[lolinder]

Yes, in order to convincingly say "I'm with you, I think you want to do the right thing" you do have to actually believe that America has a race problem that needs to be addressed and you have to believe that the people taking shortcuts sincerely believe they're doing the right thing. So yeah, Noah Smith does presumably hold that understanding of racism.

I wasn't trying to say that he was lying for the sake of the article, I was trying to say that he's framing it in a way that is intended to be persuasive to a particular group of people that you're not a part of. If you pressed him on it in a private conversation I wouldn't be surprised if he acknowledged that the behaviors involved here are racist (by some definition) even though the people are trying to be the opposite. But he knows better than to level that word at his audience.

[xepriot]

I disagree. You just have to be committed to doing the right thing. If some ideological complex or other is opposed to this, you can compassionately tell people the truth, writing under the assumption - which you may emphasise as much as you like - that they are Good People who also want to do the right thing.

I would tell him that however he justifies concealing or dressing up his beliefs, such dissembling really does have the effect of increasing confusion and rancor - he is, of course, also a Good Person, but this is not a good tactic.