The Great Secret of The Great American Dialogue about Race Is...

We don't really want to have a great American dialogue about race. Most of us would prefer to have a monologue. And failing that, a simple exchange in which one side (the side we favor, natch) gets to say “J'accuse!” and the other side says nothing but “Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa.”

Deep down, I'd like to think I'm wrong about this. That there are idealistic people out there who, like myself, desire to go beyond the petty social differences (race, class, gender, ethnicity, religion, etc.) that divide us.

But I've been waiting to see such a dialogue take place on the Net in the wake of Crash's success at this year's Oscars.

And so far it hasn't.

Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place.

Maybe...