Less About Free Speech and More About Choice

“Perhaps someone can tell me why ‘nappy-headed hos’ is racist?” One says.

“I mean, come on. Right? You have Sharpton, a black sheep to his own people. A liar. And there is Jackson, a showboat."

"Yeah. And isn't there is more to worry about than calling someone a nappy-headed ho.” Their words pat each other on the back.

So goes the way of the men whom surround me Monday through Friday. I am ashamed of them. These are generally decent guys. Good guys. Hard working guys. If racism and bigotry can exist in such human beings, it is not hard to imagine the extent of its claws in our American society.

Racism is alive and flexing its muscles.

“I mean, they call themselves nappy-headed hos. No one is getting on them for their music.”

Who are ‘they’ and ‘them’? They can not answer me. This battle has been fought before. And fuck, though, I stand tall on the right side of this line, it is quite embarrassing to know people with such beliefs.

On the 39th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s death, Don Imus, one of the nation’s premier morning radio show hosts, nonchalantly labeled the women of Rutgers Basketball ‘nappy headed hos’. Don Imus can say what he wants. It is the country in which we live. And being American means that we do not need to so easily swallow such statements along with our morning coffee.

Sharpton and Jackson have nothing to do with it personally. And perhaps, they should not have meddled in the affair. Perhaps, for guys like the guys I work for, they are seen as hypocritical ringmasters, an easy distraction and target for racist guys who do not think they are racist . But who else will speak for African Americans? There aren’t many African Americans whom are given the microphone by the white dominated media. Those who have a microphone, took it. Oprah. Obama. Tavis. A handful of accomplished African American actors. But, who wants to take actors seriously?

Don Imus has made a living out of taking pot shots at politicians, journalists, musicians and actors. These people place themselves in the spot light. But these young women just wanted to go to play basketball at a good school. The young women of the Scarlet Knights basketball team and their coach Ms. Vivian Stringer were innocent victims in this mess.

The time of “I made a tasteless joke” perhaps just does not cut it anymore. We live in a time when a full generation of women have been able to flex their muscles under Title IX. A time when the democratic presidential front runners are a woman and an African American. A time when the Speaker of the House is a woman. A time when the Secretary of State is an African American female.

One Rutgers player said, “I don’t want you to think that I question myself because of what you said. I’m a classy woman at a great university.” And this is what sport does. It breeds generations of strong people. And folks like Don Imus can continue to not get it.

We live in a country where Imus is allowed to belittle such accomplishments in a 3 second sound bite. And in that same country, where money matters, the advertisers have a choice to yank their purse strings and put a stranglehold on a station that supports such a man. Once in a while, the gears of capitalism work for the better of the people.

Don Imus made his choice. The people and the advertisers made theirs.