[Rhodes22-list] Don Imus

[Todd Tavares]

By going after Imus, all Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson did was cause
people to have to choose sides.  They are took an ignorant, insignificant
comment made by a foolish white shock jock and turned it into fighting
words. How can a white person defend what Imus said?  He can't!  But
after all of the trouble Sharpton and Jackson whipped up, he won't risk
commenting.  But now there is a sense of need to circle the wagons and
fight the battle those two so-called Reverends have started.   This is
how Jackson and Sharpton justify their own existence....cause a frenzy,
then publicly calm the storm and/or mediate to make it appear as Blacks
have won another battle.  The only Blacks winning are those two by lining
their pockets from the false support they stir up in the Black
community.  If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a noise? No, and
nobody profits from it either.  Jackson and Sharpton do not jump onto
bandwagons...they ARE the bandwagons.

Jason Whitlock may be playing to a white audience, but his argument makes
a lot more sense than Al Sharpton's.  Al and Jessie trump this, and any
other issue they can, up into a national media witch hunt for their own
gain and fame.  They make their money by claiming to be helping the Black
community and Black causes and empowering Blacks but they do so by
putting them into the roles of victims.  They take their pride and self
worth and turn it into anger.    There is no possible positive outcome
from the trouble Al Sharpton started....unless you consider Don Imus
getting fired a plus. What about the female basketball players?  Dom Imus
didn't steal their thunder--Al Sharpton did!     Jason Whitlock makes
much more sense. Regardless of who is too young to not remember the civil
right movement and marches of the sixties, it makes alot more sense to
ignor what someone else says about you.  When it comes right down to it,
what Imus said doesn't matter and these female basketball players
shouldn't let Imus define who they are.  They went from educated,
championship contenders to "nappy headed hos" not because Imus said it,
but because Al Sharpton turned them into victims.  Al Sharpton and Jessis
Jackson are racists and do more to fuel racism and discrimination than
they do to solve these problems.

Todd T

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: "Joseph Hadzima"
  To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list"
  Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Don Imus
  Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2007 07:46:51 -0700 (PDT)


  Regarding the double standard ...

  yes and no!

  THESE specific women basketball team members were singled
  out. There is no information on what music these women
  like. So we can't say they deserve to be called anything.
  In fact THEY were offended, the rest of the noise (e.g.
  Rev. Jackson, et al) just wanted to hop on to the band
  wagon, and be heard (after the Imus was fired, Jackson
  still wants to hold his march to CBS).

  I also believe there is a tad more to the story .. the
  conversation (not just the single sentence from Imus) said
  things like the TN team were "cute", and other remarks
  which were unflatering to the NJ team. Those remarks I'm
  sure did even more to hurt their feelings.

  It was NOT a GENERAL remark, it was directed to a specific
  team. When the MC at a MTV Spring Break show welcomes the
  "bitches" to Spring Break Mexico, they are not specifically
  refering to "all the girls from "WhatsAmatter U", but any
  in the croud that wish to identify themselfs with the
  remark. No one is up in arms (many of these women are not
  black, and neither is the MC of the show - so it's not just
  the Black RAP community that is at fault).

  Anyone remember when it was totally un cool to refer to
  females over 16 as girls? they were either women, or young
  women, sometimes a male could get away with calling a goup
  "ladies" if the average age was over 40 ... maybe. Where
  is NOW now? Are they okay with this?

  As for the true part of the double standard. The irony is
  that the black community fought very hard for total
  integration many years ago, and now that some white folk
  embrace some of the same cultural atributes (think America
  the melting pot) in the burbs it is some how wrong.

  So IMHO, I believe some of this outrage is a good thing,
  even Rev. Sharpton said there needs to be more outrage
  towards some RAP and commics. But as far as Imus goes, he
  did insult a specific group of talented indivduals, and
  deserved at least the 2 week suspention.




  HADZ (a.k.a. joe)

  "Did you know...that when you walk past a flower, whether it be in
  somebody's garden or on a vacant hillside, the flower will always
  smile at you. The most polite way to respond, I've been told, is
  to cheerfully return the smile."
  --Ron Atchison
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