IMUS BE MISTAKEN

I grow weary of these periodic "debates" that arise over racist language, political correctness and racial intolerance in this country because they always seem to be about more superficial things and rarely about the real hard issues and attitudes that lurk beneath the surface. Like the Michael Richards imbroglio, Don Imus' "joke" on April 4 on CBS Radio qualifies as just such a superficial debate.

Which doesn't mean that it was okay that he said it--it wasn't. I've heard some people argue that the comments weren't obviously racist or that it was obvious he was joking. This is ridiculous--anytime you use the word "nappy", it either by implication or literally speaks of African-Americans and it does so in a derogatory way. Adding "ho" just makes it worse and drags misogyny into the ugly mix as well. What makes it even worse, is that by using those two words together in reference to the Rutgers women's basketball team, not only is it not funny, but it couldn't make less sense because no one thinks of women's basketball players--and Rutger's players in particular--as promiscuous sexual beings. Not that it would be any better even if they were.

However, having Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton call for Imus' firing isn't going to do much good either. Jackson and Sharpton have lost almost all credibility in the black community and its obvious that they spend most of their time these days as media watchdogs, looking for next hot button topic in which to inject themselves in order to try to enhance their dwindling profiles. If CBS Radio won't fire Imus because he's old, bad, has dwindling ratings (until now) and has a history of saying mean-spirited, hateful things, then they won't fire him for this.

Finally, while its true that young people--and even not so young people, like myself--should probably quit casually tossing terms like "ho" and "bitch" around (quick: name the last rap song you heard that DIDN'T use those terms), just because the terms are in more common usage does not give radio and television personalities the right to use them more. And vice versa. It's called using your brain people...if it's something you don't think you'd like to be called, you probably should use a different term for someone else. Like the following:

"Paris Hilton is a promiscuous, arrogant, spoiled brat." See? Doesn't that sound better than ho? And it's still true!

This Just In. And out. And in again...

CNN is reporting that the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby is...Larry Birkhead. Raise your hand if you're surprised. That's what I thought...put your hand down Howard K. Stern. And we'll figure out how you killed her later.

The person I feel sorriest for in this whole escapade (other than DanniLynn), is that Baron guy who came out on national television and said that he thought he was the father. He wrecked his whole marriage to Zsa Zsa Gabor and it turned out that he was NOT the father, as Maury would say.

Looks like he should have kept that shit about his affair to himself.

PEACE!