Some people have asked me where my Imus post is.....I guess I've been a little chicken to post anything at all. I guess for a number of reasons. I don't want to be seen as someone who supports ignorance. I don't want to be seen as someone who supports Al Sharpton or Jessie Jackson either. Most of all, no matter what i say, if the wrong person reads this, I don't want to be called a racist, and to any career, or life for that matter, that can be utterly detrimental. And before I talk about Imus....
I want to talk about the word racist. This has become such a powerful word; such a powerful accusation for that matter. Now, without getting into the origin of the word, or the fact that there are so many different beliefs of this word (for example whether or not you can actually be racist if you are of color), I want to talk about what this has become. This word not only calls out the people who are racist and holds them accountable for their beliefs and thoughts, but it also strikes fear into many. I mean, if you are against open boarders....RACIST! You hate other races! You sick motherf....r. You must not like the color brown as Carlos Mencia says (who also has some good insight to the topic aside from this). But what if your family came into the country legally and you are a first generation and think it's the way it should be done? All in all, I just feel that there's a paranoia, a witch hunt, a plethora of finger pointing just not to seem racist. Is this what happened to Imus? I don't know. I mean the shit he said was racist, but was he fired for a drop in ratings? A decrease in sponsorship? Were those sponsors worried about what he said? Were they worried that they would too be called a racist? I mean what he said was stupid and messed up, but did it really offend the people who decided to pull their ads? Or was it because they were afraid too and acted before the worst case scenario happened (when they would be told they supported racism....if that would have been the case). Don't we hear so many racist things about Arabs being said? But no one seems to take too much offense. Not because it's not horrible, but I just think people don't notice all of the time when they aren't worried about having the horrible words associated with them (or when they're comfortable with it).
More than anything, this is a game of politics. Of finger pointing, and of knee jerk reactions hollowed with out thought. So, did Imus deserve to be fired. I would say yes; If and only if the reaction of the sponsors to pull ads was based in logic, thoughtfulness, and based in research as to what their listeners would see fit and then acted on that information. If it was just out of fear not to be called a racist, then maybe they jumped the gun? What he said was wrong. Not because someone told me to think that, but because it was, but could his apology have been enough to let him change the show, learn from his thoughts and share that with others? Should every person of EVERY race lose their job if they say something wrong in a public arena? Or, maybe even someone like Howard Stern could say this and it wouldn't matter to the sponsors because he was making a lot more money than Imus. Tangential this this point, I have to ask: Should someone of Al Sharpton's character, intelligence and personality be looked at as the authority of what one particular race thinks and feels (on this point, fuck, I hope not)?
Personally, I don't like Imus' show. Never have, in fact, it pissed me off just to hear his voice most of the time, but I have to say that this whole situation smells of smoke.....smoke from the cartilage burning of the knees jerked too quickly in a scramble to pretend that "we're on the right side". I mean this didn't seem like a visceral reaction of horror on the side of "white" people to say this is something that shouldn't be said. It just seemed like a scape goat. To say "he's the racist! Not me. He's the problem, and I'll show you. I'll prove it. This man will no longer have a job. See, I'm not racist so I'm safe, right? We'll have him gone and our profit margins will go back up". If the profit wasn't effected, I think this wouldn't matter all in all. And, maybe I'm wrong about everything I wrote, but I feel that, at the end of the day, all of this from every side just hurt race relations. I have so much more to say about this, but I won't unless I get a comment. I mean this is difficult to convey clearly when it's 1:30 and I have a heafty buzz on. If I'm wrong, or there's something you want to add. please do. Peace.
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7 comments:
I have to somewhat agree with this statement: "...at the end of the day, all of this from every side just hurt race relations." - however, I think it's a little more complicated than right and wrong.
Take the race issue out of what Imus said for a minute, and it was still a derogatory comment. And he's said much worse (as Stern has) in the past without the racial slant to it, and that's been fine with sponsors, networks and listeners. That's where I have a problem. What's the message there? That it's fine to make derogatory comments about people as long as they're not of a different race than you. Shouldn't we take the focus off of the race issue and upgrade our thinking a bit? In this day and age, by this time, shouldn't we be thinking in terms of humanity instead of continually dividing ourselves by race?
Shouldn't we be looking at why it's become socially acceptable for a white person to call another white person a retarded asshole on a national broadcast, but not OK for a white person to call a black person nappy-headed? Doesn't that seem a little fucked up? Aren't we looking at the wrong thing here? Shouldn't we be discouraging all derogatory behavior, and not limiting it to when there are racial implications?
Think of how absurd it is to assume something about someone purely based on the color of their skin. That's why there is a concept of racism - because it's judgement with absolutely no grounding argument - it's absurd. But isn't it just as absurd to assume something of people of your own race? A judgement is a judgement, regardless. What makes them any different? The guy (of your same race or not) who bumps into you on the street - is he an asshole for that? No, he wasn't looking where he was going.
There is a problem with racism in this country, of course. But there's a higher-level issue of anger and hate, and that's something that's never addressed. I live in NYC - 8+ million people - there's a lot of hate in this city. I live in an all black and hispanic neighborhood, and I see racial anger and hate all the time. But it's not nearly as much as I do between white people. It's not nearly as much as I see from people who have nothing to be angry about, and who project their issues onto other people - as the standard way of behaving! It's not like it's an exception. It's an exception that it happens between races, but take away the race, and that behavior is constant.
Good post, but tell me, what the hell does visceral mean?
Interesting point pre. The last thought you mentioned about the behavior being constant is something to be looked at. I think in general this is true. There are always people who are hateful toward others just because they are retarded assholes. I don't think we as a species are inherently hateful though. I think it is more of an individual issue. Just like i think being racist is also common to individuals and not constant through all human kind. Just my quick opinion. But ultimately, your point of how people treat others is something I hadn't thought about at all with this issue. good point. Thanks for the brain cocktail.
Oh and visceral is that special feeling you get deep down in da wang.
Let me clarify that I don't think it's inherent to human being to be hateful either, not at all. It's a byproduct of this slice of our culture - although people are always responsible for their own personal way of being, regardless of that.
Ahhh. sorry if I misinterpreted that. word.
What most people don’t realize is that were all selfish assholes. I mean the whole politically correct thing has to do with self interest. None of us think about what we ought to do, we think about what we want and at what cost can we get it. I mean fuck the asshole that gets in our way; there will always be another asshole. Besides doesn’t it make it easier to blame someone else for my fuck ups? Why should I shoulder that responsibility when I can blame you?
With the whole Imus thing, who cares the bastard was ready to retire anyway. Wait six months and he’ll be on XM or Sirrus. My problem with the whole thing is that the basketball team in question met with him and forgave him. Why the hell should I apologize for anything if self interested assholes are really not going to take it to heart? Last I remember I thought this was the U.S. were you are supposed to get second chances. I guess it’s like my little bro implied is that you can only be forgiven if it isn’t going to cost someone else. I think if people just ignored stupid people when they say something and not feed into it, people would stop doing it. The solution is to take 5 seconds before you walk outside with your cock in your hand, or open your mouth.
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