I think you’re right—it was the “nappy” that did him in.
I was looking at clips of Imus' show at You Tube and saw one where the "Cardinal" uses the term when referring to Condi Rice. This was last year.
Not sure if it was the “nappy” or the fact that these girls were not really public figures. I mean, aren’t they people’s children at the end of the day?
Other than play basketball for the sake of getting a scholarship, and then play really well, they really didn’t do anything to put themselves in the political line of fire.
Had Imus’ remark been made about politcians or muscians or even professinal atheltes, perhaps it would not have resonated so negatively.
That much said, I still don’t think he should have been fired - although I do not like his show much.
Black women are incredibly self conscious about their hair. Madame CJ Walkder is celebrated each year during Black History Month for inventing many of the chemical processes used to straighten, curl, and manage black hair. Using the word nappy definitely tinged the phrase with a lot more emotionalism than ho.
Ho is basically used like the word gal or doll was used in days gone by.