Much Ado About Imus ?

[finn's mom]

By Jason Whitlock

Thank you, Don Imus. You've given us (black people) an excuse to avoid our real problem.

You've given Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson another opportunity to pretend that the old fight, which is now the safe and lucrative fight, is still the most important fight in our push for true economic and social equality.

You've given Vivian Stringer and Rutgers the chance to hold a nationally televised recruiting celebration expertly disguised as a news conference to respond to your poor attempt at humor.

Thank you, Don Imus. You extended Black History Month to April, and we can once again wallow in victimhood, protest like it's 1965 and delude ourselves into believing that fixing your hatred is more necessary than eradicating our self-hatred.

The bigots win again.

While we're fixated on a bad joke cracked by an irrelevant, bad shock jock, I'm sure at least one of the marvelous young women on the Rutgers basketball team is somewhere snapping her fingers to the beat of 50 Cent's or Snoop Dogg's or Young Jeezy's latest ode glorifying nappy-headed pimps and hos.

I ain't saying Jesse, Al and Vivian are gold-diggas, but they don't have the heart to mount a legitimate campaign against the real black-folk killas.

It is us. At this time, we are our own worst enemies. We have allowed our youths to buy into a culture (hip hop) that has been perverted, corrupted and overtaken by prison culture. The music, attitude and behavior expressed in this culture is anti-black, anti-education, demeaning, self-destructive, pro-drug dealing and violent.

Rather than confront this heinous enemy from within, we sit back and wait for someone like Imus to have a slip of the tongue and make the mistake of repeating the things we say about ourselves.

It's embarrassing. Dave Chappelle was offered $50 million to make racially insensitive jokes about black and white people on TV. He was hailed as a genius. Black comedians routinely crack jokes about white and black people, and we all laugh out loud.

I'm no Don Imus apologist. He and his tiny companion Mike Lupica blasted me after I fell out with ESPN. Imus is a hack.

But, in my view, he didn't do anything outside the norm for shock jocks and comedians. He also offered an apology. That should've been the end of this whole affair. Instead, it's only the beginning. It's an opportunity for Stringer, Jackson and Sharpton to step on victim platforms and elevate themselves and their agenda$.

I watched the Rutgers news conference and was ashamed.

Martin Luther King Jr. spoke for eight minutes in 1963 at the March on Washington. At the time, black people could be lynched and denied fundamental rights with little thought. With the comments of a talk-show host most of her players had never heard of before last week serving as her excuse, Vivian Stringer rambled on for 30 minutes about the amazing season her team had.

Somehow, we're supposed to believe that the comments of a man with virtually no connection to the sports world ruined Rutgers' wonderful season. Had a broadcaster with credibility and a platform in the sports world uttered the words Imus did, I could understand a level of outrage.

But an hourlong press conference over a man who has already apologized, already been suspended and is already insignificant is just plain intellectually dishonest. This is opportunism. This is a distraction.

In the grand scheme, Don Imus is no threat to us in general and no threat to black women in particular. If his words are so powerful and so destructive and must be rebuked so forcefully, then what should we do about the idiot rappers on BET, MTV and every black-owned radio station in the country who use words much more powerful and much more destructive?

I don't listen or watch Imus' show regularly. Has he at any point glorified selling crack cocaine to black women? Has he celebrated black men shooting each other randomly? Has he suggested in any way that it's cool to be a baby-daddy rather than a husband and a parent? Does he tell his listeners that they're suckers for pursuing education and that they're selling out their race if they do?

When Imus does any of that, call me and I'll get upset. Until then, he is what he is — a washed-up shock jock who is very easy to ignore when you're not looking to be made a victim.

No. We all know where the real battleground is. We know that the gangsta rappers and their followers in the athletic world have far bigger platforms to negatively define us than some old white man with a bad radio show. There's no money and lots of danger in that battle, so Jesse and Al are going to sit it out.

[lvpets2002]

I too was very impressed & agreealbe with Jason Whitlock's interview.. I think he put in the right order.. I totaly agree with what he said & the wording.. Thank you Jason Whitlock..

[wombat2u2004]

By Jason Whitlock

Thank you, Don Imus. You've given us (black people) an excuse to avoid our real problem.

You've given Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson another opportunity to pretend that the old fight, which is now the safe and lucrative fight, is still the most important fight in our push for true economic and social equality.

You've given Vivian Stringer and Rutgers the chance to hold a nationally televised recruiting celebration expertly disguised as a news conference to respond to your poor attempt at humor.

Thank you, Don Imus. You extended Black History Month to April, and we can once again wallow in victimhood, protest like it's 1965 and delude ourselves into believing that fixing your hatred is more necessary than eradicating our self-hatred.

The bigots win again.

While we're fixated on a bad joke cracked by an irrelevant, bad shock jock, I'm sure at least one of the marvelous young women on the Rutgers basketball team is somewhere snapping her fingers to the beat of 50 Cent's or Snoop Dogg's or Young Jeezy's latest ode glorifying nappy-headed pimps and hos.

I ain't saying Jesse, Al and Vivian are gold-diggas, but they don't have the heart to mount a legitimate campaign against the real black-folk killas.

It is us. At this time, we are our own worst enemies. We have allowed our youths to buy into a culture (hip hop) that has been perverted, corrupted and overtaken by prison culture. The music, attitude and behavior expressed in this culture is anti-black, anti-education, demeaning, self-destructive, pro-drug dealing and violent.

Rather than confront this heinous enemy from within, we sit back and wait for someone like Imus to have a slip of the tongue and make the mistake of repeating the things we say about ourselves.

It's embarrassing. Dave Chappelle was offered $50 million to make racially insensitive jokes about black and white people on TV. He was hailed as a genius. Black comedians routinely crack jokes about white and black people, and we all laugh out loud.

I'm no Don Imus apologist. He and his tiny companion Mike Lupica blasted me after I fell out with ESPN. Imus is a hack.

But, in my view, he didn't do anything outside the norm for shock jocks and comedians. He also offered an apology. That should've been the end of this whole affair. Instead, it's only the beginning. It's an opportunity for Stringer, Jackson and Sharpton to step on victim platforms and elevate themselves and their agenda$.

I watched the Rutgers news conference and was ashamed.

Martin Luther King Jr. spoke for eight minutes in 1963 at the March on Washington. At the time, black people could be lynched and denied fundamental rights with little thought. With the comments of a talk-show host most of her players had never heard of before last week serving as her excuse, Vivian Stringer rambled on for 30 minutes about the amazing season her team had.

Somehow, we're supposed to believe that the comments of a man with virtually no connection to the sports world ruined Rutgers' wonderful season. Had a broadcaster with credibility and a platform in the sports world uttered the words Imus did, I could understand a level of outrage.

But an hourlong press conference over a man who has already apologized, already been suspended and is already insignificant is just plain intellectually dishonest. This is opportunism. This is a distraction.

In the grand scheme, Don Imus is no threat to us in general and no threat to black women in particular. If his words are so powerful and so destructive and must be rebuked so forcefully, then what should we do about the idiot rappers on BET, MTV and every black-owned radio station in the country who use words much more powerful and much more destructive?

I don't listen or watch Imus' show regularly. Has he at any point glorified selling crack cocaine to black women? Has he celebrated black men shooting each other randomly? Has he suggested in any way that it's cool to be a baby-daddy rather than a husband and a parent? Does he tell his listeners that they're suckers for pursuing education and that they're selling out their race if they do?

When Imus does any of that, call me and I'll get upset. Until then, he is what he is — a washed-up shock jock who is very easy to ignore when you're not looking to be made a victim.

No. We all know where the real battleground is. We know that the gangsta rappers and their followers in the athletic world have far bigger platforms to negatively define us than some old white man with a bad radio show. There's no money and lots of danger in that battle, so Jesse and Al are going to sit it out.

Hmmmmmm....that about says it all...eh ????
Wom

[lizbud]

I too was very impressed & agreealbe with Jason Whitlock's interview.. I think he put in the right order.. I totaly agree with what he said & the wording.. Thank you Jason Whitlock..

I saw him express these views last night on CNN. I wrote his name down
to search for more from him. I too, was very impressed by what he had to
say. I was a little irritated that the CNN host didn't give him more air time
but they were playing up the "waiting for news" from the meeting of the
women players & Imus. CNN was camped out with the camera's outside the
building where the meeting took place.

[moosmom]

Don Imus was fired yesterday for his actions by the radio station. Let's see where he pops up next.

[Edwina's Secretary]

I can say, if I had a business and one of my employees, while representing my business, called a group of women "whores" I would fire that person. I would not care if other business allowed employees to call women whores.

And every day employees are fired for using inappropriate language.

Why is this one incident important? Because it has been determined which of the men who were having sex with Anna Nicole Smith were successful in impregnating her. The 24 hour news stations have nothing to talk about....

[sparks19]

Finn's mom.... Thanks for posting that article. A very interesting read. It brings to mind one of the "teachings" from when I was a kid.... "You can't expect anyone to respect you when you can't even respect yourself" and that is so true. Not saying these girls don't respect themselves... it is more these rappers and comedians and such that complain about racism and not getting the respect they think they deserve. People say that if the words come from your own race it is not racism.... I disagree. Those words are just as damaging if not more so than if it came from someone outside your race. Not saying that racism from anyone is appropriate.... but you can't expect others to turn a blind eye when comedians are constantly making cracks about drug dealing, pimpin out ho's and gang violence.... they are only perpetuating their own stereotype that they claim they are trying to change.

As for Sharpton wanting to regulate what people can say on the radio.... that shouldn't just apply to talk radio.... they need to address ALL of it. LOL when I was younger the radio station I listened to in the car often had "mild" swear words that were not bleeped out.... my mom told me about when she was younger the song "wake up little Susie" was banned from radio play because it inferred that these two people were having premarital relationships and disobedience. Amazing how times change.

Not to change the subject but look at kids movies from when you were a kid and then look at movies like Shrek or Ice Age 2... they say D*mn.... H*ll and have quite a bit of adult humor.... you never would have seen that 20 years ago in a childs movie, now it is the norm.

[sparks19]

Why is this one incident important? Because it has been determined which of the men who were having sex with Anna Nicole Smith were successful in impregnating her. The 24 hour news stations have nothing to talk about....

AND.... the father wasn't even the controversial one...

[lvpets2002]

Oh you know Donna he will show up on Satilite & prob underground..

Don Imus was fired yesterday for his actions by the radio station. Let's see where he pops up next.

[Rachel]

Believe me, I find the kind of attitude and verbage deplorable; however, as periodic but somewhat regular watcher of the IMUS show, I'm disappointed that this resulted in his now being off the air. Why? Because I feel there was in this instance, with this person, an opportunity for redemption and change. This could have been a catalyst for thought provoking dialogue. Don Imus has done a immeasurable amount of good in his advocacy for the veterans and their families and a huge number of charitable causes. We have *thrown out the baby with the bath water*.

Don had a way of interviewing and drawing out politicians and reporters, newmakers and entertainers to get a unique perspective on their thoughts and opinions. His show was more than crass, acerbic and biting wit, it was educational as well. It brought politics *to the masses* so to speak. The prominance and variety of people Don brought to the show time and again speaks to the fact that this show addressed issues worthy of debate and contemplation. Don wasn't afraid to challenge those in high places. Yes, he was cruel at times but he left me with the impression that he *didn't really mean it*. Maybe I was duped, but I don't think so.

Did Don cross the line. Yes. Was that deplorable and worthy of condemnation. Yes. I just believe that a greater good could have come from addressing this issue and the issue of racial/misogynistic attitudes that prevail on many levels by giving him the opportunity to reflect on the gravity and come back with a different perspective and be a conduit for the change this country needs. I really feel Don is redeemable.