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Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates - Ta-Nehisi Coates is a senior editor for The Atlantic, where he writes about culture, politics, and social issues for TheAtlantic.com and the magazine. He is the author of the memoir The Beautiful Struggle. More

Born in 1975, the product of two beautiful parents. Raised in West Baltimore—not quite The Wire, but sometimes ill all the same. Studied at the Mecca for some years in the mid-’90s. Emerged with a purpose, if not a degree. Slowly migrated up the East Coast with a baby and my beloved, until I reached the shores of Harlem. Wrote some stuff along the way.

Look Everybody I'm A Silly Microphone Crumb

By Ta-Nehisi Coates
Oct 8 2009, 3:00 PM ET Comment

Harry Connick gets his Ghetto Pass--or rather just renews it. A hundred dark-eyed, Nubian princesses await him in heaven--or rather just state-side

On another note, I thought of Silvio Berlusconi watching this. Something should be said for the differences in American sensibilities. But that aside, I see this sort of thing and I actually feel bad for the offender. I find it hard to mad at Berlusconi, in the way I find it hard to be mad at a petulant child. In truth, I'm taken by pity--it's like watching a dude, who thinks he's funny, repeatedly make an ass of himself.

That's how I felt watching this--I felt bad for the dudes in blackface. It's like on some level these people are just walking around with a sign that says, "Look at me, I'm ignorant!" It's really sad.



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