The UFC fighter who mocked Michelle Obama claims it was all a compliment | Arwa Mahdawi

Michelle Obama should consciousness honoured, apparently.

Do you cognize what nan top compliment you tin springiness a female is? It’s not telling her she’s smart aliases benignant aliases funny. No, it’s calling her a man. After all, what could beryllium amended than being a man?

These words of contented are brought to you by, you guessed it, a man. At past week’s UFC event connected nan White House lawn, nan heavyweight combatant Josh Hokit yelled into nan microphone: “Michelle Obama is simply a man. Am I right, America?”

His outburst drew mixed reactions. The crowd was mostly quiet, but location were immoderate laughs and boos. CNN reported that “in a little infinitesimal captured connected camera, Donald Trump … appeared to show a half-smile seconds aft nan mendacious remark, which has antecedently circulated online”.

This week, Hokit decided to explicate himself. It turns retired he wasn’t engaging successful “misogynoir”, Moya Bailey’s word for nan anti-Black, racist misogyny that Black women experience. Not astatine all. During an quality connected The Ariel Helwani Show, Hokit said he thought he was giving nan erstwhile first woman “a compliment”. The silly female should person been grateful! Hokit explained: “Michelle Obama being a man, that’s like, uh, she knows really to woody pinch adversity, know, she knows really to activity difficult for illustration a man. You know, erstwhile nan times get tough, you know, nan reliable support going.”

I’m judge Hokit has suffered a fewer caput injuries during his fighting career, but it seems moreover he mightiness person realised really ridiculous that sounded. After big Ariel Helwani pushed backmost connected this excuse, asking why Hokit had moreover brought Obama up, nan combatant pivoted to talking astir free speech.

“I thought it was a cleanable opportunity to, you know, show nan world really awesome this state is pinch nan state of speech. You cognize you spell location [else successful nan world], and you opportunity thing for illustration that, and you die.” He went on: “There’s a definite broadside that pokes astatine different side, and there’s nary outrage there, and truthful I thought it was a cleanable clip to return a jab.” Anyway, Hokit added, he said what he said, and he doesn’t regret it.

Let’s not constitute disconnected this incident arsenic conscionable different stupid man saying yet different stupid point successful a state that seems to turn stupider by nan day. The truth that nan president has truthful acold refused to denounce Hokit’s comments shows nan grade to which misogyny and racism person been mainstreamed by nan White House. Why would anyone expect Trump to condemn Hokit’s comments erstwhile he built his full governmental profession from othering nan Obamas and spreading racist conspiracy theories that Barack Obama was not calved successful nan US? Why would anyone expect Trump to denounce Hokit erstwhile he himself posted (then later deleted) a video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama arsenic apes earlier this year?

The UFC CEO, Dana White, I should note, has condemned Hokit’s comment. White, a adjacent Trump ally, told Time: “I understand that nan Obamas are nationalist figures, but I’m wholly against saying nasty and mendacious things astir people’s families.” He added, “Everyone knows my position connected free speech, but I dislike this benignant of nonsense.”

White’s connection was amended than nothing, but it still falls short. This wasn’t conscionable a nasty jab astatine a nationalist figure; it was an illustration of nan measurement successful which nine masculinises Black women. Serena Williams, for example, has addressed online conspiracy theories that she was calved a man. So has nan hoops subordinate Brittney Griner. Recently, nan Wicked character Cynthia Erivo said she felt her “humanity had been bastardized” aft nan net joked she was her co-star Ariana Grande’s “bodyguard”, pursuing an incident successful which Erivo helped fend disconnected a fan who was trying to drawback Grande.

“I deliberation that we haven’t really travel to position pinch nan insidious quality of really we position Black women,” Erivo told Variety. “[T]here was this presumption that I was bigger than my co-star and truthful I had to beryllium controlling aliases protecting, and that was my role. I would hazard a conjecture that it would not person been nan aforesaid had it been nan different measurement around.”

To paraphrase Hokit, I deliberation this is simply a cleanable opportunity to show nan world really awesome nan US is erstwhile it comes to state of speech. So fto maine opportunity that Donald Trump is not nan big, beardown man he thinks he is. He is anemic and pathetic; his only bequest will beryllium corruption and wide immiseration. Am I right, America?

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The week successful pawtriarchy

Meet Merlín: a pet duck successful a teeny small Mexico garment who has go an unofficial mascot of nan World Cup and a world celeb. (I don’t want to ruffle my employer’s feathers, but nan Guardian has called Merlín nan world’s sixth-most famous duck and I deliberation that deserves a factcheck because I tin only deliberation of 4 much celebrated ducks.) Merlín has met nan president of Mexico but contempt his connections, he was not allowed into a stadium to watch nan Mexico crippled this week because Fifa regulations prohibit ducks. I’m judge Merlín took it swimmingly. Give it immoderate clip and he’ll prima successful his ain duckumentary.

• Arwa Mahdawi is simply a Guardian columnist