Posted on 04/14/2007 7:04:31 PM PDT by neverdem
A racial storm in America
Don Imus, the line-crossing talk-radio host who broadcast daily across America from his New York studio, has been fired for referring to a team of black women basketball players as “nappy-headed ho’s”. Imus, a former Marine with a gruff demeanour, had an unsentimental show or, as they might say in America, it featured “guy talk” (any Briton, by the way, who uses “guy” or “guys” deserves a glossectomy).
There was some banter and unsubtle opinions were aired. It was not out of control but it also wasn’t a sanitised PC affair. He’s quite amusing and articulate in a resolutely uncomplicated way and had a huge listenership generating vast advertising revenue. Consequently, he attracted significant political figures as guests, pretty much anyone bar the President, who, of course, is rarely free to speak in public unscripted lest he describe Condi Rice as “that Secretary of State ho” in a momentary lapse.
Nappy-head, it turns out (excuse my whiteyness), means a black person who has allowed their hair to grow naturally into a tightly curled afro. It’s a term that can be used self-referentially with pride or disparagingly about others. Being a racial thing, its power is in the mouth of the speaker. Or is it in the ear of the listener? It’s complicated, so, in the interests of a quiet life, don’t use it unless you are very confident or, in fact, a nappy-head.
Imus apologised, offered no excuses, was roundly vilified and endured the measured, disproportionate wrath of Al Sharpton when guesting on the black activist/pentecostal minister’s radio show to defend himself. What they said, Imus and his sports reporter buddy, about the basketball game, was quite funny. The two teams were physically different. It was college basketball and Rutgers were playing Tennessee. The Rutgers girls looked more intimidating, they were inked up (tattoos . . .) and were altogether more menacing-looking even in defeat. These white radio boys were sniggering about that.
Basically, had it been a football match and it had all kicked off in the tunnel after the game, you’d have backed the Rutgers girls. The banter in the studio started trying to incorporate some black street language to describe the game to comic effect. It wasn’t very clever but then it’s morning talk radio.
To get to the top in college basketball you have to be good, in a general sense, not just at basketball, and you have to make sacrifices. At least that’s what college basketball folk and their families say. The girls were upset and in their robust defence they have been referred to as fine “representatives of God”. What fun you could have with that on the air if you were allowed to. God has sent down a team of 6ft tall Amazonian tattooed basketball players to represent Him. No doubt the devil sent Don Imus.
This happens when things get Blown Up Out Of All Proportion. There are enough people with a keen ear for a lapse that anyone broadcasting anywhere ought to speak thoughtfully. If only because you may not know how much offence you’ve caused until the outcry afterwards. Imus didn’t say: “If I’ve offended anyone I apologise.” He knew he’d caused offence.
He also did not say that the language and lyrics of black American rap artists leave his kind of remark not just in the shade but on the dark side of the moon.
A few years ago, on C4’s Big Breakfast, Johnny Vaughan asked me which was my worst ever stand-up gig. In 1989, at a private party in a Basildon disco, I performed to unanimous indifference. After me was an older comic. He ventured “Are there any Pakis in?” then went down a storm with racist material. Johnny intervened: “You can’t say that.” I said: it’s a true story — he said Pakis, not me. He stepped in with the forceful jocularity of the practised live TV presenter: “You can’t say that word.”
Some time later, a group of young British Asians were sitting in front of me at a football match. Bizarrely, one of them wanted a picture of me as his mum was a Jonathan Creek fan. His mate sneered: “I ain’t taking a picture of him, he used the P-word on TV.” He had me down as a racist, which was unpleasant. I’d gone over some invisible line. Johnny Vaughan knew where the line was; I didn’t. I thought context was relevant. I was as naive as a newborn calf. I was a C-word.
Among friends, thankfully, you can draw your own line. Wesley and Donald, two friends of mine from Edmonton, were discussing Donald’s attempts to sell his house after the break-up of his marriage. Donald was talking about some people who’d said they’d buy and then went back on the deal they’d shaken on.
“White folks?” said Wesley. “Yeh, they was white,” replied Donald. “Can’t trust Whitey,” said Wesley. “Nope,” said Donald, “you sure can’t trust Whitey.”
This observation had a poignancy and surprising air of veracity about it as well as being amusing, given that Wesley and Donald are both white.
Generally speaking Whitey’s too dumb to know where the line is. He must tread carefully since it’s the only line on the whole map of the world that he didn’t draw.
The only line Imus crossed was apologising every minute for the last several days of his TV/Radio career and kneeling at Sharpton’s feet. At that point I knew Imus had to go.
(Do I NEEEEED a "sarcasn" tag here????)
Should I be offended by that racial slur? Maybe I will have a white version of Al Sharpton to tell me when I should or should not be offended, until then I will continue to ignore such comments.
This misses the point. In my experience, people wait for Whitey to take a step, then they draw the line behind Whitey and act shocked, "You crossed the line!"
By the rules of the game, knowledge of where the line is, or will be, is withheld from Whitey.
Exactly! He should have never caved in to the politically correct crowd. He should have said: “Yeah, I said it. It was a poor choice of words but I said it. Deal with it.”
He probably would have still been fired but he could have gone out with his dignity. Am I right or wrong?
All the groveling Imus did was fruitless as far as preventing the MSM enema he was given. If it were Rush or Savage they would simply have lashed back, especially at Sharpton. But Imus depends on MSM advertisers and that means he has to play by liberal, politically-correct rules. Now he is the one who is a hoe, and as far as I am concerned, he’s always been nappy-headed, in more ways than one.
Fire him!
Yes, he would have gone out with dignity and maybe even have followers. Instead he proclamed his words as “racist”. His statement could have easily been explained otherwise. He caved. And he caved very easily.
I accidentally ran into rap videos and videos by blacks on YouTube done 4 months ago and earlier with “Nappy-head” in the title of the video. That did not originate from Imus.
If he'd said "snigger", he'd be in even bigger trouble.
A Brit can’t use the word “guy” or his tongue will be cut out? First I heard of that rule. Fortunately, I’m not a Brit. (Thank you, George Washington.)
Yes, the one it hurts most is Edwards and Kerry. Imus was a big supporter.
Hopefully Jesse Peterson will replace Imus in that MSNBC timeslot
When I was a teen, afros were “cool.” Does this mean that what used to be “cool” is now called “nappy”?
Debatable... right down the line, debatable.
“Imus apologised, offered no excuses, was roundly vilified and endured the measured, disproportionate wrath of Al Sharpton when guesting on the black activist/pentecostal minister’s radio show”
Sharpton’s about as much a Pentecostal minister as I’m one of the Flying Wallendas !!!
Blah blah blah blah....... all this blahing can’t explain away shameful, disgusting and racing comments that Imus made.
What’s wrong with those girls? Are they not best of what society has to offer? In their most glorious moment, Imus hurled sickening insults. He didn’t know that people may get offended because he doesn’t have a ‘racism’ detector in his head (or it momentarily stopped working).
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