Stay Calm

During my American Studies class last week we talked about how President Obama is notorious for his calm persona. He is even called a robot for his ability to stay so collected while his opponents are riled during debates. Our class discussed how Obama has to stay so level headed all the time because he’s African American and has to prove that he doesn’t have a temper.

While we were talking about Obama, I immediately drew a parallel to Jackie Robinson. Obama was the first African American president and Robinson was the first African American professional baseball player. Beyond that, they both had to disprove the stereotype that they can’t control their emotions. In the movie 42, Jackie Robinson is told that he has to be strong enough not to fight. In my opinion, I think that Obama is also showing that he can be strong enough not to fight by staying calm when those around him aren’t.

In both cases, their race forced them to react differently than their white counterparts. Is this a common theme throughout history? If so, how long will it take for the “first” of a certain race to be treated the same as everyone around them?