Enabling Imus

By Richard Muhammad

Commentary

MSNBC and CBS Radio have seen the light and suspended talk show host Don Imus for a whole two weeks. Time to pack the protest signs and go home? Not exactly. While the venom-spewing old cowpoke may be unseen for a bit, the new question is what to do with the apologists for Imus insults aimed at Black women and media peeps who contend he really isn’t such a bad guy.

Like a troubled wife living with a nasty drunk, and sharing a raggedy filthy couch, some white journalist-types just can’t seem to kick the Imus habit, or get a healthy divorce. They have stepped forward to vouch for his character and need to embrace this "teachable moment." Led by Tom Oliphant of the Boston Globe, they see redemption deep in the soul of the man who called Rutgers basketball players a bunch of "nappy headed hos."

Seems like whenever a Black person allegedly does wrong, the lesson to be taught is accountability, responsibility and facing the consequences of one’s actions. Just ask teenager Shaquanda Cotton, who was recently released from a Texas facility where she was sentenced to seven years for allegedly pushing a white teacher’s aide.

Or ask actor Isaiah Washington if white gays saw a teachable moment when he made the mistake of using the f-word to say he didn’t call a fellow white cast mate a homosexual. There weren’t a lot of discussions about him teaching anyone anything, expect to avoid angering what one African American gay rights activist called "the gay mafia."

Some media folks feel Imus’ "nappy headed hos" slur regarding play during the NCAA tournament presents America with an opportunity.

But when Michael Ray Richardson, coach of the Albany Patroons, of the Continental Basketball Association, talked about hiring "big time Jewish lawyers" to handle his contract negotiations last month, it wasn’t a teachable moment. Richardson was quickly suspended pending an investigation by the playoff-bound team. He won’t be back this season.

Richardson reportedly said in a late March interview with the Albany, N.Y.-based Times-Union, "Listen, (Jews) are hated all over the world, so they've got to be crafty … They got a lot of power in this world, you know what I mean? Which I think is great. I don't think there's nothing wrong with it. If you look in most professional sports, they're run by Jewish people. If you look at a lot of most successful corporations and stuff, more businesses, they're run by Jewish. It's not a knock, but they are some crafty people."

Richardson is also accused of using the word "faggot" in an attempt to quiet a heckler during a game the same day. Within a couple days, he was suspended for the rest of the championship series and not allowed in the team facility. Richardson apologized a couple days later. Unlike Imus, he made no attempt to downplay the pain caused by his words, or cite previous good works that make him worthy of a pass.

I wonder if those comments have the same "lack of animus" Oliphant saw in Imus and put forward in a defense mounted April 9 during a PBS NewsHour broadcast segment with writer Clarence Page, and in his column the same day.

Newsweek editor Howard Fineman went on Imus’ show April 9, appearing before Oliphant. "Just before I came on the show, I was coming upstairs and my cell phone rang, and it was some listener who called me out of the blue. I'd never heard of the guy before. I'd never heard his name. He called me and he said, ‘Are you going to go on the show and finally confront this Imus guy? Are you going to quit enabling him?’ " said Fineman.

"And, you know, I thought about that, and I said to the guy, ‘You know, I'll puzzle that through on the radio.’ And I would like to continue to enable you to do a lot of the good things you do. Including, you know, talking about stuff happening in the world, which you do a very good job of on this show. …

"You know, it's different than it was even a few years ago, politically. I mean, we may, you know – and the environment, politically, has changed. And some of the stuff that you used to do, you probably can't do anymore," said Fineman. He described Imus’ remarks as "a big mistake" and "a teaching moment."

Newsweek columnist Mark Starr came out against kicking Imus out on the street, saying the old coot was just an example how far things have swung in the name of entertainment. In Starr’s view, we’re all responsible.

Not from where Black folks sit.

Imus is so bad that even Page, the leveled-head, non-threatening Chicago Tribune columnist, argued that it’s time for Imus to go. Page recounted having Imus take a pledge on-air several years ago to refrain from the racially-charged diatribes, including an instance in which Imus reportedly referred to Gwen Ifill, a respected African American journalist, as a "cleaning lady" allowed to cover the White House.

"To the 10 young African queens who have been disrespected and violated in public, keep your heads up high," said conservative darling Rev. DeForest "Buster" Soaries in a prelude to his Easter Sunday sermon. Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer was in attendance at the service in Somerset, N.J. According to a report in the Star-Ledger, Soaries called for Imus to be fired. "When I listened to it myself, I thought the guy is too ignorant to be on the air. … We would like Imus off the air," the article said.

How often do the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Page and Rev. Soaries, a former secretary of state under Republican Gov. Gov. Christie Whitman and Bush administration political appointee, agree a firing, protest and potential advertisers’ boycott is in order?

The widespread anger in Black America was also apparently lost on a Public Radio reporter, who covered an April 9 demonstration in Chicago by the Rev. Jackson, saying only about 50 protestors showed up. The report downplayed the way Blacks have responded, implied the protest numbers signaled a lack of interest, and had no reactions from Blacks about the controversy. The reporter also apparently missed the hours of hot conversation on Chicago's WVON-AM radio, starting at 6 a.m. April 9 with the Roland S. Martin and rolling on through three hours in the afternoon with the nationally syndicated "Keeping It Real With Rev. Al Sharpton Show," and columns by sports writer Stephen A. Smith, out of Philadelphia, Deborah Mathis of BlackAmericaWeb.Com, Black bloggers and writers. Analysis came from white media observers.

What’s going on here? Perhaps the easiest way to explain it is found in the title of Starr’s on-line column, "Imus Is Us." The "us" here consists of White America – white men in the media, in particular – unable to admit insults to Black folks actually mean something. It’s as if we are soulless beings and whites are always allowed to explain away, ridicule away, or ignore away the constant assaults on our dignity and psyche.

This bond of white attitudinal perception and brotherhood may also explain why the numbers of Blacks in newsrooms at daily newspapers and within the news industry continue to dwindle.

When the ugliness of American racism is exposed, there is always an apologist, a defender. So Michael Richards, who played Kramer on TV’s "Seinfeld," can go on David Lettermen with Jerry Seinfeld to vouch for his goodness, despite Richard’s n----r-laced, racial barrage against Blacks in a comedy club audience. And Imus can find comfort in the bosom of his brothers, who just can’t bring themselves to condemn him.

"You know, all of us who do your show, you know, we're part of the gang. And we rely on you the way you rely on us. So, you know, you're taking all of us with you when you go out there to meet with them (Rutgers basketball players), you know," said Fineman on the Imus show.

"Good morning, Mr. Imus, and solidarity forever, by the way," Oliphant said. He voiced support for Imus, called the racial broadside an accident and talked about his moral imperative to stand with the broadcaster as a member of the Imus "posse."

"But to me, that only means that those of us who, through an accident, were scheduled (on the show), who know better, have a moral obligation to stand up and say to you, ‘Solidarity forever, pal,’ " said Oliphant, in his closing words.

Imus walks and talks with America’s giants, and if he suffers from the disease of racism, what about his companions? Well, we don’t have to wonder. Just listen to what they actually say.

(Richard Muhammad is editor of Straight Words E-Zine and is based in Chicago. Read more at http://straightwords.typepad.com. He can be reached at straightwords@sbcglobal.net.)

Comments

[Evorgleb]

If anyone cares to read it, One of our writers on Highbrid Nation actually worked wit Imus over the last few years at WFAN and had some really interesting things to say about the whole situation with Imus and he also has some inside info that the media hasn't mentioned about the whole story.

[Pall Stanley]

Imus, a name not recollected from the past other than images of a bush mopped with curly hair with headsets and microphone, talking with his head facing downward. Now the ugly face of the one Imus talk show host is obviously playing the controversy game. Be that as it may, there are rap lyrics and videos projecting a much worse image of black women.

Where are the so called leaders protesting the music industry regarding the negative image of black women? With black women being the most oppressed gender and race in the world, where is the protest against the slave trade in Africa? The buying and selling of young West African women being sold to wealthy people in Europe and elsewhere in the world today, Where is Al and Jesse?

Getting outraged about Imus and giving more free exposure and or publicity is self defeating. Protesting the network stations is not the solution, how about protesting the drug dealers in the hood? How about protesting inner cities that continue to close recreation centers, libraries, and schools, while allocating funds into building more youth penal facilities and prisons continue to be a booming business?

Giving Imus this much attention is what he wants, suspension is only a vacation period for Mr. Imus and the ratings continue to rise. Black women continue to be degraded mostly by there own, including other black women. In addition, young black women continue to undervalue themselves as they fashion there bodies in the street and in the media including music videos.

How about protesting the mothers and or aunts or grandmothers that continue to accept drug money into there homes and allow there boys to sell drugs while living under there roofs? Whats being said about that? How about those same women in the hood prostituting there teenage daughters to older men? Better yet, young boys they allow to sleep with there girl friends and in some cases, the mothers are sleeping with there own sons also.

It sounds sick, but it is real. I live in Baltimore, and I know this is not the only city this stuff happens, please. Boys today are just as likely to be molested as the girls. Protesting Imus and his comments and the networks platforming his work is a waste of time. Protesting the root and the fruit of the things that destroy our black women is better.

The root of the problem is so close to home which is the reason why it is easy to attack what Imus says verses what the hip hop rap artist says in songs or in the streets. If you did not know black women and you watched only television shows, music videos, movies, and more, you might view them as sex objects of pleasure.

And worse, you have young black girls that attempt to model the sexy imaging with the means of acquiring attention. The attention might raise there self esteem so called, but it comes at the price, the cost is more damaging to the emotions resulting in a more callus soul. Where is the protest and outrage about how the black women is suffering at the hand of her own. --- Pall Stanley

[Rhea]

A few weeks off is just a vacation for him. That's no kind of punishment. He is a jerk. But I guess Talk Radio Show Host and Jerk are synonymous. He is sexist and racist. Oh, and ugly, inside and out.

[The Sarcasticynic]

Maybe he said "Happy Wedded Vogues." Those who believe that the solution to the "Imus" problem is to simply turn him off are not considering one key point. Please visit "If you don't like it, turn it off" at sarcasticynic.blogspot.com if interested.

http://sarcasticynic.blogspot.com/2006/01/if-you-dont-like-it-turn-it-off.html

[majonzi]

While it is true that Sharpton and Jesse Jackson have been harsh critics of the hip hop industry, I am afraid that no one has come together to boycott them. There has been no aggressive movement by the black population to condemn rappers who disrespect women in their records. This is certainly not an approval of Imus by any means, however, it is clear that there is a lot of conversation that needs to take place.

[Sandman]

I’m sure Imus is sincere in his apology, but most people when caught doing something wrong are remorseful. The people focused on defending his character should put more energy into trying to understand why his comments have stirred a lot of anger esp. among the black community. It is clear that he has done wrong and should be punished; the only question left is how, and will it be some sort of double standard?

I’ve heard read several accusations aimed at Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson saying their criticism of Imus is hypocritical and that they don’t protest rappers who are constantly degrading black women and women in general. For clarification, they have spoken out against these rappers but in all honesty haven’t done as much as they can to highlight this issue.

The main reason a lot of black leaders don’t want to push the rap music issue is that it has become the main source of income for tens of thousands of black men. Black men, some of whom might otherwise realistically find it difficult to get employment in corporate America and might resort to illegal activities for income. These leaders also fear some sort of backlash from these very influential rap celebrities that may cost them some of their standing in the community.

How is Imus to be punished? I am not sure, but I hope whatever punishment he gets would be same had it been a black man we were talking about. Ethics should not be contingent on color, but should be fair, consistent and balanced. Wrong is wrong, lets agree on that and then decide how wrong is to be made right.

[Professor Zero]

"unable to admit insults to Black folks actually mean something"

Yes, this is key, and this:

"bond of white attitudinal perception and brotherhood"

Good post.