“What I say to them is that people are complicated. Societies and cultures are really complicated. This is not mathematics; this is biology and chemistry.
These are living organisms and it’s messy. And your job as a citizen and as a decent human being is to constantly affirm and lift up and fight for treating people with kindness and respect and understanding.
And you should anticipate that at any given moment there’s going to be flare-ups of bigotry that you may have to confront, or may be inside you and you have to vanquish. And it doesn’t stop.
You don’t get into a foetal position about it. You don’t start worrying about apocalypse. You say okay, where are the places where I can push to keep it moving forward.”
President Obama
This quote perfectly exemplifies the integrity of Barack Obama.
Something I suspect I will never be able to say about the president elect, although I will be happy to be proved wrong.
Thank you. Unfortunately, Donald Trump's behaviour is something I have experienced first hand and therefore I suspect you're right in what you say.
His behaviour will never change, unless he changes and given what he's handing out right now, I can never see that happen.
President Obama's message signifies true spirit through difficult times.
This is a bleak time for America and perhaps the world, since bigotry and racism will now be part of public policy; I cringe when I think of it. But we have to adapt and watch, mainly in bewilderment; I just hope we recognize ourselves when it's over.
Sober message from President Barack Obama.
Thanks Tim. I know what came out through the elections, but I hope things change for the better once Donald Trump gets into office and that he starts to tow the party line.
There are always uncertain times with anyone new coming into office, but other countries will not sit back and watch without coming in and having their say. Even before he's in office, individuals are already having their say.
I fully understand your concerns, given what we've seen already. The world is also going to be affected by some of the decisions Trump makes, particularly around his external policies; so you're not alone.