Excuses didn't work for the Beaver and Ward wasn't buying it anyway. "Gee Dad, all the other kids call black women nappy headed hos." " I understand that son but, you have a mind of your own; and I expect from now on you'll use it." " I guess you're right Dad, I'm gonna go and apologize to all the black women in town--but don't worry I'll still make it home in time for supper. " That a boy, Beaver!"
Ok, so maybe you haven't seen this lost episode of Leave It To Beaver and maybe you find my attempt at humor at best, weak and silly. Well, consider my reaction to the endless and non-stop battle cry of Imus supporters chanting; "it's okay if black men call black women bitches and hos but not Don Imus. PLEASE STOP! PLEASE, JUST DON'T TALK ANYMORE.
The reference that Don Imus made is not acceptable in the black community. Is it used? Of course it is! It's used in a lot of circles beyond black folks. There are references and phrases commonly used among Italians, Hispanics and other ethnic groups. That doesn't make it acceptable. The only a-word that truly applies is accountability. The backlash, protests, pulled ads and termination are the consequences of his actions. Fair or not.
I'd like to end with some helpful tips from your internet friendly blogger:
Hey producers of mainstream media, there are qualified African American women who can address race and gender issues of this nature. Here's a sampling in no particular order:
Rev. Cynthia Hale
Dr. Julianne Malveaux
Mary Frances Berry
Camile Cosby
Maxine Waters
Johnnetta Betsch Cole
Beverly Guy-Sheftall
Dr. Beverly Tatum
Minister Della Reese (kudos to Larry King)
And for the uninformed:
Take the time to fully educate yourself on FCC rules and regulations regarding radio airwaves. You can start here: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/obscene.html. So, when you actually hear "Hey Ho, Go Get My Dinner" because that's the only music we listen to, according to Imus excuse makers, feel free to file a complaint. By the way, for those living in Imusland, you can't file a complaint unless the song is not edited!
Next, to all the corporate conglomerates that yanked their ads and cited a bigger responsibility to consumers, it was a smart move. However, it's not wise for the company spokesperson to admit that Brand X had no idea of the language and content matter on The Don Imus Show, "we just looked at the ratings". Psst, keep that to an internal memo only.
Finally, enter at your own risk into the inner sanctum of Timmy Wannabe from Suburbs,USA and ask him to show you his trunk of violent video games, rap/hip hop/heavy metal arsenal of music that contains graphic and explicit language and then ask him to name players on the Rutgers Women's basketball team. Now ask yourself, of the previous list, which topic did Don Imus choose to attack.
