NAPPY-HEADED HOS, AND HYPOCRITS

A veritable fire-storm has erupted around the tasteless comment made last week by radio talk show host Don Imus. For those of you who were vacationing on some other planet, Imus remarked during a championship, women’s basketball game on how tough the girls from Rutgers looked, referring to them as “nappy-headed hos.”

A flock of well known civil rights leaders, including Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, began circling overhead immediately, calling for his dismissal. Imus was suspended yesterday for two weeks by CBS radio and NBC television (his radio show is simulcast on MSNBC). Staples along with Proctor and Gamble have already pulled their ads; Bigelow Tea is thinking about it. The circling flock is not appeased.

Since I began writing, MSNBC has announced that it will end the simulcast permanently!

Today Show watchdog journalist (not) Matt Lauer spent two half-hour segments yesterday and two today debating the social impact of Imus’s comments, being sure to label them “racist and sexist” so as to be fair. Imus appeared yesterday, groveling at warp speed. The once large, now medium sized, Al Roker, Today’s weatherman, blew cold on Mr. Imus, using the show’s blog to demand that he be fired.

I'm afraid I agree, for a variety of reasons. I am convinced that Imus is neither a racist nor a sexist, but, despite his carefully crafted, good-ol’-boy appearance, he is an experienced broadcast veteran with thirty years on the air. He knew exactly where the line was and he crossed it anyway. If public people are not held responsible for their actions, private citizens will believe they’re not either.

The argument could be made – it has been made – that Imus’s comments were no worse than the stream of trash put forth publicly by rappers and hip-hop artists. In fact, when it comes to denigrating women, especially black women, they are, literally, the leaders of the band. Doesn’t matter! Imus is a pro, he knew better, and he must pay the price. The one good thing that may come out of this is a very public discussion of what kind of society we have and what kind we want. The airwaves are a public trust and a direct reflection of our values. Public discussion can only benefit us.

Finally, the whole event is darkened and confused by its entanglement with networks and sponsors. CBS radio and NBC television put the dogs on Imus not necessarily because they thought he was a racist, but because they wanted everyone to know they were not. It’s a tad hypocritical, but rating points can be worth billions of dollars; networks will support whoever can garner the most points and condemn the same person if they think those points are at risk.

Steve Capus, head of the NBC news division, came on the air to discuss Imus's firing. "All we have is our reputation," he explained. Right. If that were true, they'd have to fire their whole news division. They completely dropped the ball between 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq, dispensing White House press releases to the public, without investigation, as if they were news instead of propaganda.

Staples, Proctor and Gamble, and others may have pulled their ads, but not till they saw which way the wind was blowing. Looks to me like they care less about crossing the line than they do about the bottom line.

I tell ya, it’s hard out there for a pimp.

a foot on either side