Racism

MoDo thinks it is.

Jimmy Carter thinks it is.

Cynthia Tucker thinks it is.

President Obama will obviously disagree, because he has to. He doesn't want to be seen as the "angry black man" president. And if anything, the recent brouhaha over Obama's comments about the Harvard professor and the cop will only make the President that much more determined to stay away from accusations of racism in the future.

But isn't it telling that President Obama has to avoid any mention of race, lest he come off as an "angry black man." Do I have to avoid coming off as an angry white man, or an angry Greek? I do try, however, to be a "reasonable gay man" when I go on TV and talk about gay rights issues. And I do it because of the same societal constraints that make President Obama avoid talking about racism. Namely, there still is bigotry in America, and the President and I both watch what we say in order to avoid being on the receiving end of it.

Which kind of ends up proving MoDo's, Carter's, and Tucker's point in the first place. (Attytood has more.)