Don't Believe the Hype

Don Imus called the Rutgers University women’s basketball team “nappy headed hos.” This set off a fury among black commentators. The fury stirred Imus to apologize. When that wasn’t enough, sponsors such as American Express and General Motors backed out of his program. Of course with the bottom line and their image in jeaporady, MSNBC and CBS put Imus on suspension and finally fired him. So has justice been served for the Rutgers women, black women and women in general? Does firing Imus get to the heart of the matter? What is the heart of the matter? Why did Imus say these things?

The fact is “nappy headed hos” came straight from black youth culture. Listen to the lyrics of much of rap music and you will certainly find these words said over and over again. Guess who is mostly listening to rap music, young white males. So it’s just like when a little kid cusses and everyone wonders where he got that kind of language. Imus got his language from our kids. Al Sharpton said it’s more of a problem for Imus to say this because he is a mainstream journalist. I disagree. The real problem is when our kids say it and believe it about themselves. That is what’s hurting us. Don Imus can’t degrade us. We are degrading ourselves.

Frederick Douglass was once riding on a train. The staff on the train told him he had to go and sit in the baggage car. Another person said that staff member must not have known who Mr. Douglass was to degrade him in this manner. Fredrick Douglass replied, “They cannot degrade Frederick Douglass. The soul that is within me no man can degrade. I am not the one that is being degraded on account of this treatment, but those who are inflicting it upon me.”

One can only degrade oneself. So when Don Imus or Snoop Doggy Dogg or Ludacris or any one else calls you names, they are only demonstrating what grade they are. Just know who you are.

The media and media hogs are always getting on television taking up time talking about things that shouldn’t really matter to us (i.e. Who’s the father of Anna Nicole’s baby?). This only serves to divert our attention from what really matters. OUR KIDS ARE FAILING SCHOOL. THEY CAN’T READ. THEY ARE KILLING EACH OTHER IN THE STREETS. THEY NEED US TO PAY ATTENTION.

So stay focused. Don’t get caught up in the media hype. What Don Imus says or doesn’t say about us is not going to heal the ills among us.