And while these agitators won't admit it, the nasty subtext to their attack is that there is something inherently wrong with blacks...

The problem with American newsrooms is too little diversity, not too much. Blacks have always faced discrimination and maddening double standards in the newsroom, and they continue to do so...
So let's be real. Discrimination in the newsroom — in hiring, in the quality of assignments and in promotions — is a much more pervasive problem than Jayson Blair's aberrant behavior. A black reporter told me angrily last week, "After hundreds of years in America, we are still on probation."

I agree. And the correct response is not to grow fainthearted, or to internalize the views of those who wish you ill. The correct response is to strike back — as hard and as often as it takes. Bob Herbert

The root problem is the destructive power of race in the society. It has not gone away, for many complex reasons, but largely because most whites simply do not want to relinquish their power and privilege. What white person would willingly trade places with a black person in the USA? For all the talk about reverse discrimination this bottom line truth remains. It is the context for the conversation. Real change must involve neither patronizing double standards nor arrogant denial of ugly truths. MG+