Can we talk about Imus like adults?

Who said Imus is beyond accountablility?

 

I don't deny them their right to have their say. In fact, I've probably come around more to that idea as a result of comments on this thread.

But I do question the sincerity of their motives and the genuineness of their statements. And the more they push themselves into the public limelight, the more I question.

And greed and insincerity don't rate highly in my book, especially when coupled with taking advantage of a situation where the representation is the high road.

I certainly would be glad to be wrong on this. But, something doesn't smell right here.

 

OK, and what would that accountability be?

 

Check this out and tell me how would you feel.
BOSTON - The NBA has been a learning experience for Allan Ray during his rookie season, with the former Villanova star finding himself enduring the ups and downs of playing at the top level of basketball.
But it also has been a learning experience in life for Ray, a guard for the Boston Celtics, especially in the last week because of the outrage arising from disparaging comments directed by radio-talk-show host Don Imus at the Rutgers women's basketball team.

Ray's sister, Judith Brittany Ray, a freshman forward, is a member of the Scarlet Knights' team, which lost to Tennessee in the NCAA championship game and then had to hear its players ridiculed a few days later by the controversial Imus.

"I talked to her about it and she's pretty upset," Ray said last night before the Celtics played the 76ers. "I just told her that people say things in this world and you've just got to move on.

"When I heard it, I didn't know exactly what happened. If you're going to say something like that - well, you shouldn't say anything like that, period, on the air. It's something you should keep to yourself. Just to have those kinds of thoughts, it just shows the type of person you are.

"I wouldn't accept his apology," Ray said. "If you accept the apology, then it's going to be settled and what he said is not going to be an issue anymore. People will say, 'It's over now.' I think there should be more punishment for saying something like that."

 

Death by listening to Snoop until his brains explode?

Look, to me these are tangential issues...they're not the same, but they're not completely unrelated. I have a teenaged daughter, she could be one of those girls. If she was, I'd tell her she has a rare opportunity to stand up for what she believes in, to be the face of something good and admirable. I'd tell her that no one took anything from her, to be proud of herself and her teammates, to never back down from someone who tries to put her down. And I'd tell her to decide for herself whether to accept an apology from someone who will never have one shred of the class and dignity she possesses.

But I'm also telling her--and my other teenaged kids--about the hypocrisy of supporting the Rutgers women while downloading Eminem and Dr. Dre. That's where it stops being apples and oranges, for me.

 

I am not a fan of hip-hop and rap.

However, there is a big difference between being a jerk that labels women one way and very clearly putting a label on 13 particular women for no reason.

 

So you don't think " the ho's in the hood that snoop refers to are real people?



We're talking about ho's that's in the 'hood that ain't doing sh--, that's trying to get a n---a for his money

I am willing to bet that many are unwed mothers trying to feed their kids.

 

Unless you consider yourself a ho in the hood, I would bet you don't think Snoop is talking about you, capiche?

 

I don't get it. How is the FBI involved in any of this?

 

In Imus' case, No, it provides no excuse whatsoever. However there are an increasing number of other circumstances where it at least migitates culpability: There's a generation of kids out there that first learned terms like "ho" "n-word" etc. from rap lyrics and movies, know them primarily from these sources, and really don't understand the offensive history behind them, some of whom have used the terms out of ignorance simply because that's how their favorite rapper speaks.

Is it not at least a legitimate question that, if these are indeed abominable terms to the African-American community that should rightfully disappear, why are the people most responsibe for keeping the terms in daily usage and circulation part of that community? And why is it tolerated (and indeed rewarded) when they do so?

 

It's a question that has been asked, repeatedly, by, among other people, Al Sharpton. How it "mitigates" Imus's culpability still eludes me. As long as rap music exists, white media stars can say whatever they want about black people?