On another front in the Gates arrest (how many fronts can one race controversy have, you ask? start counting m'ija), I've been noticing in my social circles how quick people are to claim that Gates behaved badly. Folks aren't quoting stories or interviews with Gates but they are very sure that the Black man got riled up. You know, riled up like that kid with the 'fro on the street corner who doesn't pull up his pants. Oh, wait. Isn't Gates a Harvard professor and an author of several books? If there's a teaching moment here my friend, it's this: class does not trump race; it just gets you on Larry King Live.

Considering that people are so quick to believe the cop instead of Gates, and that people are delighted with Obama's sort-of apology, I am left thinking that most Americans (of all colors) are downright unwilling to acknowledge how racism still shapes all of our lives. In this denial, we want a truce in a race controversy no matter how stupid the deal is.

The only one making sense these days is Gov. Patrick. He called Gates's arrest "every Black man's nightmare and a reality for many Black men."

What do you think? Let's continue the conversation in the comments.