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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.
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The Rage of Stephen Colbert

By Ta-Nehisi Coates

Aug 6 2010, 9:00 AM ET Comment

It's always a marvel to watch this guy go in on somebody. As much as I love Stewart, Colbert is an act for the ages. He is channeling all of our simmering left-wing anger and refracting it through the mask. From a black perspective, it is very familiar--but I need to re-read Ralph Ellison and Albert Murray to tell you specifically why. 

A few years back, he sliced up D'Nesh Dsouza so bad, that I don't think he knew he was bleeding until a week later. And now, here he is according Laura Ingraham all the respect that she so richly deserves. That this woman can satirize Michelle Obama for eating ribs all day, and then wonder why anyone would think she was racist is vexing. I actually regret that--the anger, I mean. Frustration with these people, so often, feels useless. And then you see it turned into something like this, and you understand that rage has its purposes.



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