as hip, silly and genuine, while the Washington Post notes it as a nod to black culture. The YouTube video above has been viewed over 110000 times ... Let Us Go Then, You and I - http://letusgothen.blogspot.com/ |
I think that Michelle and Barack look like a genuine couple when they interact. Their pictures also look sincere and unrehearsed.... However, as went the way of the 'running man' and 'high five' ...the fist bump...is officially on life ...
talk | baltimoresun.com - http://www.baltimoresun2.com/talk
News Reporting on "First Pound"
Seattle Times, United States -
By The Washington Post and Newhouse News Service As Sen. Barack Obama walked onstage in St. Paul, Minn., after clinching the Democratic nomination Tuesday ...
That's a bare-knuckles kiss Baltimore Sun, United States - Gesture by Obama and his wife is 'dap,' short for 'dignity and pride.' It's a black thing, at least for now By Jill Rosen | Sun reporter When Barack Obama ... |
In Historic Moment, White People Exposed To 'Fist Bump" for First Time AlterNet, CA - By Katie Halper, KatieHalper.com. Posted June 6, 2008. The Obama pound, exchanged between Michelle and Barack on Tuesday night, marked a historic moment. ... |
A small gesture that spoke volumes Globe and Mail, Canada - It was a small gesture that spoke volumes. As presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama took to the podium in St. Paul, Minn., on Tuesday night, ... |
Have you seen the Barack Obama fist bump video? Socialite Report, NY - Barack and Michelle Obama made the media giddy with their little fist bump on Tuesday night when Senator Obama claimed victory over the Democratic ... |
Barack and Michelle Obama: Cool because they fist bump? (+video) Gay Socialites, NY - It is stuff like this little Obama family fist bump (and ass smack to follow) that has the media and general teen population in love with Barack and ... |
The fist pound WNWO, OH - By Rob Packard TOLEDO -- A historic move in the campaign for president has a lot of viewers talking today, it was a first of it's kind moment on a political ... |
 | Barack and Michelle Obama's 'fist bump of hope' shows them silly ... New York Daily News, NY - BY LARRY MCSHANE Barack and Michelle Obama show that you don't have to be a teenager or and athlete to look cool while executing a fist bump. ... |
Dap Politics The Plank on TNR.com, DC - On the lighter side of my earlier post on race spokesmanship in American politics--the accompanying photo has exposed a seam in the almost-smooth transition ... |
myfoxny.com, NY -
Last week President Bush chest-bumped an Air Force Academy grad, a moment that was captured on camera and circulated far and wide across the Internet. ...
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