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Yesterday we took a look at Andrew Morton's riveting new paperback "Posh and Becks," a copy of which landed on every Gawker editor's desk. While some of us (Emily!) found only scraggly braids of cliche, simile and drivel, when we scanned the handy index we found trenchant racial insights and cross-cultural appreciations—such as under the entry for "black icon, 228-9."

...[T]hanks to his taste in extravagant clothes and jewelry, penchant for rap music and his flash lifestyle, the blond footballer should be considered an honorary black man.

"In fact," Morton writes, "his appeal isn't just to blacks and whites, but crosses all racial and cultural boundaries."

Best use of "in fact" ever!

For example, the Beckham family was celebrated as gods for a major exhibition of Indian-influenced art fo the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in June 2002. While David was depicted on a throne in a crown and robes as the Hindu deity Shiva, Victoria was the goddess Parvati and Brooklyn was the elephant god Ganesh.

While we appreciate Morton's right to hyperbole, until we see the Shem ha-Mephorash for David Beckham, his appeal will remain confined to idiots, Hindis and stereotypes.