As a long time, avid reader of The New Yorker, my initial impression of the editorial staff's choice of cover, left me disappointed. Although, I have never been one to choose a book based on it's cover, as an Obama supporter, I felt sad that the magazine the I so anxiously await each week, had sunk into the depths of political muck, that so often clutters my e-mail and causes me to continually reevaluate my associations, friends and family members. Having never deluded myself about the reality of racism, I was stunned to find out that people would be willing to make a choice against their own interest, as opposed to electing a competent candidate of color.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the newsstand. As these people, frantically flipped through the pages, looking to have their suspicions validated and glean a few additional tidbits to fuel their prejudicial bonfires, they were faced with Ryan Lizza's thoughtful account of a man, who by any measurement,
is sure to make history.
Suddenly, just as the Grinch's heart was changed by the encounter with Sally Who, Lizza's article caused the reader to take another look at the man. My inbox is currently full of positive messages and words of excitement and possibility. Now that is some change, we can believe in!
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/07/21/080721fa_fact_lizza?yrail
