Andrea Mitchell and the folks at MSNBC and elsewhere in the media are beating this so-called "Special Olympics Gaffe" into submission.

But I note, as they fall all over themselves to create "teachable moments" about the sensitivity of words and jokes and stereotyping certain groups or classes, and the power of words, that when certain other folks complain about certain words or images or political cartoons that evoke racial stereotypes these very same people are quick to defend these "gaffes" as "unintended, not racist, not meant in any harm, he/she was just joking, we misunderstood them, I didn't know that was racist..." and they do not go out of their way to create "teachable moments" about racism.

Oh, we'll spend hours talking about a NY Post cartoon or the cover of the New Yorker or comments made by candidates and their surrogates on the campaign trail, or a radio host riffing on a women's basketball team, but the debate stops at" is it or isn't it?," and never moves beyond that.

Maybe this is the teachable moment that teaches us we need a hell of lot more teachable moments.