We’re talking about race a lot in America

And some of us didn’t know we were still so divided. Many thought the Obama candidacy finally proved that we’ve moved past that painful past. What it’s really done is put the issue front and center. And forced underlying issues to the surface.

Like the Rev. Jesse Jackson controversy of the moment. There’s a much better conversation going on beyond the buzz of talk shows and sensational journalism.

Like some of the points made in this little piece Fox put out online.

John McWhorter, a Manhattan Institute senior fellow and author of “All About the Beat: Why Hip Hop Can’t Save Black America,” believes most black audiences connect with the message of figures like Obama and Cosby.

McWhorter, who is among those prominent black leaders who emphasize individual responsibility, told FOX News that the era when racism drove debate in black communities is over.

“Mainstream black thought no longer listens to something like Obama’s Father’s Day speech and cringes. … The criticisms now are from the sidelines,” he said.

“Any culture has its problems. The ones that are in black culture, just like the ones that are in any other culture, are not necessarily due to what white people are doing, or what society is doing,” he said. “Sometimes we just need to talk among ourselves about some bad habits that we, like all human beings in the world, may have fallen into.”

Now there’s a conversation we should be having.