LIFE: Channel surfing: Tired of "race"

Watched the premiere of the second season of "I Love New York," which, of course, was way too over the top (Mac Midget?) and channel surfed over to the CW network to catch the last five minutes of "The Game" and noticed a commercial for the "News at 10" which will feature a segment on that Glamour editor who got fired for idiotically telling a group of women during a corporate seminar that dreadlocks and Afros are a "definite no."

Over the past few weeks, the story has gathered steam on blogs and gossip pages. I received about five separate emails on the topic. Black chicks were outraged and the media was indignant. But sitting here on the couch, waiting to see why a group of women are calling for a boycott of Glamour magazine, I see another segment (on the same show), in which an older woman accuses Madison Square Garden of racism. And it hits me that race is, once again, a ratings hot button.

Call it the Britney Spears of social issues. It started with Don Imus, continued with Barack Obama (come on, is there really any question that he's black enough?) and now everyone can't get enough of race. Gawker's post on the Afro-hating Glamour editor was one of the site's most-viewed posts. And the Jena controversy sparked outrage from hundreds of thousands of people, as it should have. Now to be clear, I think these issues should be discussed. But discrimination never went away. So the cynical journalist in me can't help but wonder why all of the media coverage now? And will all of the coverage spark meaningful, long-term dialogue or only temporary attention from well-meaning white liberals?