In today’s America, where everyone from Hollywood celebrities to political elites seems to have a podcast and a platform, the last thing we’re short on is public commentary. Yet, instead of offering unity, strength, or solutions, many high-profile progressives default to tired narratives of victimhood. Former First Lady Michelle Obama, once hailed as a symbol of opportunity, has once again chosen the path of division—this time claiming black women aren’t even “given permission” to articulate their pain.

That’s a stunning sentiment—especially from a woman who’s graced every media platform available and influenced millions around the globe. With fame, riches, and decades of soft-glove treatment from legacy media, if Michelle Obama thinks she’s silenced, what hope do average Americans have?

From ‘The Post Millennial’:

“We don’t articulate, as black women, our pain because it’s almost like nobody ever gave us permission to do that.”

Woke grievance cloaked in elite luxury

Michelle Obama delivered these comments on her latest podcast episode “IMO,” during a conversation with her brother Craig Robinson and actress Taraji P. Henson. The episode focused on emotional burdens carried by black women—a topic that, in fair hands, might spark reflection across communities. But instead, the conversation quickly drifted into the murky waters of woke grievance propaganda.

Obama suggested that black women are “socialized” from a young age to believe they’re undeserving and “conditioned” to suppress hardship. And yet, she’s had one of the most amplified voices in modern political history—on stages, in bestselling books, and in taxpayer-funded travel during her time in the White House. If she of all people hasn’t had “permission” to articulate pain, what exactly does the country owe her next? Applause wasn’t enough?

Now add this: the podcast—which rides on the Obama brand and all the corporate media scaffolding it brings—still isn’t resonating. As The Post Millennial reports, while it ranks fifth on Apple Podcasts, it doesn’t even crack Spotify’s top 100.

Americans are tuning out, not because the conversation is too hard to hear, but because they know when they’re being sold recycled ideology. And they’re over it.

Real Americans don’t need permission—they need grit

Generations of Americans—particularly our parents and grandparents—faced economic turmoil, world wars, illness, persecution, and social unrest. But they didn’t pause, waiting to be “given permission” to express feelings. They acted. They worked. They built.

Black American icons like Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglass, and Condoleezza Rice didn’t broker their credibility through cries of oppression. They spoke boldly, not because someone told them they could—but because truth demands a voice. The American spirit doesn’t grovel for approval. It stands tall in defiance.

The idea that strength comes from waiting to be empowered contradicts everything this country stands for.

Elitist narratives are finally falling on deaf ears

The left’s chronic reliance on identity-based grievance has become predictable. Once a message of inspiration, Michelle Obama’s story has now been contorted into a hollow repetition of talking points aimed at earning social currency instead of offering hope.

And perhaps most tellingly: It’s not working. Her podcast struggles to attain top rankings, even with marquee guests and full funding. America—especially its older, values-driven citizens—is saturated with this kind of content. People are thirsting not for more sympathy, but for principled leadership.

It turns out, even millions in production value can’t make forced narratives resonate.

There’s a better way forward

What could Michelle Obama have said instead? She might have reflected on the power of perseverance, or the strength it took her mother to raise two successful children without celebrity or complaint. She could’ve spoken of faith, gratitude, or dignity.

That’s the conversation Americans are ready to have—not more race-baiting dressed up as emotional awareness.

And let’s not forget: Michelle Obama is fully capable of choosing that message. She just didn’t.

Key Takeaways

• Michelle Obama continues using her platform to push identity politics and woke victim narratives.
• Her comments ignore the freedom and opportunity she’s enjoyed as a historic national figure.
• Americans are rejecting grievance-based content, as shown by her podcast’s struggling to be number one.

Source: The Post Millennial