Posted on 04/13/2007 12:21:51 PM PDT by Rick Vassar
Don Imus – The Language of Race by Rick Vassar (13 April 2007)
“From the outset, I believe all of us have been deeply upset and revulsed by the statements that were made on our air…”
- CBS President And CEO Leslie Moonves
The level of Les Moonves’ revulsion grew as Imus advertisers began to pull out in droves. American Express, Sprint/Nextel, Proctor & Gamble, GM, and Staples all announced that they were disassociating themselves from Imus and the fray, and Moonves’ outrage grew as the bottom line began to shrink.
MSNBC – well that’s a no brainer. Nobody is going to watch an elderly man and his middle-aged sidekicks sit around and tell bad jokes into a microphone. Heck, the Imus audience on MSNBC was made up of people who were too lazy to get up in the morning and turn on their radios. Instead, they rolled over, picked up the remote and put on TV Imus.
Nobody actually watched it.
Les Moonves is not morally outraged. He is financially outraged. In less than one week, Don Imus went from being an asset to CBS to a bleeding liability. CBS cut its losses and ended the relationship. When Imus moved from the plus side to the minus side of the ledger, it was over.
Don Imus made a crass, off the cuff comment that was wildly inappropriate, offensive and hurtful. That’s what he was hired to do, and he has been doing it for years. As Howard Stern moved the line of civility, Don Imus followed right along.
The conversation now centers on whether you believe Don Imus to be a racist. Some in the African-American community say that because it came out of his mouth, it must be close to the surface and are his true feelings. Others say that this is how white people talk when no one else is around.
These arguments are inherently racist. To believe either scenario, one must believe that all white people are racist. And that argument itself is racist. To make assertions about a group of people based on the color of their skin is the definition of racism. We assume that what Imus said is what he believes, and that may or may not be true.
So where do we go from here?
Maybe it starts with cleaning up the language a little bit. I mean, you can say “F- you” on the radio but not the real phrase, although everyone over the age of seven knows what it means.
“B--ch” and “‘ho” have become so commonplace that no one really blinked when Imus uttered the word – it was who it was uttered about that caused the uproar. What about the “n- word”? This word is so offensive that when spoken, it just breathes hatred. Yet, in the African-American community, it is more often than not used as a term of endearment. If the word is so divisive, then why doesn’t everyone try to use it a little less often?
Look at the words from the Ice Cube song Giving Up the Nappy Dugout ***explicit lyrics***. On Amazon, it’s called “a tale about an overprotective father who screens his daughter’s date at the front door.”
Uh, no…
This song, from the Death Certificate album, sold over 2 million copies in 1991-92. It is reasonable to believe that with that many copies out there, this song has probably been played close to a billion times. For those of you who understand what the title means, the lyrics are 100 times more offensive.
The point…
Maybe for the conversation to change, the language should change. This is not a matter of free speech. It’s just common decency.
If we continue to divide on language, we will never come together on race.
http://insurance-guy.blogspot.com/2007/04/don-imus-language-of-race.html
You said — “’m sooooooo white. What does Nappy Dugout mean?”
This was from a “rap dictionary” —
noun
nappy dugout
Vagina. The dugout is the dug-in bench at the side of a baseball field where players wait until they are up to play. Nappy comes from hair napping up, sort of the way it it on the way to dreading. The nappy dugout would be the dugout (small enclave a few steps off the main field) that has nappy hair (pubic hair). “Giving up the nappy dugout” — Ludacris (’Phat Rabbit), “Nappy Dugout” — Funkadelic
And the following, I got from a web site, giving a “translation” (I suppose for us white folk...) —
Your daughter was a nice girl, now shes a slut.
A queen treatin niggas just like king tut.
Gobbin up nuts, sorta like a hummingbird,
Suckin up the lench mob crew, and Im comin third.
Used to get straight-as, now shes just skippin class.
Oh my, do I love to grip the hips and *ss.
Only 17, with a lot of practice on black boys jimmys and white boys cactus.
Sorry, sorry, sorry, but I gotta be brief:
A lotta niggas like bustin nuts in her teeth.
Drink it up, drink it up, even though shes catholic,
That dont mean sh*t, cuz shes givin up the *ss quick.
Quicker than you can say candy, the bitch is on my snicker...and oh man she
Can take on three men built like he-men;
Her little-bitty twat got gallons of semen.
Fourteen niggas in line ready to bang your
Pride-and-joy, I mean daddys little angel.
Tell the bitch to get her *ss out the house,
Cuz your daughters known for givin up the nappy dugout.
Chorus, 2x: I got a big old ding-a-ling, and if that bitch remains,
Im gonna do my thing, with your dauuuughter!
Mister, mister, before you make me go,
Im here to let you know your little girl is a hoe.
Nympho, nympho, boy is she bad; get her all alone and out come the kneepads.
I know shes a minor and it is illegal,
But the bitch is worse than vanessa del rio.
And if you decide to call rape, we got the little hooker on tape, now:
Tell the f*ckin slut to please hurry up,
And wear that dress thats tight on her butt,
So I can finger-f*ck on the way to the bed,
Been in so many rooms, she got a dot on her forehead.
Face turnin red from grabbin them ankles.
F*ck and get up is how I do them stank-hoes.
You should hear how she sounds with a cock in her,
Boots get knocked from here to czechoslovakia.
Two on top, one on the bottom;
First nigga got the boots, man, you shoulda shot im.
Cuz after I got em it was over. now niggas get lucky like a four-leaf clover.
On daddys little girl.
She keeps nuts in her mouth like the bitch was a squirrel.
So tell sheryl to bring her *ss home,
Cuz the line at my house is gettin loooooooong, and....
Chorus
(givin up the nappy, givin up the nappy....)
Now, this is the kind of stuff that you’ll find the 13-18 year olds listening to, and that’s why our culture has changed so drastically (for that age group), among many other reasons why that’s so...
There was a discussion about these things in regards to Girls Gone Wild owner and his troubles with the law. Many were blaming him, however, the stuff that is going on (out there) with our 13-18 year old group (and afterwards in college) is coming from *that generation* and not from the guys making Girls Gone Wild.
How much listening to this kind of stuff before the entire generation just goes off and does exactly what these songs are saying. Oh..., wait a minute — they’re already doing it...
See some of these other FReeper threads...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1760487/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1814975/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1815779/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1816008/posts
And so the story goes with our younger generation...
Regards,
Star Traveler
You said — “That’s just one of his “songs.” There were quite a few others I couldn’t excerpt without having to disguise so much of it with symbols that it would have looked like lines of code. Also this one had a definite affectionate tone towards the “hoes” whereas a number of others tended to lean towards beating them and cheating them then leaving them.”
Well, I’m afraid that this is a description of our 13-18 year old group, in school and it continues through college, too. We’ve got these very young teens who are acting just like what the song says. And they are proud of it, too.
You can see those other links where I posted some stuff about that and what is going on with our very young teens (and it doesn’t stop with being a “young teen” — it goes right on through college and then out into the workforce)...
Regards,
Star Traveler
P.S. — Here’s a real sarcastic statement, so take it as that and don’t get whacked out (and no, I don’t advocate it...) — “It’s difficult to rape girls these days, because one can’t find a girl that will say no and resist.”
And that certainly applies to that 13-18 year old group in school...
That Ice Cube song looks pretty much like Ludacris' other songs. I guess it's good that you posted all those lyrics unredacted. We are supposed to be having a dialogue now about what bothers Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson so we really need to bone up (oops don't take that the wrong rap way) on appropriate terms and acceptable views of young African American women. Obviously Ice Cube, Ludacris and Dog Poopy Poop can help us get hip.
If you called a retarded person, who screwed something up, retarded, you would be a first class heel.
In other words the insult is meaningless if it is not true.
If you call a basketball team a bunch of whores, so what? Everyone knows they are not whores.
Now if they are whores, well then maybe the truth hurts.
Soooo, tell me again what Imus did wrong???
You said — “Obviously Ice Cube, Ludacris and Dog Poopy Poop can help us get hip.”
Yep, I’m sure they can. I know this thread is about Imus and what happened there, but it does tie into what kind of “culture” is actually out there.
Parents are like those three monkeys... “see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil”. They think — like this “daddy” in the song, that his daughter is an angel. Well, the guy at the door tells him what his daughter is like.
You know..., there are a lot of white kids, in that 13-18 year old group, whose parents are thinking the same thing. Well, have they got a big surprise. And even though those lyrics are definitely offensive to a lot of people — the one thing it *does do* is describe an actual situation and set of circumstances in our culture.
Regards,
Star Traveler
You asked — “Soooo, tell me again what Imus did wrong???”
Well, first of all, he wasn’t black... Ummm..., I think that about covers it...
Regards,
Star Traveler
Don Anus is an idiot. All he had to tell Professional race extortionist Sharpton is that there is a HUGE difference between being a comedian who insults and calls someone names and being a racist like Al Sharpton is. Don Rickles is one example who has that kind of humor, and he was 10000 times worse than Don Anus.
Put it this way, if Professional race extortionist Al Sharpton was so concerned about racism, why isn`t he going after REAL racists like Klansman David Duke who has a radio show? Because the attention and money ain`t there for Professional race extortionist Al Sharpton to cash in on.
He made pretend he was Don Rickles and forgot Sharpton needed some attention because Obama was getting all of it.
The counter argument is that these rappers haven't explicitly said that they all do but that is disingenuous. They aren't rapping about anything other than hoes, drugs and violence. Out of six albums I didn't see one song by Ludacris about women that reflected anything but using them and hating them for being used.
You are right that it's a big part of youth culture out there and the fact that he sells six albums and dozens of other rappers do too proves that their "message" is popular. But it isn't all there is out there it is just all they respond to. It's what they promote and it is well accepted.
Therein lies the complete hypocrisy in attacking Imus for it. Imus was parroting what he has seen to be popular and celebrated by millions of young blacks and whites alike. Imus, like most shock jocks, is just a mirror of popular culture. As an observer and a commentator on society and culture he has heard this in music, in movies, from comedians, on the streets of Manhattan and probably in the corporate offices where he works. From blacks and whites like Al Roker who dressed up like a pimp on the Today Show when everyone wore costumes. And good ole' Roker jumped on Imus this week.
What makes it funny for Al to dress like a pimp? Why is Imus the one singled out as not allowed? Everyone else, including Sharpton and Jackson, can participate and profit from the sleaziest aspects of popular culture except Imus? And somebody that levels false accusations and incites murderous attacks with racist language gets to single him out?
/end rant. Sorry for my verbosity.
You said (in part) — “Therein lies the complete hypocrisy in attacking Imus for it. Imus was parroting what he has seen to be popular and celebrated by millions of young blacks and whites alike. Imus, like most shock jocks, is just a mirror of popular culture. As an observer and a commentator on society and culture he has heard this in music, in movies, from comedians, on the streets of Manhattan and probably in the corporate offices where he works. From blacks and whites like Al Roker who dressed up like a pimp on the Today Show when everyone wore costumes. And good ole’ Roker jumped on Imus this week.”
Yep, it is hypocrisy for attacking him this way. And it is more than just Imus. Already others are “salivating” at the prospects of “nailing” conservative talk show hosts, on the same basis as they did to Imus. Find an *issue* (doesn’t have to be real — just something PC). And then nail them on it and demand their firing. That’s really what is going on.
It’s a power struggle in our society to maintain “power” and the *image* of PC (political correctness) — even in the face of people like Ludacris making millions saying what he does. It’s all a double standard.
And then you said — “Sorry for my verbosity.”
BUT, this is Free Republic... :-)
Regards,
Star Traveler
Classy!
Find an *issue* (doesn’t have to be real — just something PC). And then nail them on it and demand their firing. That’s really what is going on.
Yep.
So the question is why Imus, and not the plethora of other mirrored surfaces we call celebrities? Some have said that he was singled out for survelliance by the Clintonian left. Media Matters has been monitoring Imus and set the blog blast that ignited this firestorm. Who is Media Matters? And Why Imus?
I have heard lately that he loathes the "dark princess". No reference to skin color. If she were black then Imus might have said the "nappy headed dark princess ho."
You’re doing quite well with your words. I am also very suspicious of who really blew wind into these sails. (she who must not be named) certainly comes to mind.
American Express should be called India Express cuz that is who you get when you call with any problems. (Please, wedo notwant anymore ofthe Beans) I'm done with them.
GM makes and sells junk, and I am on my 5th straight GM car right now which is a real lemon. Never again.
Has anyone whose has ever actually used a Nextel product at work considered purchasing one for their own personal use? I rather doubt it.
Proctor & Gamble? Are they beyond that Devil worship fiasco thing yet? Their soaps make me itch.
Staples? Ain’t that Mitt Romney’s baby? Ha, I just happen to prefer Office Max.
I also use TIVO to race through as many insipid commercials as I possibly can, but that is never enough anyhow. We need TIVO for radio.
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