The "birthers" include some at the highest level of society, many South Boston "Democrats" and the like, continue to abhor the president. When have we seen people shouting epithets at press conferences? Usually from southern states. I have queried Obama haters in discussions, to find out they really can't outline specific objections to policy, but they know they don't like him. I say predjudice is still out there.

Mr. Jacoby likes social window dressing. Something shows up in the vitrine and ipso factor problem solved. We are also looking for social ease here where there is reasonable sharing of spaces. Has not happened. A brief check of the congregations and who stands at the pulpit will tell you not much has changed. Already in the comments today the distrust from each side and the lack of understanding of what it means to be a minority in this country is abundantly clear.

Racism today is more of a political tactic, than an actual grievance. The races baiters like Al Sharpton and Jess Jackson will not just go home, now that all the progress Jeff has listed is upon us. They will use their might to seek redress for things like disparities in sentencing between powdered and crack cocaine convictions (this is the civil rights issue of our time), and the Trayvon Martin murder case. It is all about political power. NEW PARAGRAPH: I would love to see the race baiters turn their efforts inward, and look to improve the lives of blacks by changing the biggest obstacle they have to full success in our society. Single parenthood is the norm in the black culture, as some 70% of black children are born to single mothers. Leaders like Sharpton and Jackson should work to reverse this. If they can reduce or eliminate the rate of illegitimacy in the black culture, they will help the cause far more than by claiming victimhood every turn.

Is this a joke. Racism fading? Wow. You are so out of touch with reality, it's dangerous. And in regards to electing a black President -- Has there ever been this much vitriol and disdain surrounding a President? No. Of course racism isn't as bad as it was, but judgng by the narrative in the country it's inching backwards. The truth is we have along way to go before it really fades.

Mr. Jacoby. This is one of your feeblist assertions to date. I'm not even going to take the time enumerate the prodidious amount of counterfactuals available.

It may not be as overt, but its presence is still highly significant. And denying this is ludicrous.

The stain of racism is not fading, you are just closing your eyes tighter.

Has there ever been this much vitriol and disdain surrounding a President? Yes, George bush. He got hammered.

Your're kidding, right? This is some kind of joke? Just a few months back racism reared its ugly head in Boston. A Black player on the Washington Capitals scored the winning goal against the Bruins and there was a flood of racist comments throughout the area. I think you should stop daydreaming

I am not sure who Jeff is talking about. Is he speaking about the educated, institutions, progressives or liberals or whatever label you want to stick on people. If he is talking about the vast swath of white working class American's here in the South or large portions of the Mid-West or any other part of the country you choose, He is living in la-la land. Here in the South one hears it every day from one's neighbors and acquaintances. The N word still reverberates throughout the area except in most instances in hush tones. (NP) Certainly it is no longer socially acceptable to be racist, but my generation the so called boomers are still knee deep in racist attitudes. I even hear it from fellow Vietnam veterans which I find absolutely amazing. Brothers in war, brothers in combat and all of that now seemingly forgotten. Except perhaps, "well those guys were different" as if it was some plantation. My blacks. (NP) Luckily the younger generation is doing better and I have hope for the future on this issue. But as long as it is passed down from father to son it will be a difficult bias to overcome.

...as are the constant thread of thinly veiled aspersions by stealth Republican operatives like TheSystemWorked.

Your examples are certainly the exceptions not the rules.

As a veteran of the civil rights movement, I have to say that things are better than fifty years ago. We now have lots of elected black officials. Interracial marriages have become much more common. There is a growing black middle class in Atlanta, Charlotte, NYC, etc. That said, there is still work to be done. There are too many black males in prison and too many black children living in poverty. What to do? Affirmative action for the President's daughters is not the answer nor is a job-killing increase in the minimum wage. Charter schools and school vouchers could help. So might the election of Mitt Romney because no group needs job creation more than African-Americans.

"Ozark" I too am a veteran of that movement and there have been institutional improvements. But underneath that the old biases still exist for many, way too many and these won't disappear for a long time. Hopefully following generations will do better than ours in attacking the psychological underpinnings of racism.

Racism disappeared from American politics?!?! Really? did that happen while I was sleeping last night? Tell it to the tens of thousands of African Americans being systematically expunged from the voting rolls in Florida and elsewhere. Tell it to Latinos in places like Arizona and Alabama. Mr. Jacoby lives in an imginary world of his own creating. How does he keep his job?

Oh, don't be silly Jeff. Even the GOP knows too well the power of their presidential campaign for the Great White Hope. Racism is alive and well in America and you know it. And your examples of individual triumphs simply make the point that they are extraordinary achievements against a troublesome backdrop.

It's pretty easy for a white man (lookin' at you, Jacoby) to say racism is easing in America. The overt racism may be less evident, but the covert racism is just as strong as ever. This is not an excuse, merely an observation. It's hard for people to change the way they think and act. It takes time, hard work, good will, and patience -- from everyone.

Racism IS alive -- one need look more further than the Globe comment section. TheSystemWorked: "I think the racist members of the Congressional Black Caucus are an argument against your column." Ozark: "Affirmative action for the President's daughters is not the answer nor is a job-killing increase in the minimum wage." Richmond12: "Single parenthood is the norm in the black culture, as some 70% of black children are born to single mothers. And that's just from this column. Don't forget WestSubrbanDad and profox's anti-Indian rants against Elizabeth Warren (Liawatha, indeed). Or the endless anti-Latino diatribes from that same group. Or the anti-gay diatribes that come out everytime you right one of your patented "I'm not a homophobe, but" attacks on gay rights.

Wow - tough crowd. OK, Jeff's overly enthusiastic in his proclamations about racism fading in America. But this is truly good news he's writing about. Can't you people at least acknowledge that?

@FredBil: yes, it is good news. But Jacoby has made a career of race-baiting. For him to declare racism dead is a bitter irony.

the more apt analogy is that our First Constitution enshrined, coddled and enforced slavery and our Second, Reconstructed Constitution abolished slavery, created national citizenship and ultimately resulted in two African Americans being appointed to the Supreme Court. Jacoby's injection of 'The Church' analogy based on a hypothetical when there is a real problem with misogyny is telling about his problems with logic and writing. progress is not linear. that second, Justice Clarence Thomas ... well, him and the driving-while-black crime and the last 40 years of the Republican "Southern Strategy" ... well, let's say this is all more 'complicated' than the suddenly dreamy-eyed, faux historian Jacoby would have you believe ... of course, there has been progress but while most see a glass half empty, this treacle portrays the glass as flowing over ... Jacoby's announcement of the death of racism is premature. one has to wonder what motivated such an over the top reaction. or, not bother.

Uh, OK. It is racist to write about the FACT of illegitimacy among blacks. This is what what once called the "soft bigotry of low expectations". It is racist, according to you, to ask black to be accountable for their own behavior. Now I know why there is a permanent underclass.

Wanna kill racism? Stop implementing policies to correct the actions of American slave owners...they are all dead, as are their slaves. White people shouldn't be told to feel guilty about it and black people shouldn't be told to feel owed because of it. Also, when every black rapper screams the N word, you can hardly complain about it still being prevalent. You can help the new generation by not having white straight A students get denied from college so C black students who never took an honors class or played a sport can get full rides to the same ivy league that turned down the white kid (true story that I have seen play out multiple times). Barring that the parents need to stop pointing out o their toddlers that their skin color will make their lives harder .

It is not racist to say that Obama's daughters should not receive preferential treatment in hiring, college admissions, etc. After all, the Obamas are part of the one percent. The children of a white truck driver or a black maid deserve help, not the children of black doctors and presidents.

Bumpyt said, "Has there ever been this much vitriol and disdain surrounding a President?" Bumpyt either has memory problems or is less than four years old.

I'm shocked by this. What America does Jacoby live in and supposedly report on? Racism is far from faded and anyone who believes that it is surely has no grasp on the daily problems faced by America's minority populations.

If it is fading, what will liberals have to complain and use for blame for every injustice?

TheSystemWorked patented argument system. Take a strawman. Beat it to death. Add in some random "have you stopped beating your wife" attacks and unsubstantiated (i.e. made up) "counter facts." Add in a few LOL!!!! and you're done. Content free and nasty. To be clear: no I don't tolerate "some hate." You, however, regularly spew it.

The one sure way to raise my suspicion about race relations is when conservative commentators increase their yapping about how racism is dead. They've all gone there. Jacoby has plenty of company. Jonah Goldberg, Michelle Malkin, Glen Beck, Roger L. Simon, Victor Hanson, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage etc., have all written these kinds or articles. What great company. Paragons of virtue all. What Jacoby hasn't done yet (and a technique that is considered Conservative 101 with today's far-right media) is to complain about blacks being racist against whites. This is of course, a vile, obtuse and willfully ignorant technique, but not beneath Jacoby. Especially disgusting is when a white commentator will gin-up the race baiting with some kind of recording of black-people-acting-badly and then hire black commentators to come on and agree with all of the garbage they are selling. Sean Hannity is famous for this. Then they'll say, What?...What?...it's not me, my hired black guests said it. What?...

Democrat Utah Representative Jim Matheson broke ranks and will vote to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt. Mr. Holder has refused to cooperate with the Oversight Committee on Operation Fast & Furious. "It just compounds the tragedy when both sides play politics instead of releasing the facts. The Terry family, the public and Congress deserve answers," Rep Matheson said. "Sadly, it seems that it will take holding the attorney general in contempt to communicate that evasiveness is unacceptable."

Policy: Tax cheats were given $1.4 billion in government-backed mortgage loans under President Obama's economic stimulus, and the government doled out at least an additional $27 million in tax credits to delinquents who took the first-time-homebuyer tax break, according to a government audit released Wednesday. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jun/27/gao-1-billion-in-tax-credits-went-to-cheats/

I think it was on Real Time but I cannot remember who said it first - "Not all Republicans are racist, but if you're a racist you're probably a Republican or Tea Partier."

All Jeff has to do is read the "comments" sections on Yahoo.com or other news aggregator sites to know that racism is alive and well and absolutely blatent in society. I think the internet brings the worst out in people. They can hide it in face to face interactions, but on the blogs and internet comments section it is in full force. I cringe whenever I read these things. Jeff is clearly out of touch.

Lord: Read here: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Was_the_democratic_party_associated_with_the_KKK Which party started the KKK? Democrat Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, is well known for having been a "Keagle" in the Ku Klux Klan.

Lord Democrat Senator John F. Kennedy voted against the 1957 Civil rights Act. Democrat President John F. Kennedy opposed the 1963 March on Washington by Dr. King. Democrat President John F. Kennedy, had Dr. King wiretapped and investigated by the FBI Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Was_the_democratic_party_associated_with_the_KKK#ixzz1z1C9ynZb

moron

You're citing an unsourced, unqualified attack on Democrats as "proof" that Democrats are racist? Wow.

Bullshyt. How dare you make this commentary in this era of the Obama presidency where Republicans and their minions bash and block the President of the United States at every opportunity.

ESF - there is a new tool called Google. try it.

and the DEms, who controlled Congress, worked so well w/ Bush

Well, what an exercise in social and political fiction. A black man in the White House whose very election stirred racist threats against him, which have not abated, just changed direction: would the "birther" movement have been targeted against any white person? More blacks in movies and on television: excuse me, have you watched television lately? Primarily white casts on 99% of all shows. These bland and blatant generalities prove nothing, and are a weak cover-up for the real hatred behind Jacoby's and other right-wingers' attacks on the president. Weak research, weak fact checking, weak writing = completely unpersuasive column that will fool no one.

ESFSDFSDF: "Democrat President John F. Kennedy is lauded as a proponent of civil rights. However, Kennedy voted against the 1957 Civil Rights Act while he was a senator, as did Democrat Sen. Al Gore Sr. And after he became President, Kennedy was opposed to the 1963 March on Washington by Dr. King that was organized by A. Phillip Randolph, who was a black Republican. President Kennedy, through his brother Atty. Gen. Robert Kennedy, had Dr. King wiretapped and investigated by the FBI on suspicion of being a Communist in order to undermine Dr. King."http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/08/kennedy_legacy_black_voters_jo.html Sorry to presents FACTS

And your comment has something to do with Jacoby's column how, exactly? Are you making this point because Holder is black, another example of someone you believe has reached a position of power beyond what his skin color should allow? Are all "tax cheats" black? Why not make whatever point you have clear rather than obtuse?

Sorry, but I think racism came hugely alive when Obama became president. I have witnessed it and heard it with my own eyes and ears. Doubtful if that will change in my lifetime. Z

What the devil is Jacoby smoking? If we need proof that racism is alive and well in the US, simply read the mindless, hate-filled garbage on the internet directed at Barack Obama. Post-2008 election analysis suggests that Obama would have attracted an additional 3%-4% of the popular vote were he a traditional Caucasian candidate, and a healthy slice of the opposition from the right--for virtually everything he favors--is clearly grounded on race. Much of what Jacoby writes is grounded in ignorance and nonsense. One would think that the Globe could regularly publish more informed conservative commentary--such as that routinely found in the editorial pages of its NYTimes mothership.

In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.

AMERICAN THINKER! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO !!!!

Sorry, but your "FACTS" are from an article claiming Martin Luther King, JR was a Republican. The article concludes with "Democrats have been running our inner-cities for the past 30 to 40 years, and blacks are still complaining about the same problems. More than $7 trillion dollars have been spent on poverty programs since Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty with little, if any, impact on poverty. Diabolically, every election cycle, Democrats blame Republicans for the deplorable conditions in the inner-cities, then incite blacks to cast a protest vote against Republicans." Hardly an unbiased source.

Do your parents know you're on the computer?

es. It is a FACT he voted against it. It is a FACT that dems started the KKK. Do some research. And the line you cite is CORRECT

someone has to keep you libs informed

ES- where does it say he was a Republican?

Sorry, Jeff. There is still far too much racism in this country. Far, far too much. This feel-good piece doesn't indicate much in the way of real change in American racial attitudes.

"begolfing" That's some twisted history, but I no longer debate trolls.

Kind of ironic I was at the complex where I own a second home that I rent out. On the bulletin board was posted an internet letter that said and I am paraphrasing. "The daughter comes home and tells her father to disown her, cancel her credit cards etc. she is marrying Muhammad, converting to Islam so she can work for the Obama campaign." Yup, racism is dead in America resurrecting itself behind any other acceptable twist one can put on it.

Bill maher, what a source. His mouth is more foul than a trash bag in August.

attaturk. No troll and happy to debate you on anything. and of the info I posted, please show where it is wrong?

"begolfing" Al Gore senior was a known racist as were a great many Dems. during this period. As to the March Kennedy opposed it and if you do the research you will see the conversation between JFK and King regarding the March. JFK simply felt it politically dangerous not something he opposed in principle. As to Bobby authorizing Hoovers wiretaps I have not seen any "historical" proof of that. There have been political rumors that have existed for whatever reason but no proof at least documented proof that I have seen.(NP)Regardless we all know the poor record of Southern Democrats on this issue and we also all know that Nixon used the racism of the South to employ the Southern strategy. It certainly appears to me that you position yourself strictly on the right and as I have noticed take the newly fashionable "Libertarian" position. Which you are certainly entitled to do, but as far as I am concerned a position that leads to nowhere and causes one to argue backwards to any issue or any person you might oppose. That is just a personal opinion and not knowing personally probably unfair on my part.

Kitchener, when you say Jacoby has to do his job provocatively do you mean he has a license to lie? Being in the minority point of view at work doesn't give you that kind of license. It's not just provocative to claim that racism no longer plays a part in American politics. It's an intentional lie. I think Mr Jacoby does that more than occasionally. I don't know him personally but he strikes me as more cynic than provocateur.

jerk

jerk

The changes in the Southern Baptist Convention are very welcome, but we have a long way to go before African-Americans live without prejudice and cruel disadvantage. I suggest that Jeff Jacoby read more of Ta-Nehisi Coates, particularly Coates's description of growing up in Baltimore, before he blithely proclaims that "America's racist past is dead and gone."

attaturk. What bothers me is the dems, the party of racism -straight up or reverse, tries to paint republicans as racist. Maybe the records are buried at the Kennedy Museum like a lot of others.

Grade this one as naive but well-intended. Systemic racism has certainly come down over time. And people of color have risen to great heights. But to claim racism is largely a thing of the past is an amazingly ignorant stance. Look at the statistics society-wide. Listen to what people say behind closed doors (or in public) about Obama (or Washington Capitals' forward Joel Ward, for example.) Things are far better than they were in 1963, but you can't declare racism is done.

"begolgin" You see that's the kind of posts that bother me. We can't deny the reality that the Dems. for well over 50 years now have been "for" civil rights, the Repubs have opposed, sometimes for legitimate reasons. However, today's Republican Party has a portion that is deeply racist. One cannot be honest and deny it. Buried Records? Conspiracy stuff? That's what folks use when they don't like what the facts say. just sayin.

Jacoby is worse than a racist - he's an apologist for racism. He's an angry, sad man in whose world view women, blacks, hispanics, and gays are only getting what's coming to them for being uppity.

attaturk: begolfing is Jacoby's target audience. Racists looking for someone to validate their hatred. No rational response willengage them.

You might at least try to be accurate and keep things in context. Even before the outbreak of the Civil War the Democratic Party had split into two factions, northern and southern. The Klan was founded by Confederate veterans, and they were Southern Democrats, opposed to all things 'Yankee', whether it was the Republican Party, northern Democrats, etc. As the GOP started to embrace social conservative positions from the late 1950's onward it became more appealing to these southern Democrats to join their cause, painting themselves as the keepers of conservatism and the Democrats as the keepers of liberalism. Thus did Jesse Helms, Strom Thurmond, Trent Lott, etc. switch allegiences. None of the labels apply anymore. For example, the principle of limited government was always the domain of classical liberalism, while Federalism, which advocated a strong central government, used to be the domain of conservatives, and yet now the Federalist Society has redefined federalism to somehow mean opposition to government. So, you see, labels change, and to claim that the Democratic Party started the KKK is completely in error, at best, while at worst it is a deliberate falsehood.

I believe Ozark is correct that Bill Maher has used that line, but it is a sentiment he borrowed from John Stuart Mill, who uttered the quip that 'not all conservatives are stupid, but all stupid people are conservative.' It's not true, and it is in incredibly poor taste to try and claim racism is the domain of any one political affiliation in today's climate. There was a time when the Dixiecrats were the party of white supremacy, but that time is long past, and that party is defunct. Some of them joined the Republican Party, but both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party are more diverse than that. Y'all are free to call each other names all you want, but nothing productive will come of it.

You really believe this "reality"? This isn't some 1979 fantasy quota world. Maybe yes, if it came down to "Straight A white student" vs. "Straight A black/Latino/Dominican/Hatian student" The 'brown' student might carry more weight BECAUSE... odds are that student had to overcome MANY MORE OBSTACLES than the "straight A white student" and they are looking to be a diverse program. But your post reeks of "Oh little Johnny is just the smartest, and he didn't get into School ABC (even though he is a B student) but that ETHNIC kid did- so he must be a TOKEN and took little Johnny's spot!!! OMG REVERSE RACISM!!!!! Please.

Kitchener, people can be both undocumented and illegal. Not all Islamists are terrorists. But I get your point. I have nothing against, though I may disagree with it, Mr Jacoby's use of language that supports his point of view. My problem is when he lies outright. And that's what he does here. The fact is that racism, both institutional and individual, persists. Conservatives point to exceptions, and sure there are plenty of those. Sure racism is less pervasive than it was 75 years ago. But it is alive and well in American politics as well as every day life.

attaturk - your ignorance is staggering. Crates of documents generated by Robert F. Kennedy remain stacked in a vault at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Dorchester. They are so closely guarded that even the library director can't look at them. http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2012/06/16/vennochi/0ScXB9NaPGWLBYru9CA9SI/story.html

We are the hollow men We are the stuffed men Leaning together Headpiece filled with straw. Alas! Our dried voices, when We whisper together Are quiet and meaningless As wind in dry grass Or rats' feet over broken glass In our dry cellar Shape without form, shade without colour, Paralysed force, gesture without motion; Those who have crossed With direct eyes, to death's other Kingdom Remember us - if at all - not as lost Violent souls, but only As the hollow men The stuffed men.

"This is racism at its finest,'' council member Alton Scott, the lone dissenter and only black council member, told a reporter for the Beaumont Enterprise. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/post/racial-tension-still-an-issue-in-jasper-texas/2012/06/15/gJQAYOtbfV_blog.html

You condemn racism like OJ is out there looking for the real killer.

Racism fading? Dream on, Jeff...all you need to do is read some of the commentary posted in the discussion forums and see some of the names Obama is being called by rightwing bigots.

If racism is dead then so too is anti semitism. After all, Jews have risen to to the highest echelons of our society. Heck, for such a small percentage of the population they sure do throw their weight around.