A dying screed

By Creature

I haven't weighed in on the Professor Gates, Officer Crowley, and President Obama story yet. I'm slow to react, I think, because, even after all these years, I'm still amazed by the stupid coming out of our media and the Right Wing noise machine that they feed into.

When Lynn Sweet asked the Gates question Wednesday night, my ears certainly pricked up. I was intrigued to see how the president would respond and I was pleased with his answer (and all his answers since, especially Friday's). I think he was right to delve in, despite it being a local matter, despite the potential distraction to healthcare reform. If he, as the first black president, can't answer a question that has race at its core, then who can? Like the man said, it's part of his portfolio.

Meanwhile, the Right in this country are perfectly content to sweep racism under the rug until it serves their own purpose, until they perceive themselves as the victims of it in some perverse reverse fashion. For them, it's all vapors the moment anyone who's actually experienced racism speaks up. And, with a media ready to provide them an uncritical couch, it's hard to see any end. Thankfully, however, there is an end. Not that racism will ever go away, but those on the Right who feel unduly burdened by it (while refusing to see it in themselves) are a dying breed. Their end is about demographics. It's about math and, thankfully, the math is on the side of diversity and, hopefully, tolerance.