A question for the anti-offenderati,

The BBQ Pit
1

I’m a laid-back girl. I’ve laughed at sexist/ethnic/racist jokes, even those directed at my group. I regularly make fun of myself and allow others to make fun of me (within reason, of course). Even when something is off-color, I usually think “that’s stupid” rather than “that’s offensive”. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff. Life is so much easier when you let minor shit slide. These are my philosophies and I really try to live by them.

(Yes, I know there are Dopers who insist that I’m militant and “shrill and hysterical”. But I believe my posting history on the board belies this characterization.)

But while watching the news today, I came across this story. To summarize, yesterday Don Imus called the Rutger’s women’s basketball team “nappy-headed hos”. He had a couple of co-hosts who helped him out with additional colorful commentary.

I find this exchange offensive. Without equivocation or qualification, I find it racist and sexist.

It hurts me as a woman, first of all. I listen to respectful commentary and post-commentary of men’s sports, learning a lot about the game in the process. Why is it that women athlete’s can’t get the same level of respect? You know, I’d like to hear about the star players. Who scored the most? Who looks golden for the pros? But do we get this from Imus? No, we get a discussion about who’s “cute” and who’s ugly. I don’t listen to Imus that often, but I’m thinking a guy sports team would not get this same treatment.

And since when did “ho” become a synonym for “girl” or “women”. That’s what he meant, right? Because I can’t imagine he’d know enough about the sexual activities of the Rutgers basketball team to be able to disparage them as “hos”. Are they more promiscuous than the Tennessee team? Just how in the hell would he know?

It really hurts me as a black person, too. I have nappy hair, and I’m proud of it. And I’m proud that more and more young black women are ditching the creamy crack and going natural. These women have reclaimed “nappy”, making it connote beauty when for so long it was looked down upon. Imus must have been channeling Mister’s father from A Color Purple with that little gem. I hope somebody spits in his water.

And I was flabbergasted when his side-kick brought up the Jigaboos vs. the Wannabees (which is not from Do the Right Thing, you stupid man, but from School Daze). They crossed into a subject that REALLY IS NOT FUNNY, especially since it’s clear which side they were rooting for.

Finally, as a Rutgers alum, fuck you Imus and friends. Rutgers was the dark horse, the underdog no one thought could make it to the finals. And they did! They fucked up with Tennessee, but they deserve props nonetheless. If you couldn’t give them props, you could have at least left them the fuck alone and just talked about how awesome Tennessee’s team is. But no, you had to be bastards and make fun of the way they look, like the pencil-dicked, no-nut, cave-dwelling assholes you are.

I’m not calling for Imus to apologize or be fired or be censored. I don’t intentionally listen to the show, so I don’t really care what he does. I’m just ticked off and disappointed. Is that alright, anti-offenderati people? Can I be ticked off and disappointed without being called “hypersensitive” or being accused of “playing the race card”?

2

Pretty much since 99% of the major hip hop stars started using “ho” as a synonym for “girl” or “woman”. While I agree that what was said was pretty hateful/sexist/racist in varying degrees (and even that could possibly have worked if it had actually been funny), and I loathe Imus, I don’t think you can blame him for making “ho” interchangeable with “female” in popular vernacular.

3

Hoo boy, thank you for explaining that, you have saved me a sleepless night (or at least a few seconds of googling, but that sounds so much less dramatic, doesn’t it? :)). I was thinking “I know it’s been several years since I saw Do the Right Thing, but surely I would remember if something like ‘the Jigaboos vs. the Wannabees’ had really been in it?”

And I don’t see how the Scarlet Knights are supposed to be so much less “cute” than the Lady Vols anyway. (Plus they definitely have a much cooler team name.) But yeah, can you guys shut up on the attractiveness issue for once in your lives and talk about how they played basketball?

“Nappy-headed hos”?!?!! You can say that on the radio now? :eek: :eek: :eek:

Wow, the “anti-PC” folks must be so proud of themselves for having made epithets like this acceptable in popular media. 'Cause, you know, objecting to disgustingly racist and sexist slurs is just so prudish and uptight. :rolleyes:

4

Excuse my ignorance( I haven’t listened to his show for more that 5 minutes at any time), but isn’t Imus kinda known for this type of thing? In my mind, I always had him lumped in with Howard Stern. Of course what he said was sexist/racist/stupid/not funny, but I would be more offended by someone who didn’t have this sort of schtick and said something like this.

5

My thoughts, too. I’ve never really listened to Imus, but the few clips I’ve seen of him weren’t very flattering (to put it lightly). Yeah, the comments were highly offensive, but I think he’s trying to be offensive. That’s what gets you ratings on talk radio these days, I guess…

6

Back in the days when radio was new I listened to Imus - back in the Billy Sol Hargus days and he was fairly funny. Then I couldnt listen to him for about 12-14 years. The radio station I listened to on my morning commute announced that they were going to start having his morning show, so I was thrilled and tuned in. I listened to him calling his executive assistant a fat slug and all sorts of horrid fat slob jokes. The poor woman had just given birth so it is perfectly understandable she wouldnt be the little tight ass/hard bodied bubbleheaded broad he apparently thought every woman that worked for him should be. The ultimate was when he described her as revolting and he wouldnt do her with someone elses dick.

I turned him off and never listened to him again. If I had been her I would have sued the fuck out of him for seaxual harassment.

7

You can blame him for using it, though.

Hip hop stars are not responsible for Imus’ behavior.

8

I agree that the exchange as transcribed is horrifically racist and sexist.

OTOH, 5 years ago NCAA womens basketball wouldn’t have merited 10 seconds of airtime.

9

See, Monstro, you’ve come a long way, baby.

10

Imus has interesting guests on his show, which is why I started watching him. But after listening for a while, I realized that he encourages bad behavior from assholes like McGuirk and he’s nothing but a none-too-bright, mean-spirited, whiney, self-important, insecure jerk-off. I wrote him off a while ago, regardless of who he’s got on the show. And I haven’t looked back.

11

Are you serious? Hip hop stars need to take their incredibly heavy impact on our culture more seriously, wise up and be role models. America’s youth is at stake!

12

Imus is pretty far away from being a youth.

13

Are you?

No, really. Are you?

14

What is “nappy hair” and why is it called that?

15

However, since Imus has never laid down a rap line (and hardly demonstrates the ability to speak in cadence or meter), is clearly not from any demographic that would accept him pretending to be a rapper or hip hop artist, and would proably be afraid (at his advanced age and melanin-deprived appearance) to actually show up in a neighborhood that was home to any genuine hip hop stars, his use of such language mostly identifies him as a wannabe of popular culture, meaning he has no excuse for using that language.

16

“Nappy” refers to the kinky, tightly coiled texture common to people of African descent. A “nap” is a tangle. Someone with a lot of “naps” has hair that you can’t run a comb through with ease, because of all the tangles.

It is often used in a derogatory way. Shiny, smooth, silky hair is prized by our society, and nappy hair is the antithesis of this. So to call someone a “nappy-headed so-and-so”, you’re calling them ugly, and in a racist way (since only black people have really nappy hair).

Of course, nappy doesn’t have to be negative. The term has been embraced by people like me, who no longer relax (straighten) their hair. While I use “nappy” as a value-free descriptor, I’m sensitive to its most common usage and historical baggage. I would refer to my hair as nappy but I wouldn’t walk up to someone and say, “I love your nappy hair!” It’s a word you have to use with caution.

17

Just to clarify - and apologies to the Americans who know this already - “nappy” is Commonwealth English for “diaper”. I was originally looking for a Muslim taunt in this thread.

18

Thanks. Over here a nappy is a diaper.

19

He’s just some shock jock. Don’t be offended - he wants the attention. This is just like when that nobody said that that black senator who got into security trouble last year looked like a “ghetto slut” because of her natural hairdo (which actually distances her from the “ghetto sluts”). Comments like that scream “trying too hard”, and make me laugh at the commentator’s patheticness rather than give in and be insulted.

20

Well, although I agree that they are total racist misogynistic pigs, let me say this:

If I was critiquing a men’s college basketball team, I would probably be taking note of the players’ attractiveness (I mean, these are sweaty young college men, how could I not notice?), and I might comment on that. However, I definitely wouldn’t do it in such a rude manner.

I guess what I am saying is that when you have (heterosexual) men critiquing women or vice versa, and the athletes are young, fit college athletes, it’s going to be hard not to notice their attractiveness (or lack thereof).

Of course commenting on it in a such manner is beyond rude, apparently that is Imus’ shtick, so are we really surprised?

Oh as as far as his use of the word “ho,” I also attribute that to the pervasive use of that word in popular music. Just because he is white and old doesn’t mean he hasn’t taken note of the gangsta rap culture, and its popularization of the word.