Good God. I mean, really. Good God.

-Dennis York, responding to comments made on this post.

So let me get this straight. Dennis York writes a tongue-in-cheek post on the MPS proposal to provide all students with free wireless internet access. In his familiar fashion he makes a point so many others are making: this will not solve the educational issues facing students in the Milwaukee school system. And included in the post is an obviously Photoshopped picture of two young black boys looking at a picture of a scantily clad white woman on a computer monitor.

And somehow this was racist.

Nevermind that the picture and post had nothing to do with the race of the children but rather the silliness of the MPS proposal. Forget the fact that the majority of students attending MPS are black. Apparently we're now at a point in our society where the mere use of a minority in a photo can easily be interpreted as racism.

I'd hate to see what happens when a picture of Michael Redd appears in a story about the Bucks losing in the first round of the playoffs.

With all due respect to Dan Knauss, whose writing I've enjoyed in the Riverwest Currents over the years, this was a major over-reaction on his part. He invested a lot of time into deconstructing the reaction to the photo, and admirably so. But with so many race-related issues society faces today, this one wasn't even close to being on the radar.

Meanwhile, you've got a former Milwaukee alderman and radio personality, father of a current alderman, telling two jokes back-to-back on air that could easily be construed as racist. He used the BIG N multiple times, just to tell a joke. Tim Cuprisin, the MJS television and radio columnist doesn't think it's worth commenting on in spite of being all over Mark Belling's use of the phrase "wetback." Eugene Kane, who has repeatedly written on the detrimental effects of black youths' use of the BIG N in popular culture hasn't even touched it.

Bang up job on covering news that touches both of your specialties, boys.

I'm reminded of a post I did sometime back where I asked readers if I should have identified the race of an individual because I had no other way to describe her. People thought there would have been no problem in my doing so. And while I agree with them, it would appear that my fears weren't entirely unfounded.

Irrational and silly, yes. Unfounded, not at all.

So to everyone focusing on Dennis's picture, ignoring the point he wanted to make in the first place and once again focusing on race rather than the issue, I'll quote the man himself:

Good God. I mean, really. Good God.