Danica Patrick

I am currently watching the Indy 500 and I am routing for Danica Patrick who is currently in fourth place. And I have no shame whatsoever in saying that I am cheering for her simply because she is a woman. For the majority of racing history, the belief that a woman wasn't capable of racing was widespread. To compete as a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field makes you an underdog and I have a soft spot for underdogs.

When I was a child, I was told that the reason there weren't more black quaterbacks in football was because they weren't smart enough. Today, that argument is irrelevant. When Rush Limbaugh accused Colin Powell of voting for Barak Obama simply because he was black, again I saw no problem with that. Diversity is a good thing. Don't think for one second that Republican National Chairman, Michael Steele, wasn't selected because of his race as a means to show that the Republican Party can match the Democratic Party in terms of diversity.

A little girl watching the Indy 500 right now can watch Danica Patrick and believe that she too can be a race car driver some day. The same with a black child watching Obama become elected President of the United States. The more barriers that are broken in our society, the more ignorant-held beliefs become a thing of the past.

P.S. She finished third.