Water is wet but if you are a racist water is dry.  We are entering a phase where in debate if you would like to end the conversation all you simply need to do is call the other person a racist.  The minute most of us hear this word being thrown at us we spend all the time in the world explaining how we aren't rather than debating the issue.  No one wants to be called a racist and simply let it go.  We need to start though.  In a fair country in a fair society anyone can say anything to anyone.  What we are seeing however is a velvet rope put up in debates by people.  These ropes sound something like this "You don't know what it's like being black" and vice versa.  The reality is a person of one race cannot know what it is like to be another but this does not mean they cannot speak about social issues.  What you are saying is that the other person has no powers of observation and needs to be your race or gender in order to even hold conversation with you.

First off calling someone a racist and then claiming they have no right to speak simply because of their skin color is about as racist as it gets.  Secondly skin color has absolutely nothing to do with facts.  If water is wet it is wet.  This fact does not change because a black man says it or a white man denies it.

when a fact is spoken in debate (and it is usually an ugly fact) and the other person does not want to acknowledge it as truth they simply call the other a racist.  It is like being a green star bellied sneetch from Dr. Seuss.  If you don't know what I am talking about watch this:

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=dr+seuss+star+belly+sneetches&mid=0DCE10FE13F85503D8750DCE10FE13F85503D875&view=detail&FORM=VIRE3

So you see these green star bellied sneetches feel that they are above ridicule, above critique, above it all.  We all know that is ridiculous.  The same remains true in our society.  Some folks will not hear from those without a star-they are simply just that delusional.  Further still if a star bellied person is critical of them it becomes a game of "you hate yourself" and that sort of thing.  Of course any rational person on this planet can tell you that there is very little difference in humans as far as race goes.  We look different...that's it.  Somehow these same rational people think that alone is difference enough to discredit the other.  Even if water is wet; just say the magic word and it no longer is.