Don Imus

don imus: man of passion, man of extreme words and verbiage, man in trouble. If you haven't followed this story, Don Imus has done wrong (oh no! an extremist radio talk-show host said something he shouldn't have!) and has apparently taken away the pride of Rutger's basketball team. He called them "nappy-haired ho's." I don't know about you, but I've heard that kind of shit since grade-school. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've heard WAY worse.

First of all, as in all situations, you must look at both sides for perspective and understanding. I can understand why the girls of the said basketball team would be upset. If I was called a "nappy-haired ho" by a guy eligible for social secutiry, I would say "fuck that guy, he don't know me!" If he came to apologize to me, I would ACCEPT the apology.

Second-- it was quickly turned into a race issue. You ever notice that people bring race into issues when it's a white vs. a black thing? If a white person does something against a black person, it's "discrimination" and racist. If a black person does something against a white person, it's a crime. HUH? Well that doesn't make sense. But also, have you ever noticed that it's a "race" thing when a black person says so? It's the easiest form of blame: using an existing ploy that everyone knows is already an issue. Racism is perpetuated by these things. If white people would watch their fucking MOUTHS sometimes and black people weren't so ready to play the "race" card, I think some problems could PLAUSIBLY be solved. Racism could be wiped off the planet if everyone wasn't so consumed by its accessibility for blame, and if individuals would take responsibilty for their actions.

Third-- I think the girls are being a little dramatic. And by "a little dramatic" I mean that they are REALLY over-reacting, along with the rest of the people who were offended by Imus's comments. Found in an article, one of the players was quoted as saying "I think that this has scarred me for life." Really? ONE MAN'S comments SCARRED you for life? You weren't scarred in high school by anything? This must have been the first time her feelings were hurt in her life because JESUS CHRIST she can say it scarred her LIFE. her fucking LIFE. you know what scarred MY life? my mom was shot and killed by her newly-wed husband in a murder-suicide in the middle of fucking white-suburbia. my kids don't get their grandmother.. i didn't get to say goodbye.. i was woken up in my dayton home by a police officer telling me that my BEST FRIEND and CONFIDANT was shot in her sleep... and these girls are saying that their lives have changed FOREVER because a dude called them hoes? I don't care who you are.. that's ridiculous.

Fourth-- I may be biased because I work for a newstalk station and hear extreme opinions all the time. We syndicate Neal Boortz, Rush Limbaugh, and Michael Savage, and YES i actually listen to their shows to gain perspective and to hear what crazy things they have to say. It could be that I'm used to hearing these things that I am able to defend Don Imus. If he were to target my radio station (the other one I work for at Wright State) and call us all a bunch of inexperienced kids with shitty taste, I could agree with him to an extent.. but I sure as hell wouldn't say that his extreme and inappropriate comment RUINED MY LIFE AND PRIDE. YES he would make me look bad. YES he would defame our station. But I know the truth to be that we AREN'T just a bunch of inexperienced kids with shitty taste. I am stable enough in my own esteem to block his criticism and MOVE ON with my life and career. If someone says something that isn't true and they KNOW it isn't true but they said it anyway, they have the right to an accepted apology. Sometimes when in the heat of an argument, or in the prime of an idea or thought, people say things they don't mean. I've had my ass chewed out for saying something I didn't mean, and I felt like shit for saying it. There's something I learned recently in one of my communication courses. It's simple and obvious, but more of a "oh, yea! well, duh!" statement: Communication is permanent and irreversible. That means that NO MATTER WHAT we can't take something back. We can't erase it off the board. So we as people need to understand that others will say things they don't necessarily mean or believe in. Yes people should watch what they say, and YES they should think of their words before they blurt them out, but what happened to our basic instinct of forgiveness? Gotta run.. comments?

peace and sleep