Analysis Analysis by NPR commentators, including Ted Koppel. Subscribe to our free podcast.

Analysis

Tuesday April 29, 2014

Why Would The NAACP Honor Donald Sterling Anyway?

Actress Meagan Good and actor Chris Brown present an award during the 37th Annual NAACP Image Awards on Feb. 25, 2006 Kevin Winter/Getty Images hide caption

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Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Why Would The NAACP Honor Donald Sterling Anyway?

April 29, 2014 • The LA Clippers' owner had a track record of discriminatory behavior. Though the NAACP rescinded a planned award for him after his racist rant, it has honored him in the past.

Why Would The NAACP Honor Donald Sterling Anyway?

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Monday April 28, 2014

Who Runs The World? 'Time' Magazine Says Beyoncé

This image released by Time shows entertainer Beyoncé on the cover of the magazine's "100 Most Influential People" issue. Time Magazine/AP hide caption

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Time Magazine/AP

Who Runs The World? 'Time' Magazine Says Beyoncé

April 28, 2014 • In the same week that Lupita Nyong'o was declared the most beautiful woman in the world by People magazine, Time named Beyoncé one of the world's "100 Most Influential People."

Wednesday April 16, 2014

Is Obamacare A Success? We Might Not Know For A While

Hundreds in California rushed to get health insurance just before the deadline. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Is Obamacare A Success? We Might Not Know For A While

April 16, 2014 • Fans and foes want to know whether the Affordable Care Act is meeting its goals. But, for good reasons, there are no clear answers yet.

Is Obamacare A Success? We Might Not Know For A While

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Tuesday April 8, 2014

How Stereotypes Explain Everything And Nothing At All

The City College of New York basketball team in 1932. New York Daily News Archive/New York Daily News via Getty Images hide caption

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New York Daily News Archive/New York Daily News via Getty Images

How Stereotypes Explain Everything And Nothing At All

April 8, 2014 • The early days of college hoops were dominated by flashy players who were thought to be naturally suited for the game and who saw the sport as their way out of the ghetto. They're not who you suspect.

Sunday March 23, 2014

When Vanilla Was Brown And How We Came To See It As White

Fun fact: The vines that vanilla beans grow on also produce orchids. Malcolm Manners via Flickr hide caption

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Malcolm Manners via Flickr

When Vanilla Was Brown And How We Came To See It As White

March 23, 2014 • Vanilla has become a cultural metaphor for blandness and whiteness. But the flavor's history is rife with conquest and slavery and theft.

Tuesday March 4, 2014

Nicki Minaj's commercial success over the last decade has stood as an exception to the unwritten rule that women rappers no longer have a place among elite artists. Mike Coppola/Getty Images hide caption

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Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Code Switch

Where Did All The Female Rappers Go?

March 4, 2014 • This, we're told, is the year female rappers will break their way back into the mainstream, ending the long period of silence for women in the industry.

Tuesday February 25, 2014

Are Americans Tired Of 'Arrogant British' TV Personalities?

Piers Morgan poses for a portrait backstage during a 2011 press tour. Chris Pizzello/AP hide caption

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Chris Pizzello/AP

Opinion

Code Switch

Are Americans Tired Of 'Arrogant British' TV Personalities?

February 25, 2014 • Piers Morgan announced that CNN will be canceling his show, just weeks after Fox TV said it would be parting ways with British star and American Idol alum Simon Cowell.

Saturday February 22, 2014

Iconoclastic Musician Takes Measure Of His Life: 'I Became A Fighter'

Fred Ho practices his baritone saxophone in a dressing room before a performance. Joseph Yoon/Courtesy of Fred Ho hide caption

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Joseph Yoon/Courtesy of Fred Ho

Code Switch

Iconoclastic Musician Takes Measure Of His Life: 'I Became A Fighter'

February 22, 2014 • Fred Ho has combined improvisation with Asian themes to create his own form of political activism. Now, at age 56, Ho is dying of cancer.

Iconoclastic Musician Takes Measure Of His Life: 'I Became A Fighter'

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Friday February 14, 2014

What We Learned From Our Month-Long Exploration Of #XCultureLove

These photos make us think that maybe, it's time we start a Code Switch stock photo database. ... iStockphoto hide caption

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iStockphoto

Code Switch

What We Learned From Our Month-Long Exploration Of #XCultureLove

February 14, 2014 • We dive into four themes we saw during our month-long exploration of how race plays out in the dating world.

Thursday February 13, 2014

Instagram Posts, KKK Rallies And Other Racial Sensitivities

Clarence Thomas is seen in a high school year book photo, circa 1959. He said that people are more sensitive about race now than they were when he lived in segregated Georgia and was the first black student to attend his school. AP hide caption

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Code Switch

Instagram Posts, KKK Rallies And Other Racial Sensitivities

February 13, 2014 • Justice Clarence Thomas contended this week that Americans have become too sensitive to race. But might it be that we too often give different racial incidents equal weight?

Wednesday February 5, 2014

'Tiger Mother' Author Spells Out 3 Traits That Drive Success In The U.S.

Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld appear on NBC News' Today show. Peter Kramer/Getty Images hide caption

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Peter Kramer/Getty Images

Code Switch

'Tiger Mother' Author Spells Out 3 Traits That Drive Success In The U.S.

February 5, 2014 • Yale law professor Amy Chua sparked controversy with her first book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, where she touted her strict style of parenting. Now she and her husband, Jed Rubenfeld, are out with a new book, The Triple Package. The couple talk about why they believe some cultural groups are better poised for success.

'Tiger Mother' Author Spells Out 3 Traits That Drive Success In The U.S.

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Tuesday February 4, 2014

We asked writer Noah Cho to take self-portraits for this story. Here's one of them. Courtesy of Noah Cho hide caption

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Courtesy of Noah Cho

Code Switch

How I Learned To Feel Undesirable

February 4, 2014 • When Noah Cho was young, he thought that couples would be like his parents — that Asian men would be paired with white women. But he writes that when he looks in the mirror and reflects on his own experiences, he feels "unattractive and undesirable."

Wednesday January 29, 2014

Obama Showed A Deft Hand With Speech. Why Not With Congress?

President Obama shakes hands after giving the State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. Larry Downing/AP hide caption

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Larry Downing/AP

It's All Politics

Obama Showed A Deft Hand With Speech. Why Not With Congress?

January 29, 2014 • ANALYSIS: The president was brisk and confident during Tuesday night's State of the Union address. He also managed to avoid a remarkable array of issues that could have proved problematic. But he hasn't been nearly as adept at the less-dramatic business of dealing with Congress and the media.

Thursday January 23, 2014

A Different Kind Of Catholicism Grows In Latino Communities

Bronx native Johnny Torres says he was addicted to drugs before he found Jesus in the Charismatic Catholic movement. Marlon Bishop/Latino USA hide caption

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Marlon Bishop/Latino USA

Code Switch

A Different Kind Of Catholicism Grows In Latino Communities

January 23, 2014 • The "Charismatic" movement involves worshipping with exuberance, miraculous healings, prophesying and establishing a personal connection with God — and the number of converts is growing. According to a recent survey by NPR, about one-third of Latino Catholics in the U.S. identify as "Charismatic."

A Different Kind Of Catholicism Grows In Latino Communities

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Wednesday January 22, 2014

Code Switch

English Only? For Mainland Puerto Ricans, The Answer Is Often 'Yes'

January 22, 2014 • Puerto Ricans are less likely to speak Spanish at home, compared with other Latinos living in the U.S. According to an NPR poll, only 20 percent of Puerto Ricans speak Spanish at home — less than half the percentage for respondents overall.

English Only? For Mainland Puerto Ricans, The Answer Is Often 'Yes'

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