In A Perfect World, Race Would Just Be Another Word For 'Competition'

As we all know by now, Don Imus has been fired from CBS Radio. The Don Imus debacle has set off something that, I personally as a black male, am getting increasingly tired of. The discussion of race. Now, let me tell you my view on this. I don't care what color you are, what your race is, and what your sexual orientation is. As long as you contribute to the world at large, and help make it a better place, race, skin color and sexual orientation shouldn't even come into the equation.

But apparently, for a good number of people, it does. And here, in the greatest country in the world, it's obvious that we can't even get along with each other- no matter if it's an ax to grind for people of different races, or even the same race.

Now, I'm going to show you a few clips- thanks to the folks who placed them on YouTube (as always, I'll give credit where credit's due). First off, the offending words of Don Imus.

lestarr21/YouTube/MSNBC

Like I said on Tuesday night, I personally didn't find the comment racist, just idiotic. But his comment has, no doubt, touched off a firestorm that no one seems to want put out.


deiphilus/YouTube/MSNBC

This is clip one of the Rutgers Womens' Basketball team, you've just watched. Obviously, none of them look anything like 'nappy-headed hos'. They're girl scouts, valedictorians; and above 3.0 GPAs. Obviously, they're smart, and very intelligent.
Clip 2...

deiphilus/YouTube/MSNBC

Let's look at responses- from those who want the I-Man's head burned on the stake, and for those who defend him, saying that he just made a mistake. Although I've already made my verdict, I'll remain impartial and neutral here, in this forum. And I'll take a page from the Fox News Channel, and remain 'fair and balanced', letting you decide for yourselves. I'll put a few comments in when appropriate.

First, I'll go on the 'I-Man Defenders' side, having heard already from someone on the 'Burn Imus' side.


apalmg/YouTube

The young man here is right. The African-American community has as much responsibility for this as does Imus. Now, I don't necessarily believe completely that many black folks who buy rap or hip-hop music are tainted by rappers who use incinderary words such as nigga, and ho, and bitch, but I do agree that those (blacks) who do allow themselves to be tainted are, in a sense, bringing down the black community (but here again, I must interject that if we allow them to...). The rap and hip-hop community needs to take a good look at itself, and ask itself, is this the image we want to show the world? The shootings, the spanking and shaking of womens' backsides (though I personally find nothing wrong with that. Some women are actually turned on by that, but that's a different animal for a different day...).

We as African-Americans can do a lot better otherwise.

Now back to the Pro-Imus side. Here we hear from our favorite conservative fashionista, the always gorgeous Ann Hart Coulter:

newshoundblog/YouTube

I have to agree with Ann here- to a point. Imus should apologize to the team, and I already said that I didn't think Imus intended the comments to be racial in nature.

Next week, he will talk to the team.

Back to the anti-Imus crowd, we'll hear from Minister Paul Scott from TRUTH:


minps/YouTube

The firestorm continues. Let's hear from the pro-Imus crowd.

patriotaction/YouTube

Yes, Don Imus is a shock jock, but that still doesn't excuse his actions.

One more from the anti-Imus crowd:


whatupLauren/YouTube

So we've heard from all sides here.

Now, here's my take on the situation. What Don Imus did was reckless, irresponsible, and caused a lot of unintended consequences. While I do not think that his 'nappy-headed hos' comment was intended to be racially insensitive, his remarks set off a continuing pattern of the incinderary racial politics. I do not think that Imus needs to be fired because of perceived racial remarks. I believe that he must be fired for stepping beyond the line of responsible behavior. He had degraded and humiliated the Rutgers womens basketball team in such a manner that may have cause irreversible damage to their psyches. Sure, I'm no psychiatrist- and I do not pretend to be one. But when I heard and watched those young ladies speak, my heart sank they said that Imus' comments had ruined a great moment- they had come off a tough loss to Tennessee, in which they fought very hard on the basketball court at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Those ladies deserve our sympathy, our love, and our support. Don Imus, believe it or not, also deserves our love, and support as he, too, is struggling over this. But it does not change the fact that he has crossed the line from plain comedy to a minefield in which he may never recover from this time.

As for my beloved African-American community, I too must hold you to the fire. The use of the word nigger- in any form- needs to stop. The images of women's backsides being slapped and shaking in music videos...that's debatable, but personally, I find nothing wrong with seeing such images. What I'm sayingm, however, is to the hip-hop and rap communities, you have a responsibility to conduct yourselves in such exemplary demeanor, as a new generation of young- predominantly black- youth look up to you. Being arrested on gun, drug, or even sexual assault charges is not the way to show the kids how successful you are. If anything, it would be better for the black youth to look up to such figures as Time Warner's Richard Parsons, who is the CEO; and Earl Graves, Sr, of
Black Enterprise magazine. James DePriest, who for 25 years, conducted the Oregon Symphony as its' musical director (he is now the Symphony's lauraete music director; and principal conductor of the Tokyo Symphony, among other accomplishments). If you want to go one better, Barack Obama, who may be our next President of the United States. You are our future. Do not under any circumstances let it die out.

In closing, I challenge every one of us to one, take a breather; and two, if you like, have a dialogue and begin the healing.

Copyright 2007, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.