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Los Angeles Times: Racism in 'Post-Racial' America (1/23/08) by Uzodinma Iweala
Professing to be "shocked by the commentary on the prominence of race as a theme in the Democratic Party primaries"—though "not because race is a theme but because so many in the media seem to think that race would not be or should not be mentioned."This entire narrative is a media-concocted fiction. America is decidedly not "post-racial." One need only observe the prosecution of the Duke University lacrosse team or the Jena Six, the debate about race-based affirmative action and the atrocity that was and is Hurricane Katrina to know that racial issues are still with us. The desire that the subject of race be set aside in the current "post-racial" political conversation shows that society is unwilling to openly face its worst fear: Not only could a black man ably lead this nation, but the mere fact of a black president would force both the majority and minority populations to reset our parameters for normality.
Iweala summarizes the corporate media take: "It is as if we think that not speaking about race is the equivalent of making progress on race issues." See Extra!: Obamamania: How Loving Barack Obama Helps Pundits Love Themselves (3–4/07) by Peter Hart
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