The hypocrisy of the Don Imus debacle

Hello everyone, it has been quite some time. I know its several months into the year and since I didn’t get to wish everyone a happy new year … well … Happy New Years. Better late than never, right?

I’ve been watching the Don Imus story for some time and I must say that I’m infuriated but not for what you might be thinking. If you’ve read my blog, you’ll soon figure out where I’m going on this one.

I’ll say this just to get this out of the way, I think he used bad judgment especially in this hypersensitive political correct climate in referring to the Rutger women basketball team as “nappy-headed hos”. It was uncalled for, and it was just bad taste. Got that out of the way. I’ve never been a fan of Don Imus. I’m more of an Opie and Anthony guy.

What I don’t get is his need to grovel before Al Sharpton as if this dude is like the pope of the black community. I’ve said this many times and I’ll say this again, Al Sharpton is nothing more than racial profiteering charlatan who likes to make a big show of “doing something” when in fact he is not doing much. The worst thing Mr. Imus did was showing up on his poor excuse of a radio show. That’s sort of like showing up on the enemy’s turf where all the advantage is stacked in their favor. Noticed how he was pouncing on Imus’ every word. Bad move, Don.

Enough of the tap dancing.

My laughter at the sheer hypocrisy of this situation reached critical level when they were interviewing one of the girls and she said that this “traumatized her for life”. Oh really, sweatheart. I’m always amazed at how folks like Sharpton are willing to point at the bonfires on other people lawns whilst ignoring his house that is engulfed in a fiery inferno. Apparently, the black community only matters to Sharpton when something “newsworthy” happens. Like racial stuff. When everything is in-house, it is business as usual and the silence is deafening. When there is a hint of racial nastiness … guess who’s there leading the battlecry. What a half-assed civil rights activist. Yes, Don Imus said the words “nappy-head hos” and it is a defcon 5 situation. More than 50% of the nation’s top rap songs use the n-word, and derogatory references to women … so where is the outrage in the streets. Where is the protesting of record labels that sell this bile. The R. Kelly episode that involved him violating two young black women is no longer heard of, yet there he is teaming up with Snoop Dog singing one the top hip-hop anthems in the land. Where is the outrage? And as much as I sympathize with these Rutger women, I have to be blunt. It is PC to play victim and say some old, washed-up, wannabe, white shock jock has “traumatized you for life”. I hope when you plug your iPod in your ears the stuff streaming out of it had better be some Mozart, Tchaikosky or Stravinsky. Or maybe Shania Twain, or Hilary Duff. If you’re bopping your head to top 40 hip-hop crap, then I have some bad news for you: the person that’s traumatizing you for life ain’t some washed up shock jock. And the bad news is you not only bought it, enabling the person’s lifestyle, but you’ve been marinating yourself in your in degradation. Sorry.

This is the common trend in today’s black community: our neighborhoods are socially burning down around us as we pretend all is well and feel just fine in playing racial politics. No one wants to talk about the daily bouts of black-on-black violence and degradation that parades itself through neighborhoods, schoolyards and radio waves. No, that is “airing our bad laundry”. Hate to break the news, but the laundry is stinking to high hell and every is noticing without us saying anything. Our so-called leaders have done little but lead. They created nothing more than havens of dysfunction in the black community whilst making a profit off of the very folks they claim to stand up for.

Hate to break the news to you, Mr. Sharpton, but black kids are more influenced by rappers than Don Imus. When are you going to lead a charge against them? These “artists” have injected the very bouts of degradation and ridicule into the black community that has made it possible for folks like Imus, and Richards to think it’s okay to use this sort of language. Still think that N-word is a term of endearment? I suspect that Mr. Sharpton does not shit where he eats. And if you get what I’m saying then yes, I did go there. Feel free to protest me, and demand my job. Oh wait, you can’t because I work with national security and the government needs far outweighs your shitty politics.

(P.S. If Imus gets fired, then maybe there should be something done about rappers and their poor excuse for music. But since that ain’t gonna happen anytime soon. I say a couple weeks suspension is more than adequate. Yes, I a BLACK man, said it.)

Tags: Don Imus, Al Sharpton, television, entertainment, racism, life, people