In Black And White

It was only a matter of time, really, before some member of the far-right fringe performed an overt act of racism in their mindless fury about Barack Obama. Who could have guessed it would have oozed from an outlet owned by Rupert Murdoch?

On the left, pundits are incensed (and somehow shocked) about the New York Post's depiction of Obama as a chimpanzee that had been shot by police, conflating the stimulus package with a news story out of Connecticut. It is disturbing.

Cartoonist Sean Delonas made the usual half-assed apology, in the event that anyone was offended, and tried to say the chimp actually represented, um, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Mere words cannot adequately sum up what sort of man Delonas is; some bodily functions will suffice.

Conservatives, on the other hand, are up in arms about remarks recently made by Attorney General Eric Holder, who called Americans "cowards" for not facing up to whatever aspects of race relations he has in mind. This is also disturbing, but for all the white noise, it still does not make racism a two-way street.

In school, we were asked to consider whether America was truly a melting pot, the stuff sociologists' dreams are made of, or whether it was more of a "salad bowl" - a bunch of ingredients tossed together in hopes of well-roundedness. We still don't know.

Lost amidst it all is everything that matters. Racism is alive and well... Look at the recent jump in Klan enrollments. It's nothing new. Even so, Obama's election itself shows that the majority of the country has progressed to a better place, as one might expect seven score and four years after the Civil War.

Both Delonas and Holder would do better to lean in the direction of those prevailing winds. There is no need for Americans of any background to go kicking and screaming into the post-racial era. Fortunately, this ugly societal affliction seems to be fading with each generation, as most ugly societal afflictions tend to do.

It can't end, however, without a scuffle. The NAACP is now coming after Murdoch, not only to spank his Big Apple tabloid, but to break up his monopoly on television and radio as well. Again, opinions will differ as to whether this constitutes an attack on free speech or a long-past-due correction in media balance.

Looks like we're about to find out.

pH 2.23.o9