Thursday, April 24, 2008

Colson's New Career

Colson Whitehead remains a writer, a damn fine one...though I could not finish Apex Hides the Hurt to save my life. But I think he's taking on a new writing medium and it makes me happy. He's written two articles for the New York Times that I know of. The first one was about being a writer in Brooklyn and it was simultaneously insightful, angry, and hilarious.

But this one...this one is awesome. It puts up a huge mirror to the hypocritical race talk around this presidential race. It's also one of the most eloquent "f*ck you's" I have ever read. Please everyone read it, then use the Times website to send it to everyone else. That way it will become the most emailed article and then more people will read it.

Then talk about it: with me through comments, with your own blog, with friends, family, and co-workers. It's important. I recently found out that a person who I thought "got it" in terms of race in this country doesn't really get it at all. It was a very upsetting realization. People so need to get it, and not just in some theoretical, intellectual framework. In a real way that affects their lives. That's what Obama is doing: he is making race real for a bunch of people who would prefer it to stay an theoretical construct.

Colson is helping.

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