What makes a comment racist?

While we may think the difference between acceptable and offensive is as clear as black and white, sometimes a seemingly harmless remark actually reinforces harmful stereotypes.

Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) rose more than a few eyebrows when he called presidential hopeful Barack Obama "the first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean" in an interview with the New York Observer published last Wednesday.

Although Biden joined the race for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination that same day, his remarks about Obama stole the spotlight. Newspapers, news stations and online political forums spent much of last week debating whether Biden's comments were racist, and many political experts predicted that his hopes of being nominated (which were slim to begin with) are now completely shot.

So what was it that made Biden's comments offensive?

He was just complimenting Obama, right?

Well, not exactly.

Although Biden may have sincerely intended to praise Obama, he inadvertently offended blacks by implying that it is unusual for their leaders to be intelligent and well spoken.

One could only wonder why Biden would say this when past black presidential candidates like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are considered some of the brightest leaders and best speakers of our time.

But perhaps the harshest criticism Biden received was for referring to Obama as "clean." Many people found this offensive not just because Biden implied that other black leaders are not clean and good, but because he used this word at all. While Biden has insisted that "clean" was meant to be taken as "fresh and new," I can't imagine it ever being used to describe a white politician.

In reply to all of the criticism and skepticism about his remarks, Biden issued a statement last Wednesday evening apologizing to Obama and claiming that his comments were taken out of context.

While I would like to believe that Biden's comments about Obama were misinterpreted and carried no racial bias, I don't. It's not that I think Biden is an overtly racist person, but I do believe that his latent prejudices came through in his comments about Obama.

In fact, Biden has a track record of making off-color remarks. When commenting on the growth of the Indian American population in Delaware last June, Biden said, "You cannot go into a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. Oh, I'm not joking." And during an event in South Carolina this past December, Biden referred to Delaware as a "slave state that fought beside the North ... only because we couldn't figure out how to get to the South."

Now before we get out the noose to hang Big-Mouth Biden, we should all take a good look at ourselves and really think about the remarks we make.

Without realizing it, we sometimes say things that indirectly perpetuate stereotypes.

OK, here's an example. When describing a scholarly African American, people often make it very clear that the person is "educated" and not "ghetto." Although the description might be intended as a compliment, it implies that the person is an exception to the rule.

It also gives the struggles of some blacks a negative connotation.

Unfortunately, instead of looking at people as individuals, we often judge and label them according to racial stereotypes.

Sen. Biden is paying for his comments, and in a way I feel bad for the guy because he is completely oblivious to his own prejudices. But we can learn from his mistakes.

It's important to think deeply about the comments we make and ask ourselves whether they might reinforce damaging stereotypes.

While we might not intend to offend, sometimes we do.