feeds, both, the racists and the fringes of the liberals ... with the racists laughing at Dolezal and (some) liberals trying to prove their color-blind cred by trying to legitimize the ridiculous.

Spot on. There are all kinds of imposters but she sure seems to have the media excited.
I did like Larry Wilmore's take on it though. His mime of the snail mail death threat was LOL.

non news item that helps hide real news as well.

And this is one reason why we decided, after ten minutes, to pass on doing even a commentary on it. We did have the debate, since she did lie.

But what other news are being hidden or not covered?

the corporate media has 24 hours to fill, and they sure as hell want to avoid talking about SHAFTA.

This Springer-type story is just what they need to keep the American Sheeple distracted.

to Caitlin Jenner.

I am insulted that MSNBC, Chris Hayes and Melissa Harris Perry think that we, their viewers, are interested in thirty minutes of this mixed-up person from Spokane.

Okay, I'm finished with her now.

With a bit of Jerry Springer style family drama. There's a little bit of octomom-tan mom ridiculousness with an Icarus theme.

Human interest type stories have always been popular along with the more major stories throughout history.

For me, I've been reading about it here at DU and I find it fascinating reading the thoughts of others.

I'm bored with a lot of the stories or opinions about democratic presidential candidates so far away from the primaries, particularly those that are trying to tell me for whom to vote.

It feeds the racists and transphobes.

it seems that many of them are too stupid to even recognize their own bigotry

Some are genuinely ignorant, others are opportunists.

I am with Aerows on this - I expect better on a progressive board - those kind of pathetic nitwits are hard to take

No excuse.

It is bullshit and extremely bigoted, and anyone who repeats that lie here immediately goes on my ignore list.

I WILL call them exactly what they are: BIGOTS

They get to pretend they're "confused" about the whole thing.

they do NOT fool us!!!

Trans, #blacklivesmatter, Internet trending fun for the whole family. It is something silly that can masquerade as something serious. Everyone can participate from learned professors discussing complex issues with identity and culture to Twitter jokesters referencing the ghost of blue dress gold dress past.

It is massive because it is meaningless and we think there is meaning. It is massive because it is novel and perfectly so.

I mean imagine Donald Trump black. Wait, that won't work - he'd have to be human first.

Now I immediately switch the channel. I don't understand why the networks, especially MSNBC have glomed on to this story. The woman is kinda nutty and wrong-headed, but i don't think she's consciously the face of evil she's being made out to be. This was essentially Krystal Ball's take on The Cycle and I think she got it right.

It is sick. This is a small local issue that is being used to demonize anti-racist groups. It has also turned comrades against each other. It is pure institutional a-symmetrical warfare.

which deserved two minutes, is helpful in hiding things that matter. It's getting worst folks.

Ok, I will go as far as to say that MHP did a good job and it did belong in her program.

It is definitely a LOCAL story though.

It is.

I am so sick and tired of hearing about her I finally turned the news off...

It was THERE TOO. So (please excuse me) I remoted to Fox - and there was Greta talking about it. YE GODS!!!!

Squirrel!

What does it mean to be black? What does it mean to be white? If someone has a possible drop of black blood, does it give them the "right" to call themselves black? If someone is obviously mostly or entirely white, should they be "forced" to wear that label against their wishes? How much do people have a right to their own identities, and how far can white advocacy really go?

Seems like a lot of people are challenging their own assumptions here, and is that bad? I say no.

thoughtful, and a lot of people are questioning their own assumptions. That's a good thing.

But I also think a lot of others are using it as a gotcha moment... sarcastically comparing transgender (specificially Caitlyn Jenner) to this situation. The biggest difference is that Caitlyn hasn't lied about who she used to be. She was Bruce. We all know she was Bruce. End of story.

Rachel, on the other hand, hid and obfuscated her history with false information. She lied about who she was and that makes everyone question who she is and her motives.

Bruce Jenner wasn't always a stand up guy. All that information is out there. But Caitlyn's past is informing who she is now. Rachel was denying her true past and making up a persona that never existed.

You KNOW what she did is wrong.
You KNOW it is not the same as Ms. Jenner.
But it is hard to articulate why it is wrong, and how it is not the same. It's a challenge.

After much thought, I have concluded that my issue with this is the subtle insinuation that it takes being a white woman to be a successful black woman. . . .

Something else must be going on that they don't want us to know about.

n/t