Speaking
with Oprah Winfrey, Obama said she was taken aback when the insulting
description of her first took hold while her husband was running for
president eight years ago.
"That
was one of those things that you just sort of think, dang, you don't
even know me, you know?" she told Winfrey. "You just sort of feel like,
Wow, where did that come from?"
"You
think, that is so not me! But then you sort of think, well, this isn't
about me," she went on. "This is about the person or the people who
write it."
Racially-tinged
accusations of resentment have trailed the Obamas since they entered the
national political stage. In one example, to dramatize the attacks on
the Obamas, the New Yorker placed an image of Michelle Obama, sporting
an afro and toting a gun, on its cover. The President was depicted as a
Muslim terrorist.
In
the ensuing years, the first lady has continually pushed back on the
notion, including when a book was released in 2012 depicting her as
clashing with some members of the West Wing staff.
Speaking
with Winfrey for an hour-long special airing Monday, Obama said the
experience exposed deep-seated fears pervading American society.
Michelle Obama: Why I am helping Trump
"We
are so afraid of each other, you know?" she said. "Color, wealth, these
things that don't matter still play too much of a role in how we see
one another. And it's sad, because the thing that least defines us as
people is the color of our skin, the size of our bank account. None of
that matters."
She said it was
impossible to determine a person's values from their race or religion.
Instead, she argued people -- including herself -- must "act out" their
ethics and principles.
"I thought,
let me live my life out loud so that people can then see and then judge
for themselves. And that is what I want young people to do. Just live
your life," she said.
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