You've been hoodwinked. You've been had. You've been took.
You've been led astray, run amuck. You've been bamboozled.--Malcolm X
These words ring so true today. Over the weekend I had the displeasure of watching several different news channels, CNN, MSNBC, and so on. One of the News worthy discussions was this hypocrisy surrounding Don Imus. Now this thing has gone way too far. Here is my two cents worth on this subject. Yes the man should have been reprimanded for his actions, no doubt, but in all honesty he should not have been fired. He is after all a shock jock and it is his job to stir up controversy, after all that is what they pay him for. Now to say that his remarks affected all black women is a crock of shyt. First of all I am sure if there where any there were only a hand full of black women listening to his show at the time the remark was made. But because the Media saw fit to throw this into our faces all women became outraged. The other issue that I have is when did "nappy headed ho" become a racial slur? I see no color or gender in those words. However depending on who says it we can interpret it to mean whatever we want. I am not defending what he said or did but I am defending the right to do so without fear of losing your job. If we start here then we have to continue along these same lines. For instance If I a white man go to a D.L . Hugley show and he starts talking about white people. I have the right to be in sensed and outraged, But should he be fired? Should Cris rock make a joke about Mexicans, should he be fired? Now there are those of you who will say that they are telling jokes and trying to make people laugh, but get this they are doing it at the expense of others. Funny or not nothing is funny if the finger is pointed at you. So to set precedence in this matter is a big mistake because the backlash may come around to hurt us more than we think.
Now the biggest problem with this issue and to go back to the quote at the beginning is that somehow white people have managed to turn this event around and blame it on blacks. But the most shocking part is that they are using blacks to do it. WTF! Here we are in 2007 and our so called educated and moral compasses are turning on one another for an issue that is much older and bigger than anyone living today. I could not believe my eyes and ears when I saw Earl Ofari Hutchinson ( author of assassination of the Black male image) on television pointing his crooked finger at rappers saying that they are to Blame for this atrocity. It is a sad day, The book that I mentioned was a powerful tool in the growth of my awareness, but now I have to doubt myself and re-evaluate. I am hoping that Earl is just about to release a new book and needed the press and TV time.
The truth is that this is not an issue with music, literature, entertainment or anything else. This is a flaw in the Constitution of the United States. This country is still trying to close its eyes to its unfair treatment of Blacks. Instead of pointing the finger at the youth saying that it is their fault for using these words lets try arguing the fact that these things are given life by the mistreatment of a race. This is not an issue about a 67 year old white man nor is it a discussion about a 18 year old black man. It is a Race issue that has been around before any Black person picked up a Mic.
Stop attaching each other and turn the focus on the the real problem at hand, the Government. We sit back and argue and fight for nothing, honestly what good will come of this current fight. We should stop being pawns and used to tear down one another and start working together to fight our common enemy. We need to be angry about the unfair wage practices, housing, education, health care, Job opportunities and a host of other things that we as blacks are faced with on a daily basis. Not the senseless rants of an old white man. Pull the handkerchief from over your eyes and fight for something that is going to make a difference for longer than 4 weeks.
Technorati Tags: Don Imus, Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Malcolm X, Rascism, United States Constitution,
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