Do we REALLY need to pull the race card again?

So, David Mamet wrote another play. This one is entitled "Race."
Then, Mamet wrote an article about his own play.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/theater/13mame.html?_r=1&ref=theater

It raises the question of "of ALL the topics you could write a play about, why RACE?"

We have a black president...doesn't that mean we've made significant progress? Is the topic of race still relevant? What can you possibly say that hasn't already been said over and over?

Mamet says, "My current play, “Race,” is intended to be an addition to that dialogue."

I will admit that I am curious. I feel that the conversation of race has reached a point of stagnation, and unless Mamet's new play is going to bring an entirely new perspective to the topic, the conversation will remain stagnant. However, Mamet claims that his play DOES address a related topic that is often kept quiet.

Says Mament, "...my current play does have a theme, and that theme is race and the lies we tell each other on the subject."

I've always thought that as long as we are still discussing race, it will be an issue. It is not until we can honestly look at another person without first seeing their ethnicity, that we have truly overcome it. However, people are so afraid to be judged as being "racist" that they lie to themselves and each other about the issue. (For more proof of this, read this article. It's somewhat lengthy, but all-in-all a good, and important, read. http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/September-2009/A-Mugging-on-Lake-Street/index.php?cparticle=1&siarticle=0#artanc)

Theatre is a great way to comment on society and taboo topics, such as race. However, it has to be done right, and it has to be done well. I'm curious to see what Mamet has in store for his audience.