The case against calling for a "frank conversation on race"

John McWhorter has the perfect response to Attorney General Eric Holder's recent speech in which he called America a "nation of cowards" for not having a "frank conversation" on race.

Definitely read the whole article at the above link (I'd say the same about a lot of other articles by McWhorter), but here are a couple key points:

[1.] The idea that black uplift requires a Very Special kind of "conversation" in 2009 entails a hothouse fragility antithetical to any coherent conception of black strength. ... It is unclear to me what purpose this brand of sensitivity serves. You must joke with us delicately. You must engage in ticklish "conversations" with us about what's wrong with you. So delicate we are, so freighted with legacies, ever blinking in the light. ...

[2.] I suspect those who call for this "conversation" know the claim has become more gestural than concrete. Otherwise, they would state their case directly rather than asking to "talk." ... What, or who, would determine that we had finally "talked" enough?

With this post, I've added a new tag (and added it to some old posts): "insidious vagueness."

RELATED: A Jonah Goldberg classic: "Honesty is not the best policy."