This is a real headline on the Wall Street Journal's web site, right now: "Should Black Women Marry Outside the Race? We Want Your Opinions Via Webcam."

Good question! What say you, America? Should the races intermingle their precious blood, or should they endeavor to keep their stock pure and unadulterated? There are interesting viewpoints on both sides—some say it's barbaric to bring racial considerations to bear on questions of love, while others say it's barbaric for members of the white race to defile their seed in the womb of the mud people. Who's right? Come debate it on the web site of the Wall Street Journal, the web's home for vibrant debate on matters of crucial importance.

The discussion was sparked by this piece arguing that people should just marry the people that they fall in love with, or enjoy having sex with or whatever. That must have sparked a backlash from the Journal's readership, which does not like that idea at all, so they decided to just let everyone have at it on the site. The Journal posted the headline to Twitter, occasioning some quizzical responses.

The most appropriate reaction to the question came from Journal commenter HandsomeMan:

Why are we even debating this issue on the WSJ??? I definitely think it's a valid topic in the context of African Americans commenting on issues within their own community, but honestly as a non-African American I feel like it's silly for me to tell what people of other races should or should not do.

I know! Why is a newspaper for white people even talking about this?

UPDATE: The Journal has altered the headline to "Should More Black Women Marry Outside the Race," which softens it a bit. For the record, here's the original head.

[Image via Shutterstock.]