As for the power dynamic, to quote Jay McInerney's Story of My Life, "Can't rape the willing."

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Because my generation lived with open racism and moved on to racism under political correctness but with open racism among racist whites, I'm not convinced that I can see photos like this without the shade of Mandingo in the background. That was a romance novel after all and there wasn't just one book like it, it was an entire genre.

And so maybe it takes a generation of people growing up in innocence of racism (how that happens I don't know) in order to not think of photos like that as racist in some context?

Someone said something like that about how someone unaccustomed to the stereotypes could openly say "How beautiful!" but who isn't accustomed to the stereotypes?

Just as having grown up with sexism, it's hard not to see gender stereotypes in those photos.

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Somebody please set me straight if I read that wrong!

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I'm not sure of the best way to move forward. It would be nice to be able to celebrate aesthetics without getting bogged down in centuries of oppression, but we aren't there yet.

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That being said, I find it fascinating that society is supposed to destroy/give up such negative racial stereotypes (black man as rapist/sexual aggressor of white women, black man as passive sex object, etc.). As in, the objective is that people no longer think that way.

Then, what happens? Somebody comes on Jezebel and says EXACTLY THAT. "I don't see what's offensive. They're just beautiful to me."

And the shitstorm starts. Because this person isn't aware of the stereotype and is ignorant of the negative way black men have been portrayed throughout history, so doesn't see it, we have to make sure she understands the stereotype.

So in the future, what happens? She'll always have the negative stereotype front and center when she sees a black dude! Instead of XX folks looking at world with awareness of this horrible stereotype, we now have X+1.

I dunno. I don't know how to ensure an awareness of a very sad stereotype, which for historical purposes has value (the awareness, not the stereotype), while at the same time recognizing that if people don't know the stereotype and don't connect it with everything they see? THAT'S A GOOD THING.

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Q2. But what about if it was a black woman and white males, anyway?

A2. Honestly, I think we'd still be having the same discussion. That's not to say "great, no one will EVER be happy ever BAH!" or anything, just that when this kind of contrast takes place, it just ends up also involving a ton of racial context even if it had no intention of doing so.

Well. Do you kind of think that no one will ever be happy? I know a lot of people weren't cool with some stuff I said yesterday about segregating races. But I feel this would be something that we'd point out if Gisele were posed with only other whites, if only to illustrate that there aren't enough minorities in fashion mags. It's also something that we'd have to discuss at length if the races were reversed. Can two different races exist together in imagery in the media and not offend? Last year's Vanity Fair cover: would it have been better to have, say, Tony Romo with his arm around

I get called naive and optimistic frequently. I'd like not to be, but you know, I've been making an effort to be less miserable about the world. Maybe I should stop that and go back to despair?

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(Um, *is* that D'Angelo? D! Way to find your gym membership! Now go and record some new tracks.)

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