I want to jump in because I am someone who called her a sourpuss on my blog in recent weeks. I wrote that only after thinking carefully about whether it was coming from or could be considered anti-woman or racist (I am an ardent feminist and also a strong believer in fighting race and class oppression). I then thought, well I would call anyone a "sourpuss" if it seemed the person, no matter what their race or gender, were always making that sort of face. At the same time, I recognize that she is an extremely intelligent and articulate person.

I think Cheney is a sneerer and Bush a smirker and Rice a sourpuss. Not very nice of me, I realize, but nothing racist or woman-hating about it.

my immediate reaction to this is to wonder why being African American and a woman automatically makes you one of "us," whatever that means. i kind of feel like this strays into the realm of the positive stereotype - because you are a member of two oppressed classes, you must therefore be inherently more tolerant/thoughtful/whatever. i think that each individual behaves in their own way, chooses to align themselves with their own groups, and that being an African-American woman is not mutually exclusive with being "one of them."
that said, i do acknowledge that growing up African-American and female provides you with often dramatically different experiences from which to draw upon in your decisions and actions. still - those are biological traits, not personality traits.

Emily,
Just so you know, I wasn't making reference to your blog or anything. I read in a few newspapers of her being called a "sourpuss".

Finally got my comments up here

I posted some thoughts on my blog.

Vic, I'm having trouble reading your blog. The page keeps only half loading. Is it blogger?

Many weeks late, but my response is here.