A couple of years ago, in an episode of the sit-com "Two and a Half Men," young Jake (played by Angus T. Jones, about twelve years old—the half-man of the title) has a girl friend. She's a cute little thing about his own age, and of Chinese ancestry. They have a date.

They're alone Jake's uncle's house. Jake's dad, played by Jon Cryer, and his uncle, played by Charlie Sheen, walk in and find the two kids sitting quietly, side by side on the sofa. No conversation, But they have their cell phones out. And they're texting each other!

Later, Jake tells them that she broke up with him. He said, "She doesn't believe in mixed relationships."

"You mean, because you're Caucasian and she's of Asian descent?"

"No," says Jake. "She's gifted and I'm remedial."

Don Firth