I appreciated Charles Todorich’s word salad lecturing us all (“‘White Guilt’ explains everything about race in America,” Feb. 8) that racism directed against people of color died a long time ago because of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. … or something? 

Mr. Todorich’s sources on the subject of modern American race relations seem to be a 30-year-old magazine survey and a shockingly thin 20-year-old book, “White Guilt,” by Black academic Shelby Steele. Steele famously wrote a book about Barack Obama in 2007 subtitled “Why He Can’t Win.” When Barack Obama won, Steele simply admitted that the title was just a marketing device. In other words, he likes to sell books even if what he writes may be glaringly incorrect.

Begs the question: Is Steele a source that we should consider infallible on such a broad and nuanced subject? Oh, can’t forget, Morgan Freeman gets a shout-out. One beloved Black actor who said stuff decades ago. No context provided. Well, that settles the whole debate, I guess. 

Ironically, the op-ed was published the same week our current president, and Epstein files frequent guest star, Donald J. Trump decided to publish a tweet portraying ex-President Obama and his wife Michelle as monkeys. 

If racism died a long time ago, Donald Trump and the modern Republican Party must be using a very powerful Ouija board.

Jeremy Smith
Old Orchard Beach