In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinion pieces in The Times.

Nicholas Kristof/Obama and Race

The Short Version: Obama gave a great speech the other day.

In his words: “Much of the time, blacks have a pretty good sense of what whites think, but whites are oblivious to common black perspectives.”

Score: B- (Boring)
We obviously liked Obama’s speech, too, but Kristof comes off as almost too naive for words. Here’s another shocker for Kristof to consider: substitute the word “gays” for “blacks” and “straights” for “whites” in the above equation, and the result is the same!

Roger Cohen/Beyond America’s Original Sin

The Short Version: Obama’s speech!

In his words: “A racial divide, once lived, dwells in the deepest parts of the psyche. This is what was captured by Barack Obama’s pitch-perfect speech on race.”

The Score: B (Benign)
Although we are never drawn to Cohen’s prose, we appreciate the sentiment.