We Like our Niggaz Thugs and our Black Women Hoes Part II

How It Was Framed.

Long before the Imus story became the massive all engrossing issue it has manifested into I was already pissed. Not so much at Imus, but particularly at a certain world wide sports leader.

While watching "Sports Center" ESPN last week, I was angered at their reporting or lack there of , concerning Imus's derogatory comments. The anchor briefly mentioned Imus made what "some have called racist and sexist comments" and a retort by Imus of "It was a bad joke, get over it".

The audience wasn't exposed to audio, or video of the comments. Not even a transcript seemed warranted of his quotes seemed warranted. This angered yours truly greatly, because it was yet another example of the media in this case, ESPN's lack of caring of those it compounds its massive profits upon. I wasn't surprised mind you; they gave the same treatment to Serena Williams, when she was heckled by a fan during a recent match with racial slurs. They stated the fan "allegedly" made racial remarks towards Williams during her time on the court. Alledgedly? He did, it was on tape. Other fans saw him and pointed him out. Yet in still her statement was not enough to be credited as fact.

Athletes showing animosity towards fans, huge story, fans spewing racially based hate towards athletes, who really cares? It was pointed out to me that a large part of the rational for not propagating these stories or taking a stance on them was due to the networks audience. They (fans) simply just didn't want to hear about it. If a sports network's viewership is made up of fans, deriding fans for their racist behavior, would cause those same fans to recind their observing. If fans who feel that Black people are always complaining, see ESPN immediately take a stance against Imus in support of a NCAA basketball team, which was just on it's airwaves last week, many would turn away.

First rule of marketing, know your target audience.

The target audience, quite frankly, wasn't trying to hear that shit. The target audience is America.

I See Nappy Headed But I Don't See Hoes..

Yes this whole spectacle involves race and sex, but attempts to somewhat pry these two apart in regards to meaning, are just plain idiocy. Many have taken adopted the course of thought that, yes nappy headed was wrong to say, but Blacks call they women hoes anyway so he's not wrong for saying that.

................

A phrase is a phrase is a phrase. Like it's cousin, the saying, phrases are built on congruity. The full meaning and intention of Imus's statement can't be grasped if the phrase is broken apart. I mean hey it was a joke right?

Saying Nappy Headed Hoes, is basically akin to spewing out "Cotton Picking Niggaz". It was a raced based comment centered on a particular sex. Those trying to break up the phrase would in theory surmise that a non Jewish person uttering "Money Grubbing Jew", would only be guilty for saying "Money Grubbing", because Jewish people relay the term "Jew" amongst themselves. For those who are still in disagreement with the aforementioned view, Imus even threw in "Jiggaboos" for good measure. I'll let that stand for its self.

Now are there issues with how women are treated within Black society? I respond with an emphatic late 90's Steve Austin like HELL YES, but the singling out Black people as if we are the only ones who treat our women in ways deserving of immediate and dramatic change, is unfair, and plain simple minded. Arab culture, Asian culture, "Spanish" and yes even the infallible White culture all have features within it's treatment of women that could use a huge face lift. We are not the only ones, so please don't insinuate that we are, and in tandem insult our intelligence.

Speaking of intelligence, since when is it logical for grown ass men to utilize the "They do it, so its okay if I do it argument?" Has the parenting in this land been that bad for such a long time?" I thought it was a common sentiment, that just because somebody else does something, it doesn't inherently make your following of their act righteous. If that rule doesn't apply, should all those who go kill they enemy without being attacked first becase they "perceived" a threat be absolved of their prison sentences? America does it, so it must be right. Right?

What's really trying is that a large segment of America believes that all or most Black men treat or view in a wholesale manner, their women as purely sexual objects. To quote John Austin, "Not true". The millions of Black men who love and respect Black women are seen and painted as exceptions to a standardized rule. And what is this based on? A subgenera of a particular form of music, that dominates the market because the same demographic that lays blame at it's doorstep whenever possible, voraciously consumes it.

Here's a double standard for you. "They act like that on tv and the radio so they for the most part they're like that in general". Such thoughts lead to, "They think they hoes, well shit they hoes to me to." Oh the power of imagery and ignorance..

I'm Mad They Fired The Man.

After previously being relinquished of his MSNBC simulcast, today CBS followed suit and relived Don Imus of his radio program. I'm not happy with these events at all. Sacrificing Imus solves nothing. He might be away from the airwaves, but in reality he's gone nowhere. Imus is omnipresent, because Don Imus is reflection of America. Firing Imus is akin to arresting a drug dealer. You take one distributor of the street, but you still have millions of fiends ready to line up for the product he supplied.

It's by no means an exact science, but you can generally grasp a decent understanding of an individual based upon the palette of what a person reads, watches and listens to on a constant basis. These are sentences not mathematical theories so

I'm not stating X= Y. What I am relaying is, people for the most part do not support what they personally find disturbing revolting, offensive, or outright wrong.

Individuals also tend to support with more passion forms of media, and art that share some degree of their ideals. The more you can concur and relate, the more fervent your support.

Imus has been in the broadcasting business for 30 years plus, attaining much success and adulation along the way. A person in his profession can only sustain such longevity and garner channels such as MSNBC, millions in profit, with the support of a ardent fan base. A fan base that thinks like he does. Media and entertainment in their many forms are just manifestations, of the American Psyche.

America stop lying to yourselves.

This country bathes in a façade of civility, while concurrently repressing it's true feelings from common view. Imus, and others similar to him, offer persona's individuals gladly vicariously live through. The host is gone, but the sentiment remains. Fakeness continues as business maintains it's stalwart course. It all about the business right?

Only the foolish, gullible and ill informed would think Imus's firing was due to an injection of principle into the mentality of MSNBC and CBS execs. Countless opportunities have been available for them to fire Imus over racist and extremely sexist comments, yet the ousting never occurred. Why would it? They where raking in money, some prolly agreed with him on some level, and the massive out cry wasn't there against him.

Imus was fired because companies didn't want to be vividly aligned with a racist. Hey its America, it's cool to be racist, but not many have the "heart" to be out in the open with it..

Money dictates action in our society, not morals, and its up for debate if certain morals even exist in particular circles. Imus wasn't fired for what he said, he was fired, because he couldn't make money (at least not as much in the immediate future) saying what he has always said. Nothing is solved.

To get firings based on principle, you need company heads that wouldn't hire a outright an outright racist and sexist individual for the purpose project his views in the first place. If society doesn't like racist and and sexist individuals on the airwaves, society mustn't hold the same traits.

Pssst….

Let me tell you something for a second…
Come here,….. nahh closer yo…..

THIS COUNTRY CONTAINS MILLIONS OF RACSIT AND SEXIST INDIVIGUALS.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How far we've come as a nation concerning race, and opposing sex relations is by far more of a indication of how horrid things where, then how good things are presently are.

Must I only get my reality from fiction? One reason I love the "Wire" is because it shows realistic race relations. The seemingly non prejudiced White man states angrily "I'm not going to end up like some project nigga!!!" before he goes with his Black co worker and friend to the hood to try to save his cousin from impending peril. I appreciate the racist rants of the Soprano family gangsters, which reflects a reality that not all Italians have the rosiest views of Blacks. Even a show that is sure to lead me to a early demise do to high blood pressure like "The Shield" garners my respect by showing some the less prestigious leanings of law enforcement. Why can fiction represent reality, while reality is snuffed out when the focuses on it becomes to bright?

I repeat, we are solving nothing. Instead of a true dialogue, and understanding, we are mired in zero sum, extremist arguments that raise contempt and animosity among us.

Oh..

To all of you, especially the Black people out there who where clamoring for Imus to get fired, you should be vvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrry worried about the gift you received.

A dangerous, largely ambiguous and distinctly vague precedent has been set for the immediate termination of individuals based upon forms of dialogue. Will you experience satisfaction when a nefarious proclamation silence, what you feel is justified communication?

The Double Standard and…. Of Course Blame Hip Hop next………….

We Like our Niggaz Thugs and our Black Women Hoes Part I

Some times you just gotta fucken love America.

Michael Richards, Isaiah Washington, Tim Hardaway, and now Don Imus.

And of course the intelligent public discourse that follows.

(sigh)

By now most if not all of you have heard seen and probably discussed Mr Imus's comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team which he neatly juxtapose with Tennessee's squad. If you haven't here is a convenient link for you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF9BjB7Bzr0

Now for those who are referenced…shall we proceed with the festivities?

Save the Apoliges

Say what you mean, and mean what you say. It's a rule that everybody should follow and most people follow even when they don't admit it. All human utterances are spawned by thought, no matter what context they are meant to be formulated into or the emotional state of the person speaking. When someone calls Black women "Nappy Headed Hoes" and "Jiggaboos" somewhere ingrained in their mentality, is the thought Black women are nappy

headed hoes and jiggaboos.

When one makes such a statement, in their person they, inherently think and feel that that way about the subjects of their adjectives. Ideologies are constructed and stalwartly solidified during great swaths of time. So when one decides to apologize for the convictions in a span of less then of week, skepticism permeates the air
.
Apologies are always prone examination, and almost never seem as authentic or make the impact as the act the spurred their birth. With Imus,.his apology and his predictable subsequent actions are damn near laughable. When listening to the curmudgeon host talk about the Rutgers team, he seemed quite at ease enjoying another day at the office. Nothing a good laugh at work right. Especially when your craft entails that you make such comments on a fairly consistent basis. As noted by various outlets and those who regularly listen to Imus or happen to drop through every once in a while like my self, Don has been speaking in a manner know to be "offensive" longer than most of us have been alive.

Life long connotations are not melted away with immediate epiphanies. Long held beliefs are also less likely to be believed to be relinquished, so when after spouting them you say people "need to get over them" and only after it seems like the whole world is mad you, then an apology seems appropriate, in reality its just a hollow and fake action.

Imus thought what he said was funny, because people where mad at what he said doesn't make it less funny to him. Depending on what aspect it's viewed from, I'll be the first person to admit race base jokes are funny, but the expense account upon those being savaged has long been over drafted. What ever happened to standing on your own two a backing up your convictions?

Since people want to bring Hip Hop into this, (more on that later) how about sitten 24 inches off the ground, and speaking your mind freely, because, hey that's how u feel. No, we as a public aren't subjected to such treatment these days. Instead any White person whose done "bad" runs to Al Sharpton's radio show to ask for forgiveness, supposedly to placate the Black masses, and explain there out of body experience. Fuck that. Contrary to many I happen to respect, and like Al Sharpton. I don't' always agree with Al, nor do I think he's a "Black Leader". If you don't know, I subscribe to the Nasir Jones train of thought of "Fuck Black Leaders Whites don't got nobody leading them". Well they actually they do, there called Congressman, and the Presidents but for the sake of this conversation I'll just digress and call White leaders invisible.

Back to Sharpton, whose show I also occasionally listen to, Imus going on his show solves nothing. The conversations which insue are not productive and the only sincerity involved from the persecuted arises in the form of intense pandering. You said what you said. Fuck it. Now because of this interview, which from a business standpoint can be understand fully, the whole "Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are opportunist" diatribe gets rehashed. Shit like any talk show host across the nation wouldn't have love to have Imus on when Al did. Yup, the whole "Al doesn't represent all Black people", sentiment has arisen again . Well of course no human of one group represents that whole group. If Al really represented us though, he'd be dead by now.

The animus towards Sharpton and Jackson is understandable, if not fully justified, but also creates some of the most ludicrous talking points know to man.
"Why are they picking on Imus, why don't they go after the rappers who say stuff like that?"

The ideological l foundation of that question speaks volumes to those who choose to spew it at every possible opportunity. Such a query holds no regard for the Rutgers players, or Imus's ignorance, it just implicitly calls Sharpton and other so called black leaders hypocrites, and states that such decretory language towards Black Women is status quo. Do your homework, Sharpton was just marching against G-Unit last week, and countless "leaders of Black origins" protest and clamor against the proliferation of misogyny in Hip Hop every year. Mother Fuckers aint quit after C Dolores Tucker and Dionne Warwick did. It just so happens that like all struggles with corporate giants, its hard to put a dent, let alone a stop to a billion dollar industry. When is the last time you proceeded with glee to pursue actions? Thought so, and that would be exactly the tract undertaken by global media conglomerates if they fully reported the displeasure of many in the Black Community about the rap put out in the mainstream let alone from a Black perspective. The fact is no prominent White person, or at least one of enough stature or power came out and decried this incident. The the general masses of America "ie white people" plain didn't give a fuck. So is it not plausible to say Sharpton filled a void? A tree fell in the American Forrest. and many didn't hear it, or just ignored the echo initially.

"You Should Be focused on other problems, like Black on Black Crime or Education"

Once again do your homework; millions of Black People are concerned, involved and deeply troubled by violence and education. Say what you wanna say about those labled as rabble rousers, but what a lot white people are stating what they/we "should" be doing, has already been done. The sinister bent of a statement such as that one is, Black Women aren't worth fighting for. "Why are you so bent out of shape about this?" Why shouldn't Black people be incensed at disrespect at the highest for of its women? White paternalism stirs immediate discomfort and some anger because it's largely insincere. Generally America is quick to state what Black people should do, but honesty they could care less either way. Instead their artificial advice is used as a deflection tool.

More coming…….