“Who has influenced you the most in your life?” – HONY 

“My mother. She had me when she was 18 years old, and my father left when I was one year old, so I never really knew him. Like a lot of single moms, she had to struggle to work, and eventually she also struggled to go to school. And she’s really the person who instilled in me a sense of confidence and a sense that I could do anything. She eventually went on to get her PhD. It took her ten years, but she did it, and I watched her grind through it. And as I got older, like everyone else, I realized that my mother wasn’t all that different than me. She had her own doubts, and fears, and she wasn’t always sure of the right way of doing things. So to see her overcome tough times was very inspiring. Because that meant I could overcome tough times too.”

Humans of New York has recently posted a picture of Obama with a quote: a feat for Brandon, but of course when politics are involved, there is always controversy.

Some people received the photograph well, and others not so much.

My top favorite comments:

“He looks so vulnerable in this picture. I think, sometimes, people forget he is just as human as we are.”

“I live in Australia and we would kill for a leader with the conviction and eloquence of this man. Yet, from what I read he is not held in the same regard in your country. That confuses me. One day, Americans may say ‘you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.'”

So where is the controversy?

Many people began critiquing Brandon for posting a photo of a non-New-Yorker, but really is more about Obama’s success (and failures) during his presidency. However, people forget that HONY is all about recognizing that the random person who bumped into you on the train without apologizing, the mother with the crying baby on the bus, your cab driver, and so on, are all people. So why does this change when someone is a politician, running our country? People are people.