Jimmy Carter hits the 'uncomfortable subject' when talking about recent outbursts in the public forum during his recent interview with Brian Williams.

I won't deny that, living in LA, I've witnessed first hand examples of how race can affect behavior. However, how do we tell if disagreement is spawned because of race--especially when the person won't outright say so? Can we say that Kanye's behavior on stage at the VMA's was a result of race?

Barack Obama himself said in a speech to the NAACP, "I want [african american children] aspiring to be scientists and engineers, doctors and teachers, not just ballers and rappers. I want them aspiring to be a Supreme Court justice. I want them aspiring to be president of the United States."

I was sitting here trying to write something that spoke to my attitude about all this, and then realized that the answer I'm looking for is the same blank space that occurs for most caucasians--that is, I don't know what I think because I don't experience the problem.

I like to believe that I am pragmatic about race. I've volunteered for Black History Month and read many of the works of Frederick Douglass. Many of my close friends are from all over the world including the tough black neighborhoods of Chicago. But all this doesn't really prove that I'm not affected by the color of people around me. Should I go out of my way to find opportunities to prove my race-neutral attitude? Who am I proving it for? Myself?

There is an answer to all of this uncertainty, however, I think the answer is part of the problem.

I don't believe there is a need to have an attitude about race, or even to have an opinion. The color of someone's skin or type of bone structure should be a simple descriptor like, "That person has long hair." There is no place for race to have any more of an effect on one's opinion of character than the color of one's eyes. But, as I said before, this is part of the problem--by forgetting the significance of race as a social issue, we forget to be aware and take action when race IS affecting opinion and judgment. We forget to speak up and to educate, and then we watch Rodney King on TV and shake our heads like it's an isolated incident.

Nobody is asking for more civil rights marches, but they are asking for awareness. Here's something else Barack Obama said, "...the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races."

Race deserves indifference, but not the issue of race.