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"I think my dear brother Barack Obama has a certain fear of free black men," West said. "It's understandable. As a young brother who grows up in a white context, brilliant African father, he's always had to fear being a white man with black skin. All he has known culturally is white. He is just as human as I am, but that is his cultural formation. When he meets an independent black brother, it is frightening."
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This has prompted condemnation from many black academics, including Melissa Harris-Perry, who calls the attacks "self-aggrandizing" and a reflection of West's "delicate ego." West and Harris-Perry both appeared on 'The Ed Schultz Show' to provide point/counter-point on the comments.