Dr. Michelle Herren has some interesting ideas about what is and isn't racist.
In Facebook comments last week replying to a Facebook user praising First Lady Michelle Obama, the Colorado-based pediatric anesthesiologist shared her racist opinion on the woman, clarifying in the process that it wasn't actually racist.
"Monkey face and poor ebonic English!!! There! I feel better and am still not racist!!! Just calling it like it is!" wrote Herren.
In a great argument for never making Facebook comments ever, Herren's employers are not pleased with the post and the publicity its gotten and are cutting ties with the doctor. A spokesperson for the University of Colorado’s School of Medicine told the Denver Post it was beginning the process of firing Herren.
"She has expressed values that are at odds with ours and she has compromised her ability to meet the teaching and patient care mission of the School of Medicine,” CU spokesman Mark Couch told the Post.
Her other employer, Denver Health Medical Center, announced in a statement that Herren had resigned in a "mutually agreed" decision. The hospital previously had released a statement saying it disagreed with her posts, but could not control its staff members' opinions.
When reached for comment by local TV station The Denver Channel, Herren said she did not know "monkey face" was considered a racist term and that she was trying to point out that people say whatever they want about Melania Trump without reprisal.
Herren's mention of Melania Trump in her defense is interesting, given the wave of social media posts using racist language to describe the First Lady, particularly in comparison to Melania Trump. They include:
- A Georgia teacher who called Obama a "poor gorilla."
- A West Virginia mayor who referred to Obama as "an ape in heels" and praised Trump as "dignified."
- A Pennsylvania mayor who posted a picture of a wheelbarrow full of orangutans with the caption "moving day at the Whitehouse[sic]."
- An Alabama police officer who was fired after he posted a meme to Facebook saying that Trump was fluent in five languages, while Obama was "fluent in ghetto."
- An Alabama bank official who was also fired for posting that Trump was beautiful unlike "the ugly and embarrassing woman."
- Ann Coulter, who sought to criticize Obama's praise of Beyonce, but ended up confusing Beyonce with Nicki Minaj.
A lot of people seem very excited to Make the First Lady White Again.