Kamala Harris

 I woke up in the night, and I had realized something

in my sleep, learnt something new. That Vogue cover of

Kamala Harris is actually perfect.

Because there has been a good deal of blowback on it

for Anna Wintour and the Vogue team. Ms Harris is wearing

a black campaign suit and high tops; her smile is sweet and she is

looking racially ambiguous. The internet branded it 'disrespectful' 

and a blonde commentator in England found her 'whitewashed'.

So here's the thing: what is the difference between Africa and India

from a climate point of view. The answer: rain, a lot of it, for months

on end. Early migration of people form Ethiopia to India by sea might have 

imprisoned them on the continent - the Himalayas are a powerful barrier - 

and forced them to adapt to all that rain, deprived them of sunlight, forced 

them to take cover. No one in India looks like an African any more. Same thing 

for those later arriving to India from Europe. Trapped by the mountains. 

And we do know from studies on language that Indo-Europeans are a group. 

My-middle-of-the night aha: it was all the work of climate, and not social selection.

Yes, Ms Harris is 'racialized' - the currently acceptable term for not-altogether-European - 

with an Indian mother and a Jamaican father. They made her pretty, rather than 

powerful, which is fine by me.

The sizzle should be coming from schoolteacher Mrs Biden - can't wait!!