In drawing back memories of the past

Obama punches a friend and breaks his school-days nose over a racist phrase

Barack Obama with singer Bruce Springsteen during the interview.

A.F.B.

Although many people view the former US president, Barack Obama, usually as the epitome of diplomacy, he admitted that he broke a friend's nose during an altercation.

Obama said the incident on his first episode of his latest "podcast" with singer Bruce Springsteen.

The former president revealed that he is sometimes forced to show his strength.

During a discussion about racism in America, Obama recalled a difficult memory from his childhood, saying: "When I was in school, I had a friend, we used to play basketball together, and one time we got into a quarrel." And he added, laughing, that his friend called him a dirty phrase, adding, "I remember "I punched him in the face and broke his nose .. It was just a reaction."

"He asked me: Why did you do that?"

I told him: Do not tell me that ».

Obama mentioned the same story in his diary "The Audacity of 2006", explaining that the accident happened when he was in the seventh grade.

The biggest issue

Then the conversation between the former president and Springsteen turned to the biggest issue of racism in America, and revealed the roots of that hatred.

Obama said: "The important point is that it is about affirming one's position over the other," and he clarifies this point: "I might be poor, I might be ignorant, I might be mean, I might be ugly, I might not love myself, and I might be unhappy." More by saying that "people are different, yet this psychological aspect of the person is institutionalized, and it is used to justify stripping a person of his humanity, taking advantage of him, deceiving him, stealing him, killing him, and raping him, whatever."

Then the rock legend posed a question to Obama, whether he believed that America today is ready to "dismantle its foundational myths", or to think about compensation.

Obama replies, “If you ask me in theory: Are compensation justified?

The wealth of this country, the power of this country, was built in large part on the backs of slaves, and they also built the house in which I stayed for a while, ”referring to the White House.

And Obama continued: "What is also true is that even after the end of official slavery, systematic oppression and discrimination against black Americans led to the inability of black families to create wealth and the inability to compete, and this has generational implications."

And he goes on: “So, if you think about what is just, you look back, and say: The descendants of those who have suffered these kinds of terrible, cruel and often abusive injustices deserve some kind of fairness, some kind of compensation - recognition.”

Nevertheless, Obama said that it became clear to him during his time in office that the country would not do this «and that then leads us to: Can we really get this kind of justice?

Can we convince a country of this date?

My opinion was that, in practice, this was far-fetched.

We cannot even make this country provide a decent education for these children. ”

Even so, the former president says he still sees the topic as a worthwhile topic of debate.

"If there is no other reason to educate the country about the past that is not taught often, then let's face it rather than forget it," he said.

Barack Obama:

- "Even after the end of official slavery, systematic oppression and discrimination against black Americans resulted in the inability of black families to create wealth and the inability to compete, and this has generational implications."

The core of the problem in America is an attempt to show the standing of one person over another.

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