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While reading this I got the feeling Steyn was having a twinge of guilt. It must be painful for him to always see things so clearly. So, when someone like Derb who is not at the level of Steyn, goes down in martyrdom Steyn must be having thoughts that maybe he hasn't sufficiently made his points all these years. "Come to think of it, I should probably go for querying whether Weigel should go." It is almost like a Jew in Nazi Germany seeing his rude outspoken neighbor being taken and sent to the camps while the authorities let him remain because he is not as crude, more high class, and entertaining.

"PS If Derb’s piece is sufficiently beyond the pale that its author must be terminated immediately, why is its publisher — our old friend Taki — proudly listed on the NR masthead?" -- what is this? Is he trying to tempt them to fire him? Is he Hamlet, 'to be or not to be...' Steyn is a far better man than me but it is funny to see someone so solid to be momentarily off balance - it is so un-Steyn. He must be wondering for the first time in his life what has he been doing so wrong that tyrants are entertained by him but a crude lesser is sacrificed! PS he should cheer up they'll get around to him eventually.

It is insufficient to read Derbyshire’s article without reading some of the other versions he refers to in his first paragraphs. They are all black authors from the left telling how they supposedly had a “talk” with their youngster about survival in a prejudiced society. Derbyshire is making “a modest proposal” in a Swiftian sense.

Perhaps Steyn works through some introspection in this piece. He mentions that Derb fell outside the parameters that are mandated by our current culture. Suppose he feels that, being left behind, he fits snugly within that culture. Should he question his impact on that culture?

Steyn doesn’t need NR. I have a feeling that he’ll be making a move on principle.