The Plainsman Press - South Plains College

by Jerry Thomas, staff writer

In the wake of the 2007 Women’s National Championship game between the University of Tennessee and Rutgers University, a popular, nationally-syndicated radio talk show host decided to comment on more than just the Rutgers’s team’s performance, but on the appearance of players as well.

That talk show host was Don Imus, and his comments came after the Scarlet Knights lost to the Lady Volunteers of Tennessee, 59-46. He joked about their loss, and he insisted on calling the team “a bunch of nappy-headed hos.” His outrageous, extremely insulting and racists comments caused a public outcry for action that his bosses, CBS and MSNBC, reprimand or fire the host of the profitable talk show.

One of those who voiced displeasure with the remarks publicly was civil rights leader Al Sharpton. Now, I can honestly say that I am not too happy with seeing the Rev. Sharpton on television after every dishonorable and vicious act against African Americans. I never made him the spokesperson for people with color. As a matter of fact, he might even be guilty of being racist himself. But in all actuality, that is not the point. Neither is the idea that the media has been trying to explore that there is a double standard with a middle-aged white man being criticized for saying the same things that rappers say in their lyrics all of the time.

I object greatly to that notion for several reasons. The first is the fact that we are dealing with two different forms of communication, one that is purely entertainment and one that is closer to a type of national news outlet. Imus is a radio talk show host, and rappers are solely entertainers. His show is a form of education and opinion more so than a rap album by Ludacris.

As far as I can recall, I don’t remember California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger making any of the violent films that he became famous for during the past four years since he has been in office. The reason I believe he has not is because of the position he finds himself in now in his life as a public speaker. I am sure that our country looks up to and respects a governor more than a hip-hop recording artist.

Some have stated that his show is considered comedy, which would make it entertainment. I argue that if his show is so comical, why is it broadcasted in the morning for millions to listen too? Most comedy programs that deal with grown-up situations are broadcasted during primetime hours. You don’t wake up in the morning listening to Dave Chappelle, so why Imus? I believe the answer is clear that his show is not just comedy.

Imus is probably viewed in a similar fashion as a public speaker because of the many societal things that he talks about on his radio show. He doesn’t just paint a picture of “hood life” but more of American life. He doesn’t just joke about how much money he and his co-workers make, but more so how much the whole country is making or spending. He is a national voice, not just a voice for inner-city youth as most rappers are.The second reason why I object to the double standard theory is the fact that rappers are only entertainers, first and foremost. Therefore, I don’t believe it is reasonable to link the two. As I stated before, Imus is a radio host, not a musician or an actor. He is held to whatever he says on air as his beliefs and opinions. Any rapper can exaggerate in lyrics about whatever he or she wants because it is entertainment.

Does Al Pacino really snort cocaine and speak with a Cuban accent? The answer is no, but he played a character who does. Does Jack Nicholson really refer to members of the African American race as “niggers or darkies”? I don’t think so, but he played a character who does. Why? Because these characters exist in our world.

So whenever rappers refer to a female as a “ho,” they are identifying, in their opinion, an actual phrase used by actual people to represent a certain type of female. It’s harsh, but those derogatory remarks are made to females who, in a certain person’s eyes, deserve to be called those things. Sometimes it can be explained simply as a term of endearment. But really it is merely entertainment.

Some of those rappers have daughters and wives who I’m sure they don’t call those names. In efforts to appeal to a fan base, an artist might say certain things that that fan base is attracted to. Some people find it appealing to hear about things that they are familiar with, thus resulting in the purchasing of an album.

In Imus’s case, what did these ideal student athletes at Rutgers University do to deserve being called “hos?” I guess his answer to that is the team losing a championship game. The real answer is nothing at all. These are not women who carry themselves in a self-disrespecting manner. They are female student athletes who came very close to winning an NCAA championship. They should be celebrated, not disrespected.

My final reason for objecting to the double standard notion is the fact that there is a choice to purchase a movie with nudity, just as there is to purchase a rap album with explicit lyrics. In other words, you get what you buy when you purchase a rap album with the small warning on the cover of the CD for bad language or anything else that can be inappropriate.

When listeners of the Don Imus show tune in in the morning to listen to the host, they don’t expect to hear anything derogatory to females of any particular race. They expect to hear good-natured humor and opinion without offending anyone’s gender or race. If this was not the case, then maybe we would see his show on Comedy Central instead of MSNBC.

In retrospect, Mr. Imus is suffering severely for his comments that have sparked public outrage and the original two-week suspension for the host. MSNBC, which simulcasts the show on their television network, decided to pull the plug on the cable broadcast of the show. It added to the mounting pressure on CBS to fire Imus completely, which they did exactly one day after the MSNBC decision.

The consequences for the elderly-looking show host must not allow us to forget the actual victims of this whole situation. We must not keep allowing it to be acceptable to offend African Americans in the media mainstream. I truly believe that if his remarks were aimed at gay people there would have been swifter and more severe consequences for Imus. The initial two-week suspension seemed like a slap in the face to me personally and to the Rutgers team for the simple fact that he tried to defend the comments as nothing more than a mistake from a man who was trying to be funny and not racist. I do not believe him, because he has a history of making certain uneasy comments about people of color.

I am pleased by the decision of CBS to fire him, but I am not pleased in the manner, or how or why they came to this decision as late as they did. I feel like it was more about profits and their image than about the pain that he has caused the players on the Rutgers basketball team.

I am tired of people saying despicable and immensely offensive things and then justifying their defense as not being a racist, a bigot, or sexist. If you say something racist, you are a racist in my eyes. If you say something sexist, then you are a sexist in my eyes. America’s idea of a modern-day bigot should not be a person dressed in a white sheet and a hood, but the person in a business suit standing next to you on the elevator.

We all have different responsibilities. Therefore, there is no double standard. I wouldn’t make the 6 p.m. news for calling a homosexual person a “faggot,” but Tim Hardaway would. I wouldn’t get fired from my job for calling someone I saw on television a “ho,” but, as we can see, Imus most definitely did.

A different responsibility to different audiences does not equal a double standard. America should really stop trying to justify every abominable act someone does and focus more on the consequences and why we allow it as frequently as we do. Rap music seems to become more and more trash, but that goes along with everything else on television.

Why is rap music constantly the scapegoat? Was Cho Seung Hui listening to Young Joc when he committed the despicable acts of violence at Virginia Tech? No, but I haven’t seen anyone in the media criticize the type of music he did listen to, which was heavy metal or rock and roll. If it was hip-hop, we would have a whole different discussion. Until then, learn from society’s ills. Don’t look for something or someone to blame, but something to learn. Our country is messed up, and until we realize that sad fact then the circle of senseless blame will continue.