My Pittsburgher bowl cut sister from another mother posted this breath of fresh, fiery air regarding the Don Imus teapot tempest that I have to pass it along. It is a column by Kansas City Star writer Jason Whitlock, and this provides a nice summary of his rant:
“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.”
Thanks for pointing out the article – I was more upset than I should have been about this yesterday, and this was one of my main points (although not nearly as eloquently stated.)
So correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems the new rule is: If you are white and in the public eye, you’d better not say anything that might offend black people. However, feel free to offend other minorities such as gays (see Grey’s anatomy furor and Ann Coulter’s John Edwards statement), asians (see Rosie O’Donnell), and Middle Easterners (see network television, every shock jock in the country, etc.) If you are a minority, you’re probably safe offending pretty much anyone (see Dave Chappelle, Carlos Mencia, etc.)
And don’t get me wrong – considering the history of blacks in this country, maybe the new rule is justified. I just think it would be much more fair if someone defined it so that everyone knew what they can and can’t say. Maybe someone can get the self-appointed spokespersons for all black people, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, on this…