Imus' Remarks vs. Rap Music Culture
COMMENTARY
Imus isn't the real bad guy
Instead of wasting time on irrelevant shock jock, black leaders need to be fighting a growing gangster culture.
By JASON WHITLOCK - Columnist
Kansas City Star
Thank you, Don Imus. You've given us (black people) an excuse to avoid our real problem.
You've given Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson another opportunity to pretend that the old fight, which is now the safe and lucrative fight, is still the most important fight in our push for true economic and social equality.
You've given Vivian Stringer and Rutgers the chance to hold a nationally televised recruiting celebration expertly disguised as a news conference to respond to your poor attempt at humor.
Thank you, Don Imus. You extended Black History Month to April, and we can once again wallow in victimhood, protest like it's 1965 and delude ourselves into believing that fixing your hatred is more necessary than eradicating our self-hatred.
The bigots win again.
While we're fixated on a bad joke cracked by an irrelevant, bad shock jock, I'm sure at least one of the marvelous young women on the Rutgers basketball team is somewhere snapping her fingers to the beat of 50 Cent's or Snoop Dogg's or Young Jeezy's latest ode glorifying nappy-headed pimps and hos.
I ain't saying Jesse, Al and Vivian are gold-diggas, but they don't have the heart to mount a legitimate campaign against the real black-folk killas.
It is us. At this time, we are our own worst enemies. We have allowed our youths to buy into a culture (hip hop) that has been perverted, corrupted and overtaken by prison culture. The music, attitude and behavior expressed in this culture is anti-black, anti-education, demeaning, self-destructive, pro-drug dealing and violent.
Rather than confront this heinous enemy from within, we sit back and wait for someone like Imus to have a slip of the tongue and make the mistake of repeating the things we say about ourselves.
It's embarrassing. Dave Chappelle was offered $50 million to make racially insensitive jokes about black and white people on TV. He was hailed as a genius. Black comedians routinely crack jokes about white and black people, and we all laugh out loud.
I'm no Don Imus apologist. He and his tiny companion Mike Lupica blasted me after I fell out with ESPN. Imus is a hack.
But, in my view, he didn't do anything outside the norm for shock jocks and comedians. He also offered an apology. That should've been the end of this whole affair. Instead, it's only the beginning. It's an opportunity for Stringer, Jackson and Sharpton to step on victim platforms and elevate themselves and their agenda$.
I watched the Rutgers news conference and was ashamed.
Martin Luther King Jr. spoke for eight minutes in 1963 at the March on Washington. At the time, black people could be lynched and denied fundamental rights with little thought. With the comments of a talk-show host most of her players had never heard of before last week serving as her excuse, Vivian Stringer rambled on for 30 minutes about the amazing season her team had.
Somehow, we're supposed to believe that the comments of a man with virtually no connection to the sports world ruined Rutgers' wonderful season. Had a broadcaster with credibility and a platform in the sports world uttered the words Imus did, I could understand a level of outrage.
But an hourlong press conference over a man who has already apologized, already been suspended and is already insignificant is just plain intellectually dishonest. This is opportunism. This is a distraction.
In the grand scheme, Don Imus is no threat to us in general and no threat to black women in particular. If his words are so powerful and so destructive and must be rebuked so forcefully, then what should we do about the idiot rappers on BET, MTV and every black-owned radio station in the country who use words much more powerful and much more destructive?
I don't listen or watch Imus' show regularly. Has he at any point glorified selling crack cocaine to black women? Has he celebrated black men shooting each other randomly? Has he suggested in any way that it's cool to be a baby-daddy rather than a husband and a parent? Does he tell his listeners that they're suckers for pursuing education and that they're selling out their race if they do?
When Imus does any of that, call me and I'll get upset. Until then, he is what he is - a washed-up shock jock who is very easy to ignore when you're not looking to be made a victim.
No. We all know where the real battleground is. We know that the gangsta rappers and their followers in the athletic world have far bigger platforms to negatively define us than some old white man with a bad radio show. There's no money and lots of danger in that battle, so Jesse and Al are going to sit it out.
To reach Jason Whitlock, call (816) 234-4869 or send e-mail to jwhitlock@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com
Imus isn't the real bad guy
Instead of wasting time on irrelevant shock jock, black leaders need to be fighting a growing gangster culture.
By JASON WHITLOCK - Columnist
Kansas City Star
Thank you, Don Imus. You've given us (black people) an excuse to avoid our real problem.
You've given Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson another opportunity to pretend that the old fight, which is now the safe and lucrative fight, is still the most important fight in our push for true economic and social equality.
You've given Vivian Stringer and Rutgers the chance to hold a nationally televised recruiting celebration expertly disguised as a news conference to respond to your poor attempt at humor.
Thank you, Don Imus. You extended Black History Month to April, and we can once again wallow in victimhood, protest like it's 1965 and delude ourselves into believing that fixing your hatred is more necessary than eradicating our self-hatred.
The bigots win again.
While we're fixated on a bad joke cracked by an irrelevant, bad shock jock, I'm sure at least one of the marvelous young women on the Rutgers basketball team is somewhere snapping her fingers to the beat of 50 Cent's or Snoop Dogg's or Young Jeezy's latest ode glorifying nappy-headed pimps and hos.
I ain't saying Jesse, Al and Vivian are gold-diggas, but they don't have the heart to mount a legitimate campaign against the real black-folk killas.
It is us. At this time, we are our own worst enemies. We have allowed our youths to buy into a culture (hip hop) that has been perverted, corrupted and overtaken by prison culture. The music, attitude and behavior expressed in this culture is anti-black, anti-education, demeaning, self-destructive, pro-drug dealing and violent.
Rather than confront this heinous enemy from within, we sit back and wait for someone like Imus to have a slip of the tongue and make the mistake of repeating the things we say about ourselves.
It's embarrassing. Dave Chappelle was offered $50 million to make racially insensitive jokes about black and white people on TV. He was hailed as a genius. Black comedians routinely crack jokes about white and black people, and we all laugh out loud.
I'm no Don Imus apologist. He and his tiny companion Mike Lupica blasted me after I fell out with ESPN. Imus is a hack.
But, in my view, he didn't do anything outside the norm for shock jocks and comedians. He also offered an apology. That should've been the end of this whole affair. Instead, it's only the beginning. It's an opportunity for Stringer, Jackson and Sharpton to step on victim platforms and elevate themselves and their agenda$.
I watched the Rutgers news conference and was ashamed.
Martin Luther King Jr. spoke for eight minutes in 1963 at the March on Washington. At the time, black people could be lynched and denied fundamental rights with little thought. With the comments of a talk-show host most of her players had never heard of before last week serving as her excuse, Vivian Stringer rambled on for 30 minutes about the amazing season her team had.
Somehow, we're supposed to believe that the comments of a man with virtually no connection to the sports world ruined Rutgers' wonderful season. Had a broadcaster with credibility and a platform in the sports world uttered the words Imus did, I could understand a level of outrage.
But an hourlong press conference over a man who has already apologized, already been suspended and is already insignificant is just plain intellectually dishonest. This is opportunism. This is a distraction.
In the grand scheme, Don Imus is no threat to us in general and no threat to black women in particular. If his words are so powerful and so destructive and must be rebuked so forcefully, then what should we do about the idiot rappers on BET, MTV and every black-owned radio station in the country who use words much more powerful and much more destructive?
I don't listen or watch Imus' show regularly. Has he at any point glorified selling crack cocaine to black women? Has he celebrated black men shooting each other randomly? Has he suggested in any way that it's cool to be a baby-daddy rather than a husband and a parent? Does he tell his listeners that they're suckers for pursuing education and that they're selling out their race if they do?
When Imus does any of that, call me and I'll get upset. Until then, he is what he is - a washed-up shock jock who is very easy to ignore when you're not looking to be made a victim.
No. We all know where the real battleground is. We know that the gangsta rappers and their followers in the athletic world have far bigger platforms to negatively define us than some old white man with a bad radio show. There's no money and lots of danger in that battle, so Jesse and Al are going to sit it out.
To reach Jason Whitlock, call (816) 234-4869 or send e-mail to jwhitlock@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com
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What he said!!![^] 0 -
Great job. Michelle Malkin said it shorter and sweeter on Wednesday. 0 -
Perhaps April 16th should be;
"Talk Like a Rapper Day"
We can all pledge to use rap lingo, idium, street talk, Ebonics, or any other culturally driven method of communicating. Go up to the nearest Black guy, (preferably Al Sharpton), and say, "Yo Bro, how yo Ho? Yo Bee-itch look down Mofo!"
By doing this over and over again, with as many diverse races as possible, we can all gain a fine understanding of each others culture and diversity, and grow closer as a community.
Who's with me...let's start a movement and change the world together.
I'm tearing up just thinking about world peace and harmony.0 -
Rap Music Culture is a Media Illusion[}:)] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by ripley16
Perhaps April 16th should be;
"Talk Like a Rapper Day"
We can all pledge to use rap lingo, idium, street talk, Ebonics, or any other culturally driven method of communicating. Go up to the nearest Black guy, (preferably Al Sharpton), and say, "Yo Bro, how yo Ho? Yo Bee-itch look down Mofo!"
By doing this over and over again, with as many diverse races as possible, we can all gain a fine understanding of each others culture and diversity, and grow closer as a community.
Who's with me...let's start a movement and change the world together.
I'm tearing up just thinking about world peace and harmony.
Well said:
I do occasional contract investigations for insurance companies to supplement my retirement. My work takes me to the 'hood and black dominate housing projects. I recently asked a young man for directions/information- with no results. He walked back to the curb where a fellow 'bro asked "what the mo f---in' cracker want?"
With my window down I could hear rap music blaring from cars and homes, the likes of profanity and referrences to black women as hoes and gripees that would make your hair stand on end.
The black community needs to wake up. They haven't been slaves for over 150 years now. Billions have been spent to "level the playing field" but only resulted in creating a race the largely believes they are "entitled." The Hispanic illegials are here because the bros won't work.
I worked myself up to success doing whatever job I could find, I waited tables, I pumped gas, I went to night school, I paid off college loans- nobody gave me a damn thing. I'm no genius and could never be a rocket scientist but I've never been afraid of work.
If the blacks (they are NOT African Americans, we are ALL Americans) want respect they need to clean up around their back door, get off of their butts and EARN respect.
God Bless America and our troops who fight for my right to freedom!0 -
Snoop Dogg said Don Imus was not allowed to use such language because he did'nt have any "street credibility".[xx(] 0 -
This incident once again exposes the American Negroes as the blatant racists most of them are. Everyone knows they are free to, and do, use any offensive terms/remarks in public/media when referring to Whites. All they accomplish here is to further reinforce the Whites opinion that they are thin skinned, one way, opportunistic racists. The ones they hurt worst, as usual, are themselves. 0 -
That's the beauty of the thing, too, Dak. Today's media like Fox News and conservative radio talk shows, to include, the internet keeps them on the skyline like sitting ducks! It just CAN NOT get any better than that! [8D] Praise the Lord, and pass the ______ . 0 -
quote:Originally posted by kimi
That's the beauty of the thing, too, Dak. Today's media like Fox News and conservative radio talk shows, to include, the internet keeps them on the skyline like sitting ducks! It just CAN NOT get any better than that! [8D] Praise the Lord, and pass the ______ .
Yogurt?
Is that the correct answer?0 -
[8D] Hello dlrjj! How the heck are you today? 0 -
quote:quote:Originally posted by GeoMan42
Snoop Dogg said Don Imus was not allowed to use such language because he did'nt have any "street credibility".[xx(]
Yes, but he said it poolside at the Hilton, while getting a pedicure and sipping a drink with a little umbrella in it and seated next to his stock broker. Wonder if Lee Iacocca has "street cred"?0 -
Don't forget that rich white men profit from the music companies and white kids buy a lot of this crap with their parents' money. There's plenty of blame and responsibility to spread around. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by kimi
[8D] Hello dlrjj! How the heck are you today?
Not bad for a Friday. I just bought a new soil finisher for the fields, so a few more pennies moved out the door. Oh well.[:)]0 -
And then TODAY he published this one:
Posted on Sun, Apr. 15, 2007
Imus `fight' is over money, fame
JASON WHITLOCK
The Kansas City Star
When I criticized his and Jesse Jackson's irresponsible and divisive methods of seeking social justice Friday morning, Al Sharpton dismissed the attack by questioning my credibility to lodge a complaint.
"There are always guys that are not in the ring who want to call the fight," Sharpton said. "You know that going in the ring; you're going to have critics . You can't satisfy people who are not in the ring."
It's a clever response. It ignores the obvious.
Jesse and Al don't want anyone else in the ring. They've turned the fight for racial equality into a money and fame pit, a place to wrestle for camera time, "consulting" jobs and handshake deals that would make NCAA investigators blush in astonishment.
If people with a modicum of integrity were allowed in the ring and, more importantly, allowed to choose the opponents and the length of the battle, the money would run dry and Jesse and Al would be forced to look for real work.
Fighting bums is easy. Just look at what Jesse and Al James did to Don Imus, a washed-up, recovering drug addict. They knocked out Imus in a couple of rounds.
But at what cost, and what was the real purpose?
The young women on the Rutgers basketball team are now targets, the recipients of death threats and harassment, according to East Coast media reports.
I have no problem with young people engaging in battle and suffering severe consequences for a righteous cause. We need more of that. The people who really provided the energy for the civil rights movement were in college.
But getting in harm's way over the ignorant utterances of a shock jock? Getting in harm's way so a coach could have her moment to tell the world about the troubles she's known? Getting in harm's way so Al and Jesse James can flex their muscle by beating up another tomato can?
No way. It was irresponsible, self-indulgent and typical of the kind of domestic terrorism Sharpton and Jackson have come to specialize in.
Again, I am not defending Don Imus. I shed no tears over his comeuppance.
I simply question the motives of the people who pushed the hardest and shouted the loudest for Imus' demise. Those people are now covering themselves with the fig leaf that they have a genuine interest in stopping the anti-black, women-objectifying language in rap music.
According to Sharpton, he's been working on this issue for a number of years.
He's clever. Fortunately, we're not stupid. We just watched Jesse and Al sink their teeth in Imus' rear end and not remove them until MSNBC and CBS put knives in Imus.
That tenacity and enthusiasm have been completely missing from their fight to clean up hip hop. Whether we like him or not, Minister Louis Farrakhan is the only leader with a consistent position on that issue. What we get from Jesse and Al are half-hearted public relations ploys, fights that end well before any blood is drawn. It's a game, a game Jesse and Al have mastered.
You can create the appearance of putting up a fight, and that ensures no one else will enter the ring.
As an example, talk with black race-car drivers about their feelings about NASCAR's dealings with Jesse Jackson. I have. Their belief is, if you sponsor the right and enough Rainbow Coalition events, you can avoid Jesse ever bringing his circus and negative spotlight to your organization.
You follow me?
The ring Jesse and Al are boxing in is just as corrupt as the one where Mike Tyson sparred.
In a one-year time span, under the guise of fighting for our equality, Jesse and Al contributed to putting Duke lacrosse players and Rutgers basketball players in harm's way.
For what? Was Don Imus hiding weapons of mass destruction? Were the lacrosse players an international threat to escorts? Or maybe the truth just doesn't matter to Jesse and Al when it comes to furthering their agenda.
Whatever integrity Jesse and Al say our president lacks, you have to wonder if they don't have the exact same deficiency.
If there's a fight to push Jesse and Al out of the ring, you can sign me up. They're an embarrassment. They disgrace the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., a great man whose efforts caused division so that we could one day come together.
Jesse and Al cause division for profit, and demand from others the very things they're unwilling to do - judge people on the content of their character and follow the truth wherever it leads, regardless of color.
Truth is on the side of the righteous. Jesse and Al operate as though they don't believe in our righteousness. They are far more dangerous than Don Imus.0 -
As a side note I tend to concur with IMUS. he may have used street terms to describe the problem and if that is rasist or simply stateing the facts I will let you be the judge. I wonder what degree these tattooed women are pursuing?
I watch football, basketball and see what I would call gangsters who barely form coherant thoughts start fights with fans, party like rock stars have gang tatoos and carry guns among their ontourage.
gang bangers who slap or choke their coaches are celebrated, honored, paid 50 million over 5 years. I think the thug factor is part of the hype. The next big thing that turns sport into specticle. it is not shcking enough in this day and age to simply be a black man competeing in a white mans game... that is passe' (may have reversed) now an NBA game resembles a turf war with rival gangs.
What happened to real sports heros like jackie robinson, cassius clay-sugar ray leonard, Jim Brown or Walter peyton, Tiger woods, arthur ashe, Bill russle, wilt chamberlain or lou al cinder, willie mays and Hank AAron these guys opened the door to all blacks who wanted to compete in national sports. They played the game, behaved like gentleman and were a positive inspiration to the youth of america, white or black.0 -
Lets get this straight.
Rap is not music. And if anyone disagrees I can prove it.
Hum or whistle your favourite rap 'tune'[;)]0 -
quote:Originally posted by NeilTheBrit
Lets get this straight.
Rap is not music. And if anyone disagrees I can prove it.
Hum or whistle your favourite rap 'tune'[;)]
I have stated and used that exact test for years, and it is still correct.0 -
Do you suppose the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy, gives a flying fig if you can whistle? 0
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