Most would concede that both Hillary and Barack have had life challenges that directly follow from their gender and ethnicity, respectively. However, the differences that we perceive in their performances as candidates may result from the fact that society generally tolerates angry white women better than angry black men. The visage of the defiant and "dark" Hillary Clinton who is willing to acknowledge and battle the venal forces that feed upon the vulnerable masses can be construed as heroic, Joan-of-Arc-like. However, the defiant and "dark" black man, whomever he speaks for, frequently generates fear and foreboding. I suspect Obama has skillfully cultivated a persona that is likeable, nonthreatening and functional for life. He admits as much in his first book. However, this persona, I submit, does not indicate that he lacks an awareness of the complexity and difficulty of the human condition. It rather reflects an acute awareness of the complexity and difficulty of being a gifted and intellectually agile black man in today's world.