Imus is disgusting but more shameful and immoral than him are John McCain, Rudolph Giuliani and the CBS and NBC bosses who are letting him off with a slap on the hand. "Nappy headed hos" can not be spun. The casual way these words dripped off the Imus tongue is not unbelievable but just another slam to African women of America in their 300+ years on these shores. No one wants to say it but I will ---Imus' comments are consistent with the treatment of Black women in the United States. That's why the comedy context fits because his description of the Rutgers players are humorous and comfortable for the Imus and his audience. McCain and Giuliani can let him off the hook with no worries as to backlash to themselves because the know the light in which Black women are seen. If these Rutgers players were predominately white and scathed like this I very much doubt that ANYONE would easily get the joke. I know many will say I am making too much of this but I think the point has to be made that jokes are not funny without a commonly held view behind them. A low place in society for Black women, strong disdain for female athletes and contempt for striving, working class people are some of the common understandings that allow for this "comedy".
NBC and CBS are not going to do too much to punish Imus because of the color green. Follow the money!! Imus is a 50 million dollar franchise ... sells a lot of books, has lots of politicians and media types on his program. The financial loss to NBC and CBS would be too much so Imus is in no real danger. I am happy to hear sponsors are pulling out. Yeah! If a Black woman was felt to be the offender such as Janet Jackson, well, we know how that would go.
The Rutgers players run in with racism in the commercial media is not only painful for them but hurtful and damaging to the rest of us. It teaches people that its okay to say anything in any venue and is particularly hurtful to other Black student athletes. Kids working hard in their sports life and their academic life find out in the most negative way possible that their efforts are not respected. Life in the public square is disrupted; the fissures exposed and deepened. Race in America, land of the free and home of the brave, is touchy and very much unresolved. The racial rift has not healed; it is not even well examined so we really do not need this blowup.
The nastiness and meanness of Imus shtick is sometimes entertaining but this ain't hardly funny. Why would the Rutgers players meet with Don Imus???? The disregard shown to these young ladies does not engender conditions for sitting down with the broadcaster. I bow to their graciousness ...this is beyond my powers as a human. These women are reaching out their hands to heal the racial wounds in our country through this incident. My hat is off to them.
"Bye and bye, Lord ... bye and bye"
