Maybe my favorite episode of Northern Exposure is the one where Maurice Minnifield (played by the great Barry Corbin), the bigoted, pompous, ex-astronaut is surprised to discover he has a son, Duk Won, conceived during service time in Korea. After grudgingly admitting that Duk Won’s claim is real, Maurice has a conversation with Chris, the town’s DJ and amateur philosopher, about how difficult this is. Their conversation concludes something like this:

Maurice: I wouldn’t have had such a problem with this if only…

Chris: If only he were white?

Maurice: …Yeah…

Chris: Well, that’s a reason for hope.

Maurice: What? What are you talking about?

Chris: Because racism is a learned behavior. And that means it can be unlearned. Continue reading →