I mean, you got the first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice looking guy.  I mean, that’s a storybook, man.

~New York Observer, 5 February

Alright, I just got back from Cultural Diversity for Presidential Candidates class with my good friend, Joe.  I accompanied him as a supportive gesture, just as he escorted me to my first seminar titled, “How to Not Rip Out the Jugular of Evangelical Christians Trying to Convert Your Jewish Ass.” 

We gently explained how passive ethnocentric comments, like the one written above, patronizes African Americans in that he would never use the adjectives “articulate”, “bright”, and “clean” for say, John Kerry.  (Unless you’re talking about John’s manicure … he’s a RAVING metrosexual!)

I think he gets it.  Joe’s a good guy, even if he can be a putz.  But Joe represents a hegemony that just doesn’t get it.  Even if he wants to … I mean, just the other day he said to me:

Man, the Jews are smart, Boo.  And rich.  You’re a smart, rich people.  Frugal sometimes when giving to campaigns … like my campaign.  But the Jews run the world efficiently.  I mean, who doesn’t love the Jews?

So, there you have it.  Good old Joe.  I like Joe.  He’s a great Senator, but Presidential candidate?  Not so sure. 

After class, we were making small talk about my new blog here.  He stopped, leaned in close to me, looked around to see if anyone could hear and said, “Oh and by the way, I got balls too, you know.”

I patted him on the back and smiled.   

“No one’s going to notice your balls, Joe, when you’re head’s up your ass.”