Saturday, April 07, 2007

Don of the Dead

Don Imus has caused a recent controversy by saying this about the Rutgers University women's basketball team: "That's some nappy-headed ho’s there, I’m going to tell you that.”

An article in the Saturday edition of the New York Times writes about the fallout and Imus' on-air apology, but the article seems more annoyed with what it terms "modern media drama" surrounding the comments than the remarks themselves. Something is horribly wrong when the media laments the treatment of bigots rather than their nasty remarks.

In addition to a history of blatantly racist comments, Imus has a long history of fag-baiting on his radio show, and at one point in time the website TomPaine.com gathered these comments in an "Imus Watch" of sorts.

I just went to write this, "Imus isn't some proven nut job no one listens to, like Glen Beck--this is a guy that has politically and culturally important guests on his program. That's why this matters." But read that again... what's wrong with me? Why does this only matter if a "mainstream" media figure spews it?

Personalities all over the Right have been saying worse and more about women, homosexuals and immigrants for years and no one in the traditional media makes a stink. But these figures don't go away, and as Ann Coulter proves, they get braver with their invective, both in object and subject.

All bigoted comments, no matter who says them, enter our political and social discourse and they swirl into a foundation of poison that enables a figure like Don Imus to feel the freedom--and even necessity--to speak that way.

It reminds me of a new song written by Mary Chapin Carpenter about the ordeal endured by the Dixie Chicks. Carpenter writes in "On With the Song":

This isn't for the ones with their radio signal/Calling for bonfires and boycotts they rave/Exhorting their listeners to spit on the sinners/While counting the bucks of advertising they'll save

These media types are like the barking dog in the neighborhood--all the neighbors can't stand the damn barking but no one does anything to stop it.

An Easter Weekend Question for myself and for you:

What are we doing to stop these dogs?

1 comment:

Unknown said...

locking the door and cranking up the central air