I don’t know Don Imus. I know he looks like shit and I heard he is pretty opinionated on the air but I don’t really know his views, etc.
I do know that he has created quite an uproar; an uproar heard around the whole country – now that is big!
While commenting on a women’s college basketball game, he pointed out how tough the women of Rutgers University were with their tattoos and all and then he called them “nappy-headed hos”.
I heard the actual clip and to me at least, it seemed he was trying to be cool and imitate some rapper talk. It did not seem he said the phrase out of any malicious intent.
Whatever made him say it, his words caused a firestorm. First the ladies on the team objected and so did their coach followed by the proverbial gadflies of racial issues, Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson. Soon the station that carries Imus (MSNBC) was forced by its black employees to cancel the program, sponsors of his program pulled out, presidential candidates made their opinions known, etc…………………………. I must say that Rudy Giuliani simply asked if Imus apologized and left it at that.
Well now, what shall we make out of all this?
I have heard that Imus is a jerk and has used iffy language in describing a host of groups including Jews, Hispanics, Gays and the list goes on……………………………
He appears to be quite popular and it appears, influential. Many personalities can’t wait to get on his show.
Imus did apologize for going “over the top” and for that matter, kept apologizing and as far as I know, continues to apologize – to no avail.
The fact that he did not call the female basketball players “Afro-headed whores” but “Nappy-headed hos” is significant. The second phrase has been used by countless black rappers in countless “songs”. It appears he was mimicking their rapping styles.
Was it insulting – hell yes! “Nappy” meaning kinky hair is a negative racial comment and “hos” is an obviously derogatory sexist comment. Should he have said it? No, but he did.
I see two problem areas in this whole scenario that continues to unfold before us. The first is the use of language and the second, priorities.
We all realize that we live in a country that guarantees freedom of speech. We all also realize that there is acceptable and unacceptable social language. Swearing or cursing in public is a no-no for example even though it happens - often.
A recent phenomenon is the appropriateness of using certain historically derogatory words by specific individuals. The best example is the word “nigger” or any variation thereof (nigga). Blacks can and do use that term and on a regular basis. You might say - all the time. Yet the same word cannot be uttered by a non-black because that would constitute a slur. Blacks use the word as a form of endearment?
Being Polish, we treat the term “Polack” as a derogatory word and I have heard Poles call each other that as if it was OK because they ARE Polish. I see the comparison but I don’t buy it. Calling one a Polack is demeaning and the intention is to demean. The dictionary defines Polack as usually “disparaging” and for this reason I react negatively when the term is uttered in my presence by a Pole or anyone else.
The term “ho” is also part of the rapper lexicon and is used just as often as “nigga”. It appears that black men are called “niggas” and black women are called “hos” – on a regular basis in song as well as in normal street use.
I don’t want to get academic on you but many anthropologists point out that the blacks using these terms are men and many black men feel deficient when compared to black women and therefore call black women by the demeaning term “ho” as a way to bolster their perceived manhood.
Street slang can and has become popular in our culture. I think it is a natural occurrence especially among the young and is also spread by the entertainment industry and Imus obviously tried to sound hip by imitating rap lingo.
Does the Rutgers women basketball team deserve to be called “hos”? Absolutely not and they deserve a big apology. On the other hand no woman, black or white, deserves to be called a “ho” by anyone and that includes black men, rappers and all.
As long as Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson don’t say a peep about the use of “ho” by black men, then they have no business criticizing anyone else for using the term.
Was it a racist statement? It sounds like one but if listened to within the context of the entire broadcast, one could not say it was said in animosity or with any other purpose in mind other than to sound hip.
As to my second point about priorities, the black community has many monumental problems. Prisons are filled with young black men; morgues are filled with young black men. Out of wedlock births are on the rise, if that is possible. Poverty is rampant and so is ignorance. Black women have no one to marry and all black leaders have to get angry at is some old, white fart trying to be cool – shame on you!
Responsible blacks need to take the stage (Bill Cosby) and address the real problems facing the black community and tell the grandstanders like Sharpton and Jackson to get the hell off the stage.
I also have something to say about the dumb asses in the white community who allow Sharpton and Jackson to manipulate our society by playing the race card over and over again – grow up!!!
I do know that he has created quite an uproar; an uproar heard around the whole country – now that is big!
While commenting on a women’s college basketball game, he pointed out how tough the women of Rutgers University were with their tattoos and all and then he called them “nappy-headed hos”.
I heard the actual clip and to me at least, it seemed he was trying to be cool and imitate some rapper talk. It did not seem he said the phrase out of any malicious intent.
Whatever made him say it, his words caused a firestorm. First the ladies on the team objected and so did their coach followed by the proverbial gadflies of racial issues, Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson. Soon the station that carries Imus (MSNBC) was forced by its black employees to cancel the program, sponsors of his program pulled out, presidential candidates made their opinions known, etc…………………………. I must say that Rudy Giuliani simply asked if Imus apologized and left it at that.
Well now, what shall we make out of all this?
I have heard that Imus is a jerk and has used iffy language in describing a host of groups including Jews, Hispanics, Gays and the list goes on……………………………
He appears to be quite popular and it appears, influential. Many personalities can’t wait to get on his show.
Imus did apologize for going “over the top” and for that matter, kept apologizing and as far as I know, continues to apologize – to no avail.
The fact that he did not call the female basketball players “Afro-headed whores” but “Nappy-headed hos” is significant. The second phrase has been used by countless black rappers in countless “songs”. It appears he was mimicking their rapping styles.
Was it insulting – hell yes! “Nappy” meaning kinky hair is a negative racial comment and “hos” is an obviously derogatory sexist comment. Should he have said it? No, but he did.
I see two problem areas in this whole scenario that continues to unfold before us. The first is the use of language and the second, priorities.
We all realize that we live in a country that guarantees freedom of speech. We all also realize that there is acceptable and unacceptable social language. Swearing or cursing in public is a no-no for example even though it happens - often.
A recent phenomenon is the appropriateness of using certain historically derogatory words by specific individuals. The best example is the word “nigger” or any variation thereof (nigga). Blacks can and do use that term and on a regular basis. You might say - all the time. Yet the same word cannot be uttered by a non-black because that would constitute a slur. Blacks use the word as a form of endearment?
Being Polish, we treat the term “Polack” as a derogatory word and I have heard Poles call each other that as if it was OK because they ARE Polish. I see the comparison but I don’t buy it. Calling one a Polack is demeaning and the intention is to demean. The dictionary defines Polack as usually “disparaging” and for this reason I react negatively when the term is uttered in my presence by a Pole or anyone else.
The term “ho” is also part of the rapper lexicon and is used just as often as “nigga”. It appears that black men are called “niggas” and black women are called “hos” – on a regular basis in song as well as in normal street use.
I don’t want to get academic on you but many anthropologists point out that the blacks using these terms are men and many black men feel deficient when compared to black women and therefore call black women by the demeaning term “ho” as a way to bolster their perceived manhood.
Street slang can and has become popular in our culture. I think it is a natural occurrence especially among the young and is also spread by the entertainment industry and Imus obviously tried to sound hip by imitating rap lingo.
Does the Rutgers women basketball team deserve to be called “hos”? Absolutely not and they deserve a big apology. On the other hand no woman, black or white, deserves to be called a “ho” by anyone and that includes black men, rappers and all.
As long as Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson don’t say a peep about the use of “ho” by black men, then they have no business criticizing anyone else for using the term.
Was it a racist statement? It sounds like one but if listened to within the context of the entire broadcast, one could not say it was said in animosity or with any other purpose in mind other than to sound hip.
As to my second point about priorities, the black community has many monumental problems. Prisons are filled with young black men; morgues are filled with young black men. Out of wedlock births are on the rise, if that is possible. Poverty is rampant and so is ignorance. Black women have no one to marry and all black leaders have to get angry at is some old, white fart trying to be cool – shame on you!
Responsible blacks need to take the stage (Bill Cosby) and address the real problems facing the black community and tell the grandstanders like Sharpton and Jackson to get the hell off the stage.
I also have something to say about the dumb asses in the white community who allow Sharpton and Jackson to manipulate our society by playing the race card over and over again – grow up!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment