Obama, who appears to have never discussed the episode in the past, said that hurling racial slurs comes down to "an assertion of status over the other." "I may be poor. I may be ignorant. I may be mean. I may be ugly. I may not like myself. I may be unhappy. But you know what I’m not?" Obama said to Springsteen. "I’m not you." "That basic psychology that then gets institutionalized is used to justify dehumanizing somebody, taking advantage of 'em, cheatin' 'em, stealin' from 'em, killin' 'em, raping 'em," the former president continued. "Whatever it is, at the end of the day it really comes down to that. And in some cases it’s as simple as, you know, 'I’m scared I’m insignificant and not important. And this thing is the thing that’s going to give me some importance.'"