Much Ado About Butkus: The Fuss Over Don Imus' "Nappy Headed Hos" Comment

Last week, MSNBC and talk radio legend Don Imus made a comment about the Rutgers womens' basketball team. He referred to them as "nappy-headed hos". Everyone from the NAACP to NOW (National Organization for Women) are now calling for his ouster. MSNBC- which airs his show live every morning- along with CBS Radio have suspended Imus for two weeks under pressure, and now his job is on the line.

Many call the 'nappy-headed hos' comment racist. Me? Honestly, I really don't see what the big fuss is over it. I mean, if he had referred to them as, say, "them nigger bitches, or those no-playing coons", that might raise my ire a bit. But "nappy-headed hos"? I just don't see why anyone should really be offended about this. Sure, it was kind of insulting as a kid- after all, who wanted to be running around with naps in your hair? But if anything, I think Imus used bad taste when he said this, and never intended for the comment to be racial in nature. I think that these same folks- in particularly the black community- should just laugh at the comment and say, "Imus, you're a damn fool," and just let it go.

But instead, if one little hair falls out of place in the African-American community (in which I'm a part of) -and I'm talking figuratively here- a good number of us start crying foul or worse, racism. It's as if we black folks enjoy playing victim.

I'm sorry, kids, but this African-American blogger isn't one of those who cries racism everytime I hear a nigger spewed out of someone's mouth. (If it moves to physical fisticuffs, however, I'll just have to take the person out...no ifs, ands, or buttafuocos about it...). Sure, there's a bit of racism on the planet, but people, just get past it. Hold your heads up high, and live your lives. After all, you don't see too many white people cry racism everytime they hear a honky or cracker coming out of some black or Latino person's mouth, do you?

Stop playing victim, peeps.

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