links for 2010-05-03

"These issues are being reported with no small amount of energy given to the efforts of these remarkable women. Here’s the answer to the issue and we’ll put the subject to rest once and for all: admire these women and leave them alone. There’s nothing wrong with them. They shouldn’t be forced into a box made by society’s expectations for them. Why is the sad, tired story of the failure of black men in society placed ahead of that of the success of black women in this pop culture reporting?"

"Of course, the relentless invocations of “political correctness” are, in themselves, a means of stultifying debate. The underlying premise — made rather openly in this case — is that one should be able to express bigotry while being exempt from criticism that might make the person expressing the bigotry uncomfortable. And going along with this is the even sillier assumption that people who defend existing social privileges are the real iconoclasts. Please."