Michelle Obama: "Fear is the reason this country is where it is today. Fear is a useless emotion"

I really, really like Michelle Obama. A. Lot. It's kind of funny because I was afraid that I wouldn't... I thought she'd rub me the wrong way, so I avoided watching any video of her or really learning too much about her. What a big mistake that was. The more I learn and the more I see and hear of her the more I respect and just plain like her:)

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.

but rather faced--much like a shadow that can appear dark and scary--until you shine light upon it.

our fear response is in because we had to have a reaction when imminent danger threatened us, like a falling rock or a charging wild animal. But nowadays, fear is an emotion that is manipulated by people who wish to exploit us and have us do things without thinking. A wise person is one who becomes calm before making a decision involving non life-threatening situations.

Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to power...


"Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me."

Not quite sure I follow you there. Hate, in my personal experience, is destructive of mind and body, leaving one weaker rather than more powerful. Calmness, on the other hand, can be helpful in attaining power over situations.

you wouldn't understand.

He also said something about looking into the abyss.

.

You are very right.

he said anger leads to suffering-

wrong, is he?

.

People who have learned to occasionally live with negative emotions and use them to create positive outcomes got here before you :)

I was in fear mode about what would happen to Michelle Obama for saying that fear is a useless mode.

to some nifty places :)

...but yes, political decisions shouldn't be based in it.

fear keeps me from kicking the 6ft 300lb bouncer in the testies when I get denied entry to a club. I am glad I made the decision based on fear. Heh.

:kick:

Do not take counsel of your fears.

Fear is a useless emotion

That's potentially the dumbest thing I ever read.

Read this for example:



:D

Unfortunately that once fearless presidential candidate (BC) has been replaced by a surly badger that now advocates the fear card along with exploitation of the isms.

I remember it quite well. Vote your hopes, not your fears! -- that was Nader's 2000 campaign slogan.

Peace,
sw

No. But the problem is the half of humanity that falls for the fear mongering crap in the first place.

Just like her husband, her current rhetoric doesn't match her past actions and words.

She was asked if she, like Colin Powell's wife, was afraid that Obama might get assassinated.

She said that "he could, as a black man, get shot going to a gas station"... so there was no point in being afraid of assassination. That fear would not guide their actions.


You're really a trip, NJS. You took her quote, which CLEARLY meant one thing... and tried to make it mean the exact opposite.


Her quote was about not succumbing to fear.


You're a freaking moron.

That was an example of her playing the fear card.

She's a hypocrite. Anybody can get shot going to a gas station.

It is statistically 4 times more likely for a black man to be the victim of gun violence than for a white man.

That's a very real fear for black people in this country.


She specifically was stating that her and Barack would not let that fear drive their decision on whether to run or not. Completely consistent with her message in the OP.

100% consistent. The exact OPPOSITE of hypocrisy.

Have some proof?

Michelle is a hypocrite. She played the fear card.

...

Explain how the following exchange is

A) hypocritical with what she says in the OP or
B) the "fear card"


Questioner: Are you afraid, as Colin Powell's wife was, that your husband might be assassinated?

Michelle: No, I'm not. Barack, as a black man, could get shot going to a gas station. So we can't live our lives worrying about something like that.

(i.e. "We won't succumb to fear").



That statement is the exact OPPOSITE of playing the fear card. It says they are explicitly NOT going to let fear drive their actions.

It is 100% consistent with her statements in the OP... and 100% NOT playing the "fear card".

It is, in fact, playing the "have no fear card".

I have no idea why you are changing the subject. What you are saying has nothing to do with anything I've mentioned.

Prove that it is 4 times more likely for a black man to be shot at a gas station.

Michelle Obama was playing the fear card by mentioning that.

A) I didn't change the subject. The subject was Michelle Obama and her consistency and/or hypocrisy. I proved you wrong in both cases. Her quotes in the OP are 100% consistent with the out-of-context quote in your initial post in this thread.

B) I never said that it is 4 times more likely for a black man to be shot at a gas station. I said it was 4 times more likely for a black man to be shot anywhere. The word "anywhere" would presumably include gas stations as well. Michelle's comment was an attempt to pick a random everyday event. She could have easily said "at the grocery store" or "at a movie" and her statement would have been the same. And it would have been factual.


Here's an article showing that, even though blacks make up on 13% of the population - they make up 49% of the nation's murder victims.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20203888


and this:





Michelle's comments were saying that she was not going to succumb to the fear that these statistics create in the black community.


Simply by his being black, Obama is far more likely to be a victim of violent crime than a white man would be. That is an incontrovertible fact.

Michelle's comment makes an allusion to that reality..... and she follows it up by saying that she and Barack will not let that fear affect their decision making with regards to the race.

It is a sign of bravery... and of NOT succumbing to fear.


Thanks for the quote you made at the top of this sub-thread. You provided an example of Michelle Obama staying consistent and non-hypocritical - though I am sure that was not your goal.

Homicide rate per 100,000

All causes:
White Men - 5.3%
Black Men - 37.1%

By Firearms:
White Men - 2.1%
Black Men - 14.1%

Source: National Urban League, State of Black America 2008 www.nul.org

is she saying this?

Her assertion is not correct. It's only playing on fears that is morally wrong.

Fear is healthy when one knows they need to make a decision: flee or fight.

Perhaps she needs to keep her mouth shut. Her husband is the candidate, not her; I've heard some of her other emotional ventings on the campaign trail, and although I understand and empathize with her, being married to a public official myself, she needs to stand back, and let her husband get elected.

again this election cycle. Fear is what they're using.. we need to disable it.

The first place we need to disable fear is inside ourselves. It's fear that gets people all mean and snarly with each other.

Fear comes from our lizard brains, acting out of emotion instead of reason. It also makes us vulnerable, because we attract what we fear.

We need to go forth into battle as proud honorable warriors. It does not become us, or our goals, to snipe and peck and snark.

If we act unafraid, nothing can stand before us. And truly, we have NOTHING to be afraid of! The Owner Class is in disarray! The power of the DLC is being broken! The GOP is going to be on life support by November.

These are crucial times. We are the ones we have been waiting for. We must be impeccible warriors!

Peace,
sw

have..that and a whole lotta lies.

we’re a country that is “just downright mean,”

That Michelle, her outlook brightens my day.

:D

so this is me sharing the Michelle Obama love. Fear IS a negative emotion that doesn't do nearly as much good as it does harm.

"fear is a useless emotion".

Exactly.