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President Barack Obama United Nations Address: POTUS Attacks Racism, Internet Bullying, Wealth Distribution, And More

By David Cornell
Published on: 04:51 PST, Sep 20, 2016

United States President Barack Obama may only have a few months left in the White House, but he’s still trying to initiate positive change. In his address to the United Nations, Obama used his final chance to lay down some blanket statements on everything he feels is wrong with the world.

In some of those cases, Donald Trump might have an issue with it as he’s known to perpetuate ideas which Obama attacked today. After his late arrival, Barack Obama began with a statement on one positive aspect he’s noticed about the world.

NPR relayed President Barack Obama’s initial statement that the world is both more prosperous and less violent than it was at the end of the Cold War. The Cold War was defined by tensions between the United States and what was then the U.S.S.R., and the race to put a man on the moon, as well as develop a nuclear response to threats. However, with North Korea’s bomb tests, it seems we may be on the verge of a second cold war, or perhaps, a third world war.

Obama’s solution to this digs at the very root of the problem, which is the current connection between racism and internet bullying, according to Pix 11.

“I believe that at this moment we all face a choice. We can choose to press forward with a better model of cooperation and integration or we can retreat into a world sharply divided and ultimately in conflict along age-old lines of nation and tribe and race and religion. I want to suggest to you today that we must go forward and not back.”

Obama also stated that putting others down solves nothing, and we should instead be lifting them up, a definite anti-bullying message.

Barack Obama’s next statement was a general one about nations, but the words seemed to be an indirect jab at Donald Trump. The Republican nominee had said early on that a wall needs to be built along the Mexican border to keep illegal immigrants from coming to the United States. “Today a nation ringed by walls would only imprison itself.”

The unofficial account for Donald Trump tweeted something similar earlier about the Syrian refugee problem, saying that if he gave you a bowl full of Skittles and told you three would kill you, you would be reluctant to take a handful. The tweet was seen as a racist attack and was deleted later. However, it didn’t stop Twitter from making a trending hashtag about “Skittles welcome,” and the company itself from responding with a slam. His tweet from March summed up his general feelings about the whole mess.

Barack Obama also addressed the North Korean nuclear tests directly, stating that we must move toward a world without such weapons.

Another troubling issue the President of the United States addressed was the wage gap and not just the one Jennifer Lawrence spoke up about. He was referring to how one percent of the world controlled most of the wealth. The clips below from CNN explain his point further.

The poor, Obama states, live below the poverty line while millions are thrown around like confetti when politics are involved. This might also be a slam against Donald Trump, whose fame seems to be a campaign filled with division and insults.

President Barack Obama also stated that the freedom provided in the United States not only allows groups like Black Lives Matter to thrive but also encourages the people to stand up against authority. This, he believes, is also a sign that today’s youth has a level of compassion which previous generations didn’t.

Do you agree with what President Barack Obama said in his final United Nations address?

[Feature image by Emmanuele Contini / Shutterstock]

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