http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/ This is a superb essay. There are several frequent posters here who fit this description: "Progressives have become intellectual illiterates, they have memorized reams of political diagrams and are experts on the sufferings of obscure people in obscure places. They pride themselves on thinking that they know all the secret sufferings of the waitress who brings them their check, but this tawdry New Age empathy does not translate into an ability to help her or to help anyone else. They are forever priding themselves on their willingness to help people and using that pride to justify their own wealth and power. They are always on the verge of helping someone, but they never get done helping anyone except themselves. Race atones for this sin and for all sins. It answers all objections, it fills in the giant gaps in their knowledge and competence. It is a disguise that they once put on, but can no longer take off. It has become their reason for being. It is the one subject that is so simple and elemental that they can thoroughly control it. Poverty is complicated. So are jobs and wars. Race however is simple. There are bad people and there are good people. The oppressed and the oppressors. And that paradigm, that one talking point that they store up and unleash at every occasion is the sum total of their contribution to every debate under the sun"