Is there a way that you can call a black woman a ‘nappy-headed ho’ without it being a racist, misogynistic statement? Maybe you could argue that it was meant as a joke. Maybe you could give a pass if the person saying it is black, or black and a woman. I think you’ll wind up twisting yourself into pretzels if you go down that road, making apologies for an ostensibly offensive statement. But, yeah, I suppose Chris Rock could use that term as part of his comedy routine without it being meant in a hurtful and hateful way. Context counts for a lot. But context isn’t helping radio shockjock Don Imus and his sidekicks at all in this situation.
Don Imus is creating controversy again. On his “Imus In The Morning” show Thursday, he referred to the Rutgers women’s basketball team as “nappy-headed hos.”
He was talking to Sid Rosenberg with Sports Talk on the phone about the Women’s NCAA Championship game.
Imus started out talking about the Rutgers team as, “some rough girls from Rutgers. They got tattoos,” and then went on to call them “some nappy-headed hos.”
He compared them to the Tennessee team, saying “The girls from Tennessee — they all looked cute.”
The conversation then went on to compare the game to “the jigaboos versus the wannabes.” Media Matters reported that the show’s executive producer, Bernard McGuirk, made that comment.
The ‘jibaboos and wannabes’ comment is a reference to Spike Lee’s movie School Daze that examined the black Greek system in universities and the racism against dark skin within the African-American community. Lee was pointing out that racism against dark skin isn’t limited to white people. He also pointed out that light-skinned blacks are criticized for ‘straightening their nappy hair’ and for ‘wanting to be white’. Lee was making a call for unity within the black community by mocking these prejudices. But Bernard McGuirk and Don Imus just took it all as an amusing joke. Obviously.
Don Imus’s show has been making racist and homophobic comments for a long time. I stopped listening to him in about 2001 because of the racism on his show. Racism isn’t funny.
The Rutgers women’s basketball team was a great team that fell just a little short of winning the national championship. You’d think a New York based radio show would celebrate their accomplishment and not focus on how pretty they were or how dark-skinned and nappy. And why call them ‘hos’? Did they conduct themselves like tramps?
There is no saving these remarks through rationalizations. Don’t listen to Imus. He doesn’t deserve your patronage. And most of his guests are just wankers anyway.
but I’m tempted to send this item to “Countdown” for their “Worst Person” segment — though since Imus simulcasts his radio program on MSNBC, it’ll be interesting to see if they let Keith use it…
I think Keith would use it. Whose ratings are higher?
Okay, sent the link to to the WNBC piece to “Countdown” — and he should be able to get the audio and confirm it for himself. Let’s see what happens — will also be interested to see if it gets mentioned on his ESPN Radio appearance as well…hmmm, wonder if I should send a link to Dan Patrick as well…
70% of the poll respondents think that Imus should not be punished — granted, the poll seems to be rigged by having two separate “No” responses:
No, he’s free to say what he wants (47%)
No, it’s his job to say outrageous things (23%)
That attitude depresses me even more than this misAdministration does… sigh
Well then I guess I’m absolutely free to say what I want and I just want to say that he’s one sorry ass racist/sexist prick excuse of a human being. Can I take his mega salary and shove it down his throat and make him choke on it?
I stopped listening to him long ago. He has been doing this for decades. Why do politicians honor him with the call-in interviews? And who is he to have these righteous opinions that he has? He’s not on the same political level as a Rush or an O’Reilly but they all use shock sensationalism for their ratings. Do they believe what they say? Probably not, but people listen.
Imus..man cows daddy…no one should ever listen to rantings of an old-man. He is racist.
It would okay to listen to him say it if he was young?
I don’t listen to either…
Good to know. It seemed that you were bringing ageism into a thread about racism and misogyny.
Perhaps I misunderstood your comment as biased, when you did not intend it that way.
I am stunned. I have heard of Imus before but never knew who he was. I lived in N.M., I’m a real cowboy, live it every day of my life. Anyway, I broke my leg Monday night working a 2 y.o. colt, so I’m lazy boy bound for a while. I decided to watch tv thurs. morning and I heard I think Martina Mcbride on the t.v. so I stopped the channel, and then later I hear this shit come out of his mouth!!! I was appalled. He gives us cowboys a bad name. 99.9% of working cowboys are NOT racist. There are many black cowboys working w/ us all the time, and they are great at what they do and who they are. Imus is simply catapulting the image and prejudice of who we are. He’s a lousy rider, can’t rope to save his life, doesn’t know shit about cattle, but, he owns a big ranch and has other people run it for him, and he gets to play dress up!!! Pathetic!! I got my info from good sources, by the way. Hang Tough- Tap
This isn’t just racism – its using racism to make a sexist point. And that gets my blood going on more levels than I can count.
Just try to imagine confining comments about the men’s final four basketball game to how the players looked. No mention of their technique, skill, teamwork, etc, etc, etc. I hear this all the time about women athletes. Once again, a statement that indicates that all that matters about a woman is how she looks. And then to do it in such ugly racist ways – damn them!!
The only good thing about that show is when Chris Matthews slips up and drops the F*bomb or the ‘big S’ and they can’t censor it on the MSNBC simulcast.
It’s as incredible that MSNBC tolerates Imus as that HLN puts a camera in front of Glenn Beck. Imus calls Senator Clinton “Satan,” insults minorities, Jews, Muslims, and sells his own stuff between insults. Surely there is someone else on morning radio who might be able to draw an audience.
The problem is that like many others, I click the remote rather than write the station and boycott the advertisers.
“Rough Girls From Rutgers” is that one is pre-med, another is an accomplished pianoist, and another has been described as a “math genius” by her coach.
“Nappy Headed Hos”? One RU womens basketball player has more intelligence in her little pinky finger than Imus has ever come near.
Is it too much to hope that Imus will end up in emergency with a bad case of indigestion…and the doctor working on him just happens to be that player? 😉
It’s amazing anybody gives a shit what this former drug-addled motherfucker has to say, and even more amazing that someone actually pays the idiot to spew his ignorant mumblings. No matter how many kids with cancer he gives pony rides to, he’ll never attone for his former drug use and general ass-holitude, and he’ll never be redeemed from being a racist piece of navel lint. Fuck that navel lint reference: Imus isn’t fuzzy except in his thinking. He’s a prick. Replace navel lint with prick. Now….that’s better.
Anybody who lives in New York and wears that dipshit cowboy hat is either a dipshit or a Village People wannabe. Well, I for one, have some class, so I’m hoping others will reply with the answer. C’mon, who’s the most misogynistic and/or homophobic people you ever hear about? Closeted gay Republicans. Well, okay, all the class I have is low.
You can complain to the FCC about Don Imus. I filed a complaint online. I may be contacting the NAACP and other organizations to see if they will follow suit in filing a FCC complaint – maybe if they get enough fines they will pull the show. Here’s the link to the FCC: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html The company that owns wfan is http://www.infinitybroadcasting.com
Pass it along. Let’s get this show off the air!!!
I haven’t seen much of Imus but what I have seen doesn’t really entertain me.
All the media attention and peoples’ reaction to the statement he made is ridiculous, all to divert our attention away from more important issues, Anna Nicole. Just kidding, why do people let the media control what they think? Here is what I think, Imus, white man, made a joke against some black women. I listen to rap music and what Imus said is pretty tame compared to what a lot of black males say in their songs against black and white females or even cops. Why don’t we see Sharpton up in arms about these entertainers? Why are blacks allowed to use the N word but whites are not? Why does network TV put stereo typical blacks on prime time shows such as Survivor and The Apprentice. Isn’t it amazing those shows were not able to find any black people that aren’t lazy? This is just the most obvious thing these shows pointed out. I know black people who are not lazy, why couldn’t either show find any? Why did the media make more of a story about Rodney King being black than it did of how he didn’t listen to the orders the police gave him? There where several other black men with Rodney and they did not get their asses beat. Why did we only see lazy black people wanting to be taken care of during hurricane Katrina, I find it hard to believe that there where no good black people helping and doing their part to help out in this tragic situation. Are Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and Farrakhan actually the spokesmen for the black community or are they far left and the media just wants whites to hate blacks?