The Play of Usness and Themness

Don't miss this article by Isabel Wilkerson in the New York Times, about the experience of Hurricane Katrina refugees in other parts of the nation. Aside from the obvious -- bland Oklahoma food didn't suit the people from New Orleans -- the article describes the many small, day-to-day ways that people unintentionally alienate each other. Even with the best will in the world, even when they know ``we're all Americans.''

Also interesting for the accurate quotation of African-American speech (``you a damn lie,'' for instance). Time was, the Times made everyone ``sound white,'' as any other approach was deemed an insult.