That was a lovely narrative. Thank you for sharing it. Although my own mixed race ancestors were gens du couleur libre, I certainly can appreciate your personal history. However, I do take exception to the idea that "Brown is the new Black." I believe, in all honesty, none of us are served until "Humanity is the new Brown, White, Asian, Hispanic and Black." (Homosexuality is not a race, otherwise I would include it also.) It should never have mattered that you are biracial or that my many of my ancestors were Creoles of African descent. While I hope that Obama's election will foster a greater mutual understanding between the races, I hardly see any reason for anyone to assume that racism and the problems it engenders have vanished simply because we have elected a biracial individual as President. If articles like Ms. Kaplan's are any indication, the racial dialogue is going to get quite interesting before we've achieved true racial color-blindness.

(head in hands)

This article is wildly inappropriate, and represents two major steps backwards for women's liberation.

Don't you get it? You cannot have it both ways - either women are sex symbols or they are taken seriously intellectually. I'm sorry our culture has set things up that way, but there it is.

Let's put it a different way: have you seen any articles out there by male authors talking about Barack Obama's ass?

Actually, I have heard the story and I respect your perspective.

However, when do we ever move pass talking about black women's bodies and start focusing on their minds and accomplishments?

To me - the fact that this author thinks its cute or witty to discuss Mrs. Obama's backside while (as you put it) attempting to make some profound social/political statement is weak.

Most of us in the free world are aware that blacks were enslaved, abused and denied basic human rights.

However, today it appears that the biggest exploiters of black women's backsides are black male Hip Hop artist! There is deep irony in this fact. As long as blacks keep the conversation at this level the longer the negative stereotypes will persist.

My jewish associates no longer brag around me that they are minorities when I remind them that in the USA they are white and BTW I could be jewish of course after this discourse my jewish associates never played that race game again...

So again Brown is Brown and Black is Black...Plus this has nothing to do with Erin's racist essay on Salon just to appease white liberals...

The fact that Ms Kaplan wrote a two page essay on the subject of Michelle Obama's posterior is not the most disturbing part of this whole affair. Kaplan, as evidenced by other things she has written, is apparently weirdly fascinated by the female African-American ass, so it is not surprising that she would submit 1000 words that read as if they were hastily scrawled in a loose-leaf notebook with a dull pencil.

Unfortunately, Joan Walsh made not one, but two astonishingly bad editorial decisions. Not only did she decide to run a two-page paean to Ms Obama's rear end, which could perhaps have been dismissed as a hopelessly incompetent attempt to be amusingly light-hearted. But she then decided to run it as the lead story on the front page that day. Having considered the issues of a serious economic crisis, the future of our country under a new president, bickering among liberals over the developing direction of the Obama presidency, etc., Joan Walsh decided that the most important article submitted to Salon that morning was this unsettling glimpse into the stranger parts of Ms Kaplan's psyche.

It was these decisions, I believe, that led to the firestorm of disapproval in this letters section and the well-deserved mockery of Salon which is taking place in the conservative parts of the blogosphere.

The article itself is more strange than anything, a slightly disturbing look at one African-American's self-image issues. Ms Walsh's choice to give it such prominence elevates it to the level of offensiveness and, yes, racism. Since I am certain that Ms Walsh is not racist, I am at a loss to explain this, except perhaps by uncharacteristic incompetence.

Making this the first thing readers saw that morning also trivializes Salon as a whole. Today, do you think that people formerly unfamliar with Salon think of it as the home of insightful commentary by Glenn Greenwald and Juan Cole, or as the site that had the article about Michelle Obama's ass?

so she has a Black woman as a buffer write this sleaze?

We can do better here ..We have a chance to heal some of the racial tension in our country and what does Joan do she pays for a Black writer to attack the first Black mother and woman in our white house....

Thanks Joan for the great journalism

I am rather curious about your assumption about what men have said in this thread and your assumptions about who is black and who is white. Since I cannot tell by you handle whether you are black or white or male or female, can you please just tell me?

Because I cannot actually conceive of addressing anyone without knowing the particulars. For instance, how do we know if someone's opinion is worth a damn without knowing this. Ideally, one black people should discuss the objectification of black body parts. Only women should discuss the objectification of female body parts. Only white people should discuss the objectification of white body parts. Only males should discuss the objectification of male body parts. I am not sure where that leaves biracial people and transpeople.

Wait! I've got it. The only person who should discuss the body parts of an Haitian-Asian man in transition should be an Haitian-Asian man in transition.

Oh wait. We still have a problem. What about furries?

I am a human being and I found this essay quite offensive....

Erin Aubry Kaplan has touched a serious nerve. Or in this case, a butt!

Even popular entertainment website TMZ.com has jumped into the fray over the controversial piece on Michelle Obama's derriere that has cyberspace buzzing. "One thing that hasn't been pointed about our new First Lady -- her bootyliciousness. Salon.com just decided to go there with Michelle Obama, with a black woman fully laying out an appreciation of Mrs. O's back side: She has coruscating intelligence, beauty, style and -- drumroll, please -- a butt, writes Kaplan. Yes, you read that right: I'm going to talk about the first lady's butt."

Wednesday November 19 on The Kevin Ross Show, meet the writer that created the firestorm and find out exactly what was her motivation behind the article. Is the soon-to-be First Lady being unfairly sexualized, or does her figure represent a triumph for women of color with “real curves”? Listen online or feel free to call in at (347) 945-5939.

Hold on to your Spanx ladies, it's going to be a bumpy ride. That's tonight at 7pm (PST), only on Blogtalkradio.

http://blogtalkradio.com/stations/headingright/kevin-ross