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First Lady Michelle Obama loves french fries, and she's not afraid to tell the world:
"Look, my favorite food in the whole wide world are french fries. I love them. Dearly. Deeply. I have a good relationships with french fries and I would eat them every single day if I could," she said in 2009 at the Healthy Kids Fair sponsored by the White House.
"But I know that if I'm eating the right things, and I tell my girls this, if you get the right foods for most of the time, then when it's time to have cake and french fries on those special occasions, then you balance it out."
At the event on the South Lawn, Mrs. Obama discussed the importance of life balance while hula hooping and running obstacle courses, and the world applauded her efforts to build a healthier America through her Let's Move campaign.
Fast forward to 2011, and Republican propaganda machine BigGovernment.com, has created the most creative cartoon their feeble minds could muster to reflect the First Lady's efforts.
A mad, fat black woman (pictured above).
If this blatant mischaracterization seems ridiculous, that's because it is. Since Michelle Obama and her legendary arms first began gracing stages and magazine covers around the world, she has inspired women to regain control of their lives, their bodies and take responsibility for the health of their children.
Yet, conservative politicians have consistently ridiculed and maligned her efforts, obnoxiously making her obesity campaign the poster child for governmental overreach.
Celebreality star Sarah Palin even sarcastically made S'mores in "honor" of Mrs. Obama, because she "said the other day we should not have dessert."
Andrew Breitbart, mastermind behind BigGovernment.com, is also the controversial blogger who published misleading, edited footage of Shirley Sherrod, and is currently being sued by the former USDA official for defamation. In this instance, though, Breitbart's abrasive bravado is conspicuously absent as he referred all media inquiries to the website's editor, Micheal Flynn, who says the First Lady is "fair game":
"Michelle Obama's work on nutrition issues has gone beyond the normal First Lady advocacy into the realm of shaping national policy, so, on this issue, I think she is fair game for criticism," he said.
The men responsible for the cartoon, James Hudnall and Batton Lash, vehemently defended their work:
"We find the 'do as I say, not as I do' approach of the Obamas hypocritical and ripe for ridicule. The First Lady seeks to enforce healthy eating on the nation, while indulging on snacks in public appearances," said Lash, pointing to the recent White House Superbowl menu, which included deep-dish pizza and buffalo wings.
"The point is balance, not deprivation," Mrs. Obama told reporters in response to the criticism. "I like to talk about my obsession with french fries because I don't want people to think that "Let's Move" is about complete, utter deprivation. It is about moderation and real life changes and ideas that really work for families, today's families too."
It is pathetic that conservatives will find any reason to disparage the Obamas, even when their agenda is clearly needed.
According to NationMaster.com, the United States is the fatest country in the world, with 30.6 percent of the population having a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30, which is considered obese. The normal BMI for adults should be between 18.5 and 25. Mexico comes in a close second with 24.2 percent.
Diabetes linked to obesity is on the rise in this country, and our First lady is bravely tackling the debilitating fast food mind-set that is slowly killing our children, and they mock her for her efforts.
This cartoon is not at all humorous, it is pathetic.
Instead of supporting our First Lady, some conservatives would rather perpetuate the stereotypical image of an overweight, overbearing black woman because that is what they feel most comfortable with.
They did not draw on Mrs. Obama's alleged hypocrisy to create this caricature, they closed their eyes and drew from their own preconceived prejudices.
While they can pretend that this depiction is purely political, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Comments: (80)
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By: CeCe on 2/16/2011 11:01AM
I find Michelle Obama's critics absolutely pathetic! She has been clear that we should eat healthy, but we shouldn't be unrealistic. That doesn't make her a hypocrite. That makes her real. In a perfect world, we would all eat fruits and vegetables only, but this is reality, and that's the perspective she's coming from.
She's right that most people are not going to cut out unhealthy foods altogether. Most people that try to quit eating unhealthy cold turkey, will fall right back into their bad habits. Instead, she advocates for adding more healthy items into our diets and working out more.
She seems to be a very healthy and fit woman, and with two kids, and her crazy busy lifestyle, I believe it deserves some respect.
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By: stop the press on 2/17/2011 8:10AM
Who voted President Obama into office? The new mainstream society!!! The fact that white america is not what it use to be has brought in caricatures of all sorts. Let it roll off like a duck in the rain (meaning a duck is so greasy when cooked, water just runs off). The bottom line is these things cannot affect us in the least. Move on. Write stories with substance instead of bombarding black voices with reinforced sterotypes. I'd rather see postive writings than crap like this.
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By: david on 2/17/2011 11:59PM
Actually,ven though the attacks are clearly racist, I am tired of the focus on her arms, how she looks and her alleged "workout" routine. She is actually quite normal, meaning probaly heavier than she should be. When you look at her next to the Pres she is twice his size, which is okay, but I wish we could stop focusing so much on her looks and focus on substantive issues.Besides, if she wanted to really do something about obesity she would call general mills, burger king, mcdonalds, coke, pepsi, mars, hersheys, hagaen das etc to a meeting in the white house and ask them to stop poisoning our kids with sugar and high fructose corn syrup.
By the way,african american,lation and poor whites have the issues more than anyone else.
We know she wont do it because all of the above have lobbyists and the white house political machine would never let that happen because they contribute to the campaign.So the reality of the deal is that it does not really matter what she says until she really demonstrates that she is serious, there is no differnce between her postion and the Republicans..its all about the same dollar!!
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By: James on 2/18/2011 11:42AM
I think you said it all. These people who write stuff like this just sit around all day, out of hatred, and think of any kind of unsubstantiated idiotic and racists statements to make. Let's be like Obama. Don't even feed into it.
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By: No1'sname on 2/18/2011 2:04PM
I never comment on things that are about attacking President Obama & First Lady Michele's character, never feed into the negativity, just ignore it & it will go away!!!! Its only a attention getter!
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By: hilroy on 2/16/2011 3:12PM
TIME TO HIT BACK AT THESE RACIST AND DISRESPECTFUL BLUE EYED DEVILS IN ANY WAY WE CAN. THESE KKK CLOWNS STILL THINK ALL YOU GUYS ARE SLEEPING AND DOCILE. SHOW THEM YOU ARE NOT AND REGARDLESS OF THE CONSEQUENCES.THIS FINE AND EDUCATED BLACK WOMAN AND OUR SISTER DESERVES BETTER. GET WITH IT.
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By: Rogerthat on 2/16/2011 12:43PM
The President and The first lady Michelle have been very dignified without letting these stupid jabs at them seriously. Just stay focused President and Mrs. Obama. Don't take any of this spin propaganda nonsense!
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By: leonard c johnson on 2/16/2011 5:07PM
Dignified after all the stuff that been thrown at them they rate higher than dignified. If this had been one of the white presidents with equal as they call it satirical works and we all know this is not art it is an attack there would have been retribution. Just think the man who suppose to be running a country the but end of all jokes. I just hope it is all worth it Mr president then again I know for me it would never be. Thats why know matter how high you climb there will always be some one there pulling the strings. The higher you go the harder you have to dance.
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By: peachcobblerNY on 2/18/2011 11:45AM
You're absolutely correct in stating the Obama's have been "dignified" moreso than I would've been by now.
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By: ooozzzzz on 2/16/2011 1:01PM
Come on conservative White and Black folks. Haven't y'all gotten over the hatin' of the Obama's yet? What's taking so long?
Why do y'all continue to stress out day after day over these two people who are running the country?
You're probably getting drunk and getting high every day. Isn't that painful?
Why keep this up? Are you still hurting from the Presidential election of President Obama? Are you still angry because John McCain and Sarah Palin didn't win? Why do this to yourself? They have another 6 years (includes re-election) to be in the White House. get used to it.
This is just the latest of many thousand negative cartoons about the President & the First Lady. It's gotten old and this, just like all the others, won't change anything but I guess it makes you feel just a wee bit better.
And if it makes you laugh, enjoy but just remember, when you go to sleep tonight and wake up tomorrow morning and the next day and the next, President Obama will still be your CEO/boss and the First Lady will still the most powerful woman of all women in America.
And if you want your kids obese, diabetic and candidates for heart attacks and strokes at a very early age in life, then go ahead and continue to feed them all the french fries, cookies, fried foods, McDonalds, Burker King, Twinkies, candy, Wendy's and processed foods all you want..It's your money and your kids!..Consider exercise the emeny and let them die or have severe health complications early on in life and be true to yourself Mr. and Mrs. Conservative since you don't want anybody (especially the First Lady and the Obama adminstration) telling you something for your own good and the sake of your children's health is such a bad thing.
Go ahead, let them follow your example and allow then to be uneducated about their health and live shortened lives and if they have kids, pass those same bad habits on to their kids and so on and so on.
And if First Lady Laura Bush has proposed and created the very same health initiative for chidren, y'all would be kissing her feet and praising her to the high heavens for her astute vision and forward thinking...But I guess former librarians who married stupid men who can't manage or govern anything successfully without screwing it up for everybody can't be that smart (dumb & dumber)
All this hatin' because the President and the First Lady are African Americans.
Y'all are so f*cked up. Funny as hell, but f*cked up.
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