Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

America needs more Michelle Obamas

Keith Pochick, MD
Physician
January 10, 2017
Share
Tweet
Share

As a presidency draws to a close, it is natural to consider the legacy it etches upon the pages of history.  For the most part, a first lady’s legacy is a sidenote.  There are a few exceptions, of course.  Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Kennedy, and Nancy Reagan come to mind.  I believe that Michelle Obama’s legacy will be one of the more notable of the modern era.

For better or worse, race plays a sizeable role in her legacy.  She will forever be the first black FLOTUS, just like her husband will forever be the first (half) black president.  Try as we may to fight it, our society is obsessed with racial identification.

I remember the first time I saw Michelle on TV and remarking that she was beautiful and looked like a younger and darker Sigourney Weaver.  Before I could form an opinion of her, I had to find a white reference point.  Also evident here is the male tendency to judge women first by their looks, then by their credentials and accomplishments.  I consider myself an open-minded guy, but my biases were at work from the start.  I’m not alone by any stretch.  It surely helped Michelle to be classy and smart, but understand that a black American woman always has her work cut out for her.

This essay will surely awaken Twitter trolls and snarky commenters, as the hours that follow any article which praises Mrs. Obama are invariably filled with bigoted vitriol.  Her politics aside, every American should be able to admit that Michelle is smart, strong, classy, engaging, and beautiful.  Not only do millions refuse to admit it, they also become infuriated and outspoken when someone else points it out.  Mrs. Obama never asked for the lightning rod strapped upon her back, but I can’t envision anyone accepting it with more grace than she has.  Somehow, she manages to convert the negative energy the lightning rod attracts into something useful.  I believe Michelle is able to do this because in addition to the metaphorical lightning rod, she also carries an enormous mirror.  The mirror forces us to acknowledge the ugly aspects of American history, as well as our own biases.

There is an official in West Virginia (the state in which I was born) who still holds her position after publicly calling the first lady “an ape in heels.”  She was placed on leave for a month or so until the dust settled after her racist comment, but then was quietly reinstated.  While her organization is technically a private one, it receives about 2 million dollars per year in state and federal funding.  West Virginia should be ashamed, and if it truly wants to shed the perception that it is “backwards,” firing this bigot would be a good start.

Despite the unfair assault, Michelle Obama continues to take the high road.  If she is angered by any of the racist comments and viewpoints, she surely doesn’t show it.  She and her husband have demonstrated a deep commitment to a smooth transition of presidential power.  Her philanthropic project battling the epidemic of childhood obesity transcends race and gender.  She has courageously taken on a major American health problem using elegant simplicity.  She aims to spread knowledge regarding healthy nutrition, and promote the most effective but underutilized medicine in modern history – exercise.

I have two young daughters, and not a day goes by that I don’t thank God for the smart, successful doctor I married and the example she sets.  I’m also thankful that in their formative years, my daughters got to watch and hear such a classy American first lady.  Today’s young American girls are relentlessly bombarded with images and innuendo telling them that success is achieved by becoming a sex object.   What our daughters really need are fewer underwear models and more Michelle Obamas.

Cheers and thanks to you, Michelle.  May you continue to be the role model you’ve been for the last eight years.

Keith Pochick is an emergency physician and can be reached on Twitter @keith_pochick.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

The double meaning of despair in the hospital

January 10, 2017 Kevin 0
…
Next

Repealing Obamacare faces these 7 challenges

January 10, 2017 Kevin 9
…

Tagged as: Obama

Post navigation

< Previous Post
The double meaning of despair in the hospital
Next Post >
Repealing Obamacare faces these 7 challenges

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Keith Pochick, MD

  • Escaping the time warp: my journey after leaving clinical medicine

    Keith Pochick, MD
  • A Veterans Day tribute

    Keith Pochick, MD
  • Obamacare cost Hillary the presidency

    Keith Pochick, MD

Related Posts

  • A physician awakens to racism in America

    Jennifer Shaer, MD
  • Power at the top of health care in America

    Wendy Hind, PhD, JD
  • America’s inadequate LGBTQ medical education

    Haidn Foster
  • Gun violence in America is a national emergency

    Hussain Lalani, MD and Justin Lowenthal 
  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • Making America great again with harm reduction

    Mark Leeds, DO

More in Physician

  • Why more doctors are leaving clinical practice and how it helps health care

    Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA
  • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

    Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD
  • Why starting with why can transform your medical practice

    Neil Baum, MD
  • Life’s detours may be blessings in disguise

    Osmund Agbo, MD
  • Inside the heart of internal medicine: Why we stay

    Ryan Nadelson, MD
  • The quiet grief behind hospital walls

    Aaron Grubner, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Eric Topol explores the science of super-agers and healthy aging [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why more doctors are leaving clinical practice and how it helps health care

      Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why regular exercise is the best prescription for lifelong health

      George F. Smith, MD | Conditions
    • When the weight won’t budge: the hidden physiology of grief, stress, and set point

      Sarah White, APRN | Conditions
    • Why starting with why can transform your medical practice

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Eric Topol explores the science of super-agers and healthy aging [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why more doctors are leaving clinical practice and how it helps health care

      Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why regular exercise is the best prescription for lifelong health

      George F. Smith, MD | Conditions
    • When the weight won’t budge: the hidden physiology of grief, stress, and set point

      Sarah White, APRN | Conditions
    • Why starting with why can transform your medical practice

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...