Censorship, in any form, is unacceptable.
At the University of Memphis, students are marching — across campus.Commercial Appeal columnist Wendi C. Thomas has written a figurative letter of support to the Rutgers Women Basketball Team. She knows about being denigrated. An excerpt:Women who achieve anything of note, who step into the limelight even for a moment, run the very real risk of being torn down for no good reason. …
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26 - What's the difference?
First of all, I don't agree with the statement Imus made. But, what is the difference between a white person making that comment than a black person? I watched a spot on MTV on 4/13/07. The skit was call "So, you have to work with a white person". Then, it proceeded to present, dorky white people and portray them as idiots. Basically, the skit was to educate blacks on how to understand whites. They commented, whites are always happy. Then, an actor comes up and tells the dorky white man that his entire family has just been killed in a horrible death. The man then says something like oh well, that is ok, can't win them all, or something like that. What does that mean? White people don't care if their families die a horrible death?
The point is this, how come black comedians and other media can slam white folks from everything to the way they dance, look, talk, body parts size and any other comment to make a joke and expect everyone to laugh. But, if a white person makes a joke or makes the slightest attempt to fit into the black culture, it is a racial issue.
So, everyone needs to quit making fun of others cultures, which will never happen. So, don't take it so hard. Whatever happened to the days of Bill Cozby? He was funny. But, he didn't drag race into it.
27 - Richard Thompson
Comedians make jokes.
If Imus (a journalist) and his gang had simply called them the female version of the Toronto Raptors, then it's possible to simply pass that off as a lame attempt at comedy but they went further than that.
And more differences come into play when one considers the racial makeup of the media, of entertainment, of the politic structure, and one sees the lack of diversity which makes it common to connect "whiteness" as a representation of the mainstream "America."
The majority of our politicians, our superheroes, our celebrities, the image of beauty, just to name a few things, are white -- though thankfully that's changing as it should.
So, the jokes on MTV show are manifestations of that push against the mainstream.
Lastly, assimiliation is not the solution nor is refraining from comedy.
The key is understanding our differences and working together. Thankfully, that's happening too.
28 - Vichus Smith
Are the targets of the words "ho" "bitch" and the like really always willing participants? You mean that every time a rapper writes a song, all the African American females in America sign off on that?
There is no difference. Rappers have freedom of speech, and Don Imus has freedom of speech. Period. What should have been Don Imus' penalty is that his listeners and viewers should stop listening to his show, or call him up and tell him he was wrong for his comment.
The Rutgers basketball team, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, etc. had little to no idea who Don Imus was before this, so how is this hurting them? Also, how is it hurting black people in America?
By the way (if it matters) I'm black. Don Imus doesn't scare me, and it doesn't "offend me." Don Imus is an old white guy broadcasted on 2 stations I don't listen or watch. If I did listen or watch his program, When I heard his commments, in the context it was spoken, I took it as a mockery of the very same language that I hear in the streets, subways and neighborhoods where other black men (and women, BTW) demean women, probably because they're emulating the corporate drivel we have to call hip-hop.
Double standard. Hip hop lives, and Imus was a target. It is hypocrisy, and it is against the constitution to not give people freedom to say what they want, even if it is construed as "hateful."
You know what I hate? Political correctness. It's run amok, and soon it will claim the entertainment you love. Don't come crying about "freedom" then.
29 - Clavos
Vichus Smith writes:
It is hypocrisy, and it is against the constitution to not give people freedom to say what they want, even if it is construed as "hateful."
The Constitution was not violated by Imus' firing.
His freedom of speech wasn't curtailed; he can continue to call anyone he wants pretty much anything he wants.
He just won't be paid by those employers anymore, which is their right. His remarks damaged their business when advertisers began to pull out, so they had every right to fire him.
30 - Richard Thompson
Hi Vic,
I'll make this quick. (Hey, that rhymes...) In any event, I appreciate your comments but I guess we can agree to disagree on some points. And no, it doesn't matter if you're black. (It is nice to know I'm not the only black man on BC, though.)
It's illogical to assume that rappers are talking about all women. That assumption says more about the person making it than the rappers themselves. Do I like how hip-hop has turned out?
I agree with Nas that hip-hip is either dead or on life-support. It's time for a change, but men and women have been talking bad (and good) about each other in music for decades. It's just par for the course. But, a discussion on music and Imus is an apples-to-oranges comparison that misses the point.
And you're wrong about Al and Jesse not knowing who Imus was before all of this. They are well-acquainted with who he is. Did this incident hurt black America? I doubt it, but it did offer an opportunity for us to let it be known that we will not tolerate this kind of behavior.
My feeling is that we should have asked for more than just Imus's head on a platter. His firing doesn't guarantee that CBS or MSNBC or any other media will see the need to diversify the voices and opinions on the air. But, as one of my friends noted, we don't know what the hell the community leaders pushed for in the CBS boardroom. But I digress.
We certainly see eye-to-eye on Media Matters. I, too, have a dislike for political correctness, but no one has to offend me just to make a point.
Back to Imus, he's not a rapper. He's not a musician. He is a journalist, and we, journalists, are held to a different standard and he was held accountable -- finally.
Peace,
Richard Thompson