I think most people avoid ever talking about race. (I always think of the Seinfeld where they were debating whether a guy was black and felt so guilty that when their black server came back, everyone gave her a massive tip.) It may be that he comes off as racist because talking about race is usually avoided.

That said, I think O'Reilly's point is valid. For example, let's assume I'm a famous woman entertainer. If I were to do my best to look male (wear crew cuts, men's suits, has surgery to reduce my female parts, etc.), I would not expect to be considered a "female icon" when I died. Anyone who tried to say that of me would probably be attempting to advance her own cause by claiming association with a famous person. I think that is all Al Sharpton is doing. He is attempting to build up his movement by claiming a famous man as an icon.

Michael Jackson was a gifted entertainer from the time he was a child, and he was also black. Some people in this country want to make the color of people's skin of more value than their accomplishments, and I think that diminishes their accomplishments. In the workplace, I want to be judged by my work, not by being one of the few women who managed to get where I am. That diminishes my work and implies that women are not as good as men. By talking about Jackson in a way that emphasizes race, some people make it sound like they're surprised a black man can be better than a white man, and that's racist.
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I dont know what to say, I found it kind of bizarre.
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