Richard Cohen writes about the scene in Harlem on election night. In the column, he quotes Charles Rangel as saying, "I never thought I'd see my country take the children of slaves and make one of them the leader of the free world." Mr. Cohen points out that this statement is not literally true since Barack Obama is not a descendant of slaves and states that this is "hardly the point."

In my view, the fact that Barack Obama is not the descendant of slaves is a big part of why he was elected president. This is not meant to reflect on the person, demeanor, skills or abilities of Mr. Obama; however, it is meant to speak to how the pain of slavery still permeates the lives of descendants, influencing their views and attitudes. It also refers to the impact on the attitude of those of us who are members of the race of the slave owners.

There is a story told to me about a black man needing legal counsel from a white lawyer. The black man had been arrested for something antisocial, but I do not know what. In any case, at the start of their meeting, the lawyer was gruff and verbally harsh. The feeling, I gathered, was that the lawyer felt the man at fault for being in that situation. However, after some time of talking the lawyer learned the man was born and raised in Kenya, not the U.S. At this realization, the lawyer's tone of voice and demeanor changed. He was more solicitous, speaking softer and projecting a more pleasant body language.

It is with the latter posture that Barack Obama was raised and within which he developed his own attitudes. In my view, this posture is also how many people perceived Mr. Obama during his candidacy. It allowed people to see him for who he is and also meant that there was no latent anger ready to bubble up during his campaign.

Humiliation

Humiliation can be a powerful force. It can cause a person to say things they will regret and to do things that are hurtful. This is particularly painful when the recipient of the ire had nothing to do with the act of humiliation.

Are some people more prone to feeling humiliation? Should they take steps to see the situation differently, so they will not have such a strong reaction? Should they be more careful in how they mete out their anger?

But sometimes, the resolve after humiliation can propel a person to positive action or rightful strength.

Handling humiliation is not an easy thing to get right.