Posted by
David Walker on Tuesday, April 10, 2007 8:47:41 PM
I like talk radio. I try to read the news everyday. Over the past several days in either of those mediums the vast majority of chatter has been regarding Don Imus and his comments about the ladies of the Rutgers Basketball program.
I've been considering these things and trying to make up my mind about the significance of it all. In the few minutes I've had to try and make some sense of this, a few things stand out.
What Imus said was ignorant and thoughtless. Noone knows if he is a racist except him and the Lord. But racism is ignorance, and the words he spoke came from somewhere.
There should be reprecussions for his actions, and those seem to be coming through from varying places in varying degrees.
The usual personalities have jumped uninvited to the defense of the women in question, and indeed all African Americans. At a press conference today, the Rutgers girls said that they have not been contacted by Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson, but that they have been contacted by Imus with a request for a meeting so that he might apologize in person.
I can't decide if Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Jackson are opportunists who scavenge for photo ops so they can promote themselves, or concerned citizens who really have something helpful to say about this situation...and quite a few others. Maybe they're both.
Hurtful language concerning race and gender occurs far too often, and is never appropriate or justified. It really doesn't matter what I think, but before I can feel good about listening to Sharpton rail on Imus for what he said I would like to hear him and Jackson rail as publicly and indignantly against the hurtful language of the same nature and worse that comes from hip hop and gansta rap culture. They say that they have spoken against it, and I don't doubt they have. But Sharpton and Jackson have called for boycotts of NBC and CBS radio. Where are the public calls for similar boycotts of record labels and video companies who target African American communities, and turn out material that is just as, if not more disturbing where women and blacks are concerned?
Imus has said that in the future he wants top have a black personaility and perspective on every day. Jackson has said that MSNBC should have more black analysts and hosts. Maybe those elements should be there, but if I'm a black guy who gets the call form either of those parties now, I'm going to feel pretty insecure about why I got it. There is an abundance of African Americans who have worked hard and earned their say on merits other than thier race, just look at the Rutgers basketball team. I think its sad because niether Jackson or Imus's comments do anything to help those girls go forward on thier own merit as intelligent and hard working people.
I have heard several media personalities talk about redemption for Imus in this case. Reverends Sharpton and Jackson have affirmed the possibility of such. I will only cynically add, "How could they not as 'reverends'?" I only hope they will publicly follow through with thier actions. Redemption carries with it the reality of change. The redemtion of Don Imus will only be evidenced by a change in his actions.
David