Beware the Dangers of Believing Absurdities

by

John J. Dunphy

Originally published in the 1–18–20 edition of The Telegraph of Alton, IL. Author’s note: The Voltaire quote in the final paragraph is indeed accurate — more accurate than the quote one commonly sees on line.

Every year since 1948, Gallup has asked Americans to name the woman living anywhere in the world whom they most admire. For the second consecutive year, Michelle Obama topped the poll. Frankly, this columnist isn’t surprised in the least. The wife of former President Barack Obama is the very embodiment of accomplishment and compassion. During her White House years, she was a tireless advocate for healthy families, members of the armed forces and higher education. This Harvard Law School graduate’s memoir “Becoming” became the best-selling book published in the United States in 2018.

Some disgruntled Americans, however, think that Michelle Obama shouldn’t have received the honor of being named the most admired woman. They insist that the former First Lady is inherently ineligible for such recognition because she is really a he named Michael. Yes, they actually believe that Michelle Obama is a man.

Sheila Zilinsky, a conservative activist whose web site describes her as “a former Top Government Advisor” and “one of the leading female voices in Christian syndicated media,” tweeted her disdain. “So let me get this straight. Obama is a gay man, married to a dude who looks like Chewbacca, & Chewy gets selected as ‘woman of the year.’ ” Zilinsky’s assertion that President Obama is gay appears often on right-wing blogs and web sites. The “reasoning” appears to be that if Michelle is really a man and Barack is married to Michelle, then it follows that he must be gay.

Melania Trump was the second-most admired woman in America, according to the Gallup poll. But runner-up isn’t good enough for Zilinsky. “Trumps’ (sic) wife fluently speaks 7 languages, is a class act of poise & beauty & is an actual WOMAN. Yet she gets treated like the Clampetts.”

Francine Fosdick, a conservative Christian radio host, allowed a guest on her show to ask God to expose Michelle Obama as a man. RightWingWatch posted a recording of this guest’s “prayer” on line, where it can be heard by anyone with a taste for the bizarre. The guest, a woman named Jaime, begins her prayer by thanking God for supposedly bringing to light Obama’s transgressions, which include — according to Jaime — money-laundering and child trafficking.

And then she really gets down to brass tacks. “And I am asking you, Father, that the true identity of Michelle — Michael — would be exposed. Father, I am asking that you that that whole family, that those children — they are not their children. They are the children of Obama’s best friend. Father, we ask you that the whole lie be exposed for the everyday person to see it, in Jesus’ name.”

Jaime’s request that the “everyday person” suddenly realize that Michelle Obama is a man and that Malia and Sasha really aren’t their children brings to mind the first line of the song “Everyday People,” which runs: “Sometimes I’m right and I can be wrong.” Any “everyday” person who believes such nonsense is really, really wrong.

Infowars host Alex Jones has also promoted the notion that Michelle is deceiving the unsuspecting public. Jones in a 2017 video proclaimed, “I don’t hate trannies,” which is a derogatory term for transgender persons. He then stated that “we have famous photos of her where it appears she has a large bulge in her pants.” The former First Lady has wide shoulders, according to Jones, and “her face is very, very masculine. She looks like a tranny.”

Does it really matter that persons believe such rubbish? Yes, it does. Those gullible enough to believe outright nonsense such as these lies about Michelle Obama can be easily manipulated for nefarious purposes. As Voltaire observed in a letter dated 1765, “Certainly anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices.”

John J. Dunphy is the author of Unsung Heroes of the Dachau Trials: The Investigative Work of the U.S. Army 7708 War Crimes Group, 1945–1947.