Why Do Black People Like Michael Jackson?: O'Reilly

(NEWSER) - The Gates controversy might finally change—for the better—the way the media portray President Obama on race issues, writes Brent Staples in the New York Times. "Up to now, he has been consistently and wrongly portrayed as a stern black exceptionalist who takes Negroes to task for not meeting his standard," writes Staples. Obama himself "is not happy with this characterization." More»

Instead of putting conflict behind us, Dem's crowd perceives insult just about everywhere

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama is allegedly helping America “transcend race,” Jonah Goldberg writes in the National Review, but if moving beyond race “would involve making race less of an issue,” why are Obama’s fervent supporters obsessed with bringing it up? One columnist sees racism in descriptions of the Democrat as “skinny"; the Kansas City Star’s editorial board sees it in those who call him “socialist.” More»

Blacks nationwide express hope, optimism in victory

(NEWSER) - In his St. Paul victory speech, Barack Obama made no mention of the fact that he is effectively the first black presidential nominee of a major party. But in interviews with African Americans across the country, the New York Times discovered overwhelming pride in the Illinois senator's candidacy and optimism that race relations are improving. "Never in a million years would I have thought this was possible," said one woman in Harlem. More»

Poll results seem to show that some view her candidacy as way to hold onto status

(NEWSER) - Working-class whites, as "a social category," fear a loss of definition and power, and that might be lead them to support Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama, Gregory Rodriguez writes in the Los Angeles Times. This isn't white supremacy; "in fact it might be its opposite, an acknowledgment that white privilege has its limits," as non-college-educated whites feel their position slipping away. More»

Blog strikes a chord with some, hits a nerve with others

(NEWSER) - When a twentysomething writer launched a satirical blog called "Stuff White People Like" 6 weeks ago, he didn't expect an overwhelming response, and he certainly didn't expect to average 300,000 hits a day. The blog was intended to mock the way the media stereotypes ethnicities, but not all of its readers seem to be in on the joke, the LA Times reports. More»