Basketball Team Names Funny
Words to Ponder
Don Imus definitely crossed the line when he called the girls from the Rutgers’ basketball team “nappy-headed hoes”. He is not the first public figure to have done that and in my opinion will not be the last. The question arises why was he the one the media and the “political correctness police” jumped on so vehemently? Could it be because it is getting out of hand and something needed to be done? Was Don Imus “the straw that broke the camel’s back”? He was wrong to make those remarks but did he really have to be fired?
Maybe the firing of Don Imus was just the beginning of the big clean-up that is necessary. Nowadays, it seems like any group or person is fair game to be made fun of or ridiculed. Almost every time I turn on the TV or radio some remarks about one group or person are made. TV shows make light of subjects that were a taboo ten to fifteen years ago. “Will and Grace” for example, helped open up the homosexual scene. “South Park” takes shots at almost anybody, and the list continues on. In music, the Gangsta (gangster) rap culture uses extremely demeaning language when referring to women, black and white. I believe that, thanks to this sort of shows and music, the younger generation has become desensitized to this kind of talk. When I first heard of the Imus remarks, my reaction was: “Oh my, I cannot believe he said that!” However, I did not give it a second thought. At least until I heard he was fired over his comment. So, in all fairness, I have to say that I am desensitized as well.
We live in a time of “political correctness”. The general consensus is to not offend anybody. Well, let us be real here. Is it possible to go through life and not ever offend anybody? In my opinion, that is a wonderful unrealistic dream. I, for one, say and do a lot of controversial things almost every day. Many times it is just to provoke a reaction, but many times it happens subconsciously and as soon as it comes out loud, I wish I would have engaged my brain first. In her editorial, “Niceties Eluded Imus but He wasn’t the First”, Ann Coulter gives a suggestion: “English speakers in America need a rule book to tell us what people can say what words when, and under which set of circumstances” (17). Theoretically, that would be a wonderful tool to have. However, because of how fast things change and how diverse we all are, a “rule book” would never work. After all, things that are being said and done are a matter of perception by each individual. What might offend me, my not offend the person standing next to me. It is also my choice, as a consumer and human being, to choose not to listen to a certain type of music or not to watch certain shows due to their content. Gangsta rap music, for one, I find very offensive and appalling. The beat of rap music is actually not bad but the poor choice of words outrage me.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson in his opinion essay “Imus and is Ilk Feed off Table Trash Rap Set” wrote: “Just a light sampling of how gangster rappers, some black filmmakers, and comedians routinely reduce young black women to ‘stuff,’ ‘bitches’ and hoes.’ Their contempt reinforces the slut image of black women and sends the message that violence, mistreatment and verbal abuse of black women are socially acceptable” (15). Nobody asks for those rappers to be fired. On the contrary, their records are selling by the millions. So, the message they are sending out to mainstream America is that it is all right to use that kind of language. Why do the black leaders not speak out against their own people, but are very quick to condemn and ridicule white folks? Hutchinson believes that “the reason is that blacks fear that if they publicly criticize other blacks for their racial attitudes, such disagreements will be gleefully twisted, mangled and distorted into a fresh round of black-bashing by whites” (15). I have to agree with Hutchinson that this is a bogus reason for not speaking out. “Such failure fuels the suspicion that blacks, and especially black leaders, are more than willing to play the race card, and call white people bigots, when it serves their interests, but will circle the wagons and defend any black who comes under fire for bigotry – or anything else for that matter” (15). It should not make a difference who makes those kinds of demeaning remarks.
In his article “Hey, That’s (Not) Funny”, Randy Kennedy points out that it is all about expectations (3). Celebrities have certain images and people expect them to act within that image. Once they act or say something that does not fit that mold, people take notice. In my opinion, comedians and reporters take cheap shots at celebrities on a regular basis. Somehow, that seems to be all right. An English professor told Kennedy that this “kind of humor works pretty well from below, when you are blasting people who are powerful and rich and who can’t be hurt much” (4). Clarence Page writes in his column, “Don Imus’ Trail of Woe” that “the rich and famous, such as Paris Hilton or Whitney Houston, might be fair game, but why pick on a group of college women basketball players?” (2). Does that mean because they (the celebrities) are always in the public eye, they do not have feelings? They are people just like the girls from the Rutgers basketball team. There should be no difference, but apparently there is.
Don Imus apologized to the team, but was still fired. Other celebrities, like Mel Gibson, have made sexual, racist and religious remarks. All they had to do is apologize, maybe enter a rehabilitation program and all was forgiven. Is there really that much of a difference? As far as I am concerned there is not. They are all equally wrong in my book. One would hope that common sense would kick in at one point, but as Ralph Waldo Emerson put it: “Common sense is genius dressed in its working clothes.” I guess as far as common sense is concerned, either you have it, or you don’t. In Imus’ defense, I did watch the broadcast which landed him in such deep water. I must say, I think he was caught up in the moment. This has happened to all of us at one point or another. We get together with a buddy, in Imus’ case Sid Rosenberg (an extremely controversial person), one of us says something stupid and the other fires something back that is just as dumb. Watching the broadcast, that is exactly what happened. Imus made some non offensive observations about the tattoos of some of the Rutgers’ girls and how rough looking they are. Rosenberg threw out an extremely offensive remark in regards of the girls and only after this comment Imus slipped up. I respect Imus for taking full blame and responsibility for his actions (Rich 1). We all lack common sense every now and then.
Since Imus was fired over his remarks, who else will get fired? All the comedians who make fun of minorities, people with different lifestyles, etc.? Would that not be the end of comedy? Will they stop there or will they also fire all those rappers who use demeaning language in their songs making thousands of dollars? Al Sharpton and others like him said that they will not stop with the firing of Don Imus. It will be very interesting to see how far they are willing to go against their own people. Something needs to happen to clean up the air-waves and it has to be something drastic. Imus should not have been fired over his remarks but I guess in order for things to change, it had to start somewhere.
Bibliography
Coulter, Ann. ”Niceties Eluded Imus, but He wasn’t the First.” Stars and Stripes 17Apr. 2007, 17.
Hutchinson, Earl Ofari. ”Imus and his Ilk Feed off Table Trash Rap Set.” Stars andStripes 17 Apr. 2007, 15.Kennedy, Randy. “Hey, That’s (Not) Funny”. New York Times 15 Apr. 2007. 16 Apr.2007 .
Page, Clarence. “Don Imus’ Trail of Woe.” Chicago Tribune 11 Apr. 2007. 16 Apr.2007
Rich, Frank. “Everybody Hates Don Imus.” NewYork Times 15 Apr. 2007. 16 Apr.2007
About the Author
As the mother of two awesome teenage sons and the wife of one of the best soldiers in the U.S. Army, my life had to endure many challenges. Growing up in a physically and mantally abusive home was just the beginning… In 2004 I underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost 180 lbs along with the emotional baggage that had accumulated. My positive attitude and the ability to look at situations from different perspectives has helped me make it through it all. Not only did I “make” it through, but I am still smiling and standing strong. Through my years as a military spouse, I have had the priviledge to talk to, inspire, and empower so many people. It just continues on and I am happy to be able to share and help empower people through positive thinking to see different perspectives.
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