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Michelle Obama Podcast
Aug. 4th, 2020 09:58 pmI will refer to the content of the conversation, so...spoiler alert!
One of the things I miss most since Becoming Mammy (release date TBC) is the conversations with friends. Uninterrupted. Wide ranging. Serious. Whimsical. Fun. Challenging. Interesting. I miss that a lot. I associate podcasts with that same sentiment since some of the podcasters had become old friends, Ira Glass me aul pal, and also since plenty of my conversations with friends would have linked back to our podcast listening, Gifted Eric me aulder pal springing first and foremost to mind.
The Michelle Obama Podcast launched last week, so I tuned in to see what the former First Lady had to offer. I enjoyed the conversational style of the show, and its content is set to be conversations with family, friends and colleagues about relationships. The first episode tackled what could have been unwieldy, our relationship with our communities and nation and our place in this world, but she, along with her first guest, managed to wrap the broad topic nicely into a 45 minute episode, which was impressive.
I was disappointed that she chose to use Barack Obama as her first guest. I was obviously delighted on a very selfish level because, Obama Forever! But, I felt that it was a bit of a cop-out to use him on the first episode, couldn’t she stand alone and break from his shadow first, and then invite him to join a later episode? I was very disappointed in that.
Barack dominated a lot of the conversation, he was commanding at times and used the phrase ‘talk about that’ on more than one occasion, directing the flow, so again I felt like she hadn’t established herself fully as the host. It was very interesting to see their dynamic at work, and of course I am nit-picking because he was incredibly respectful of Michelle and they obviously have a very communicative relationship (or are wonderful actors).
The content itself was interesting, an insight to their respective backgrounds and how they were both from relatively impoverished homes and neighbourhoods. They talk about the concept of being ‘raised by a village’, and how that has been lost in today’s society. What was very interesting was the discussion on values and how both their families valued education, and how a person’s own value system begins with their parents. This resonates with me now more than ever, it is something I have reflected on over the last three years and something I will write more about at another time. The strong message coming from the Obamas was that education is king, it provided the opportunities for both Barrack and Michelle to choose their paths...and interesting to hear about how Michelle’s path began quite differently with a much stronger focus on the typical ‘box ticking’ approach towards material gain.
I hadn’t thought about the cause of this societal shift away from the village approach, they put it down to an increased cost of living (obvious mention of healthcare, and also education costs) leading to people being forced to focus solely on themselves and building their own resources to become self-sufficient in order just to breathe, thus leaving the interactions with the broader communities behind and resulting in an economic divide based on economic wealth. The Obamas point out that when we start to make political decisions based on that ‘me first’ attitude, that is when there is a problem.
Relating this cultural shift back to politics is the piece that is most certainly missing in my own life and in my own decisions. I am still rooted in the ‘me’ phase, trying to support my entire family myself and trying to manage as best I can, sacrificing for my children’s futures, doing it all without the broader support network of my extended family and community. I have a natural instinct to contribute to society and community, and I try to encourage this in my children, but frankly I am just about keeping my head above water so this is certainly one area that is let go when decisions have to be made. And, mentally I do not engage in politics for the very same reasons, I am just keeping my head above water on this relentless hamster wheel so my contributions are minimal, I show up and I vote but that is all, and that usually involves a few last minute conversations about my candidates to make an ‘informed’ decision.
Barrack Obama goes on to say in the podcast that people are taking the opportunity now (alluding to the pandemic I presume, but it could also be alluding to Trump, or the perfect storm that is Trump ‘managing’ a pandemic) to realise that things as they are, are not working that well. He is optimistic that change will happen as a result of this moment in time, but I am not. I revelled in the tongue-in-cheek jibes at him for being the ‘yes we can man’ and the ‘audacity of hope guy’ and it was so heartwarming and reaffirming that these were not just political slogans or catchy book-selling titles for him, he genuinely believes that ‘yes we can’, and he is so incredibly filled with hope for the future of America that they will bring about change and bring about a better world. God, I really wish I believed in that as much as I believe in him. I’d love to be that optimistic and positive. He is truly awesome. (See, he dominated the podcast!)
I have to take a moment to mention another great politician, the late John Hume who passed away just yesterday. Despite being very uninterested in politics, I have always had enormous time for John Hume and the tremendous work he did for the North. He grew up with my dad, they are just three years apart in age and they all grew up on the same street in Derry. John flew my dad, along with about 20 of the old neighbours from The Glen, over to Brussels for a tour of the European Parliament, so there is a personal connection for my family as well. Additionally, Derry is my second home, it really is the town I loved so well. I have family there, I spent my childhood there, through the troubles and the ceasefire and the re-building of the city to what it is now. It is a beautiful place, with palpable history in the air, I love it so much and I am continually astonished by what John Hume did to bring the peace talks together and to fruition. He was an amazing man, who might not have had a catchy jingle but he certainly lived by the motto of “yes we can”. And, yes he did. RIP Mr Hume, you were a gentleman and a powerful force for peace in our time.
Tanks Michelle Obama for starting your podcast. I love that you want to encourage conversations with friends, to encourage debate, and to encourage engagement. You have secured this regular listener.
One of the things I miss most since Becoming Mammy (release date TBC) is the conversations with friends. Uninterrupted. Wide ranging. Serious. Whimsical. Fun. Challenging. Interesting. I miss that a lot. I associate podcasts with that same sentiment since some of the podcasters had become old friends, Ira Glass me aul pal, and also since plenty of my conversations with friends would have linked back to our podcast listening, Gifted Eric me aulder pal springing first and foremost to mind.
The Michelle Obama Podcast launched last week, so I tuned in to see what the former First Lady had to offer. I enjoyed the conversational style of the show, and its content is set to be conversations with family, friends and colleagues about relationships. The first episode tackled what could have been unwieldy, our relationship with our communities and nation and our place in this world, but she, along with her first guest, managed to wrap the broad topic nicely into a 45 minute episode, which was impressive.
I was disappointed that she chose to use Barack Obama as her first guest. I was obviously delighted on a very selfish level because, Obama Forever! But, I felt that it was a bit of a cop-out to use him on the first episode, couldn’t she stand alone and break from his shadow first, and then invite him to join a later episode? I was very disappointed in that.
Barack dominated a lot of the conversation, he was commanding at times and used the phrase ‘talk about that’ on more than one occasion, directing the flow, so again I felt like she hadn’t established herself fully as the host. It was very interesting to see their dynamic at work, and of course I am nit-picking because he was incredibly respectful of Michelle and they obviously have a very communicative relationship (or are wonderful actors).
The content itself was interesting, an insight to their respective backgrounds and how they were both from relatively impoverished homes and neighbourhoods. They talk about the concept of being ‘raised by a village’, and how that has been lost in today’s society. What was very interesting was the discussion on values and how both their families valued education, and how a person’s own value system begins with their parents. This resonates with me now more than ever, it is something I have reflected on over the last three years and something I will write more about at another time. The strong message coming from the Obamas was that education is king, it provided the opportunities for both Barrack and Michelle to choose their paths...and interesting to hear about how Michelle’s path began quite differently with a much stronger focus on the typical ‘box ticking’ approach towards material gain.
I hadn’t thought about the cause of this societal shift away from the village approach, they put it down to an increased cost of living (obvious mention of healthcare, and also education costs) leading to people being forced to focus solely on themselves and building their own resources to become self-sufficient in order just to breathe, thus leaving the interactions with the broader communities behind and resulting in an economic divide based on economic wealth. The Obamas point out that when we start to make political decisions based on that ‘me first’ attitude, that is when there is a problem.
Relating this cultural shift back to politics is the piece that is most certainly missing in my own life and in my own decisions. I am still rooted in the ‘me’ phase, trying to support my entire family myself and trying to manage as best I can, sacrificing for my children’s futures, doing it all without the broader support network of my extended family and community. I have a natural instinct to contribute to society and community, and I try to encourage this in my children, but frankly I am just about keeping my head above water so this is certainly one area that is let go when decisions have to be made. And, mentally I do not engage in politics for the very same reasons, I am just keeping my head above water on this relentless hamster wheel so my contributions are minimal, I show up and I vote but that is all, and that usually involves a few last minute conversations about my candidates to make an ‘informed’ decision.
Barrack Obama goes on to say in the podcast that people are taking the opportunity now (alluding to the pandemic I presume, but it could also be alluding to Trump, or the perfect storm that is Trump ‘managing’ a pandemic) to realise that things as they are, are not working that well. He is optimistic that change will happen as a result of this moment in time, but I am not. I revelled in the tongue-in-cheek jibes at him for being the ‘yes we can man’ and the ‘audacity of hope guy’ and it was so heartwarming and reaffirming that these were not just political slogans or catchy book-selling titles for him, he genuinely believes that ‘yes we can’, and he is so incredibly filled with hope for the future of America that they will bring about change and bring about a better world. God, I really wish I believed in that as much as I believe in him. I’d love to be that optimistic and positive. He is truly awesome. (See, he dominated the podcast!)
I have to take a moment to mention another great politician, the late John Hume who passed away just yesterday. Despite being very uninterested in politics, I have always had enormous time for John Hume and the tremendous work he did for the North. He grew up with my dad, they are just three years apart in age and they all grew up on the same street in Derry. John flew my dad, along with about 20 of the old neighbours from The Glen, over to Brussels for a tour of the European Parliament, so there is a personal connection for my family as well. Additionally, Derry is my second home, it really is the town I loved so well. I have family there, I spent my childhood there, through the troubles and the ceasefire and the re-building of the city to what it is now. It is a beautiful place, with palpable history in the air, I love it so much and I am continually astonished by what John Hume did to bring the peace talks together and to fruition. He was an amazing man, who might not have had a catchy jingle but he certainly lived by the motto of “yes we can”. And, yes he did. RIP Mr Hume, you were a gentleman and a powerful force for peace in our time.
Tanks Michelle Obama for starting your podcast. I love that you want to encourage conversations with friends, to encourage debate, and to encourage engagement. You have secured this regular listener.
