Obama admits punching and breaking childhood friend's nose over racial remarks
- Former US president Barrack Obama remembered an incident in childhood where he got into a fight with another child who insulted him
- According to him, the psychology behind racial slurs is to give those who say them self-importance while trying to dehumanise others
- He added that such remarks give some people the notion that they can assert power over others to take advantage of them
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Former president Barack Obama recently opened up about a past racial incident to Bruce Springsteen at a podcast with the musician.
Source: Instagram
He was speaking on the "Renegades: Born in the USA" podcast which touched on the racial discrimination that has existed for decades.
"When I was in school, I had a friend. We played basketball together. And one time we got into a fight and he called me a c---," revealed Obama.
"And I remember I popped him in the face and broke his nose. And we were in the locker room," he continued.
According to the former president, the psychology behind racial slurs is to give those who say them self-importance while trying to dehumanise those who are told.
He added that such remarks give some people the notion that they can assert power over others to take advantage of them.
"What it comes down to is an assertion of status over the other. The claim is made that, 'No matter what I am - I may be poor. I may be ignorant. I may be mean. I may be ugly. I may not like myself. I may be unhappy. But you know what I'm not? I'm not you,'" he continued.
Obama expressed that apart from punching the friend, he also gave him a stern verbal warning to make sure he never repeats the same.
"Don't you ever call me something like that," he said.
Obama, the first Black president of the US, was a victim of racial attacks when he declared interest in running for the highest office as critics claimed that he was not a proper American citizen.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
Mohammed Awal Mohammed Awal holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies (Journalism) at the Ghana Institute of Journalism. He has worked in print and online media with Ghanaian-based The Chronicle newspaper, Starr FM and US-based online portable, Face2faceAfrica.com. He also had brief stints with Africafeeds.
Aba Afful (Copyeditor) Maame Aba serves as a copy editor at YEN.com.gh. She naturally enjoys working with words and has an eye for quality content. She has a keen interest in cyberspace and wants to see YEN.com.gh produce more impactful, thought-provoking, and error-free content. Aba has five years of experience as a content writer, blogger, author, and proofreader. She graduated from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 2017. She joined the team in 2021.
