This is the first post on a Thursday in this month in all of 2006

America, as an idea, doomed itself when the founding fathers wrote about the triumph of freedom over tyrrany and yet at the same time brought African slaves to do the work. Since then, black Americans have been the nation's underdogs. Few people would use that term, "underdogs," but let's face it: when you go from not being human to being considered human, "underdog" fits the description.

America likes for people to fit into neat, easily digestible categories, and when someone doesn't fit, the anomaly has to be explained somehow. The result is the phenomenon of being "the first" black person to do whatever. The titles can get really ridiculously long. For example, announcers at the Olympics have described American speed skater Shani Davis as the "first black Olympic speed skater to win a medal in the Winter Olympics." It seems that the reason for all the extra words is not to state the truth (because it is true) but to call attention to the fact that he's black. The reality is that it's now politically incorrect to call someone simply "the black Winter Olympian" so there has to be more words to surround the obvious.

People seem to be impressed by his achievements not because he is an athlete or even as an American - he's remarkable because he is black. It's as if everyone is constantly being reminded that he and black people in general have "come so far" but it seems insincere. Pointing out someone as an anomaly and trying to make it sound like a good thing is difficult to do, but it doesn't make anyone feel like less of an anomaly. Aren't we past the idea of black people's achievements being "firsts?" - aren't we on to seconds and thirds, so it won't matter anymore? Why does someone's triumph have to be adjusted and translated into a "first" as if that is the way the average American can understand it? I want to give the average American more credit.

I was at a bar the other night when Davis' image came on the TV. One guy pointed him out to his graduate student friends saying, "he's a speed skater" and one woman exclaimed, "oh my god!" "Yeah," the guy said, and he proceeded to tell the story of Davis and the controversy surrounding him and his team regarding which events he should do. The woman's reaction was pretty mild, but clearly shocked because his black face and speed skating did not seem to go together. I shudder to think what's being said by people of less educational caliber in bars all over the country.

What is unstated is that there would have been some form of controversy anyway because of his skin color. Black people are not troublemakers but Americans erroneously use skin color to judge everything about a person - his performance at this Olympics was probably scrutinized more than anyone else on his team. It shouldn't matter anymore that he's the first or that he's black. It should only matter that he's one of the best.