Imus the Bigot
As you might have heard on the news, Don Imus, a radio talkshow host, was punished with a two week suspension for calling the Rutger's women basketball team "a bunch of nappy headed hos". Let's face it, America is upset about the "nappy". If he had just said "hos" there wouldn't have been any dilemma. It's pretty interesting how America has gotten all upset over racial related to African Americans. Look at all the anti-Arab/anti-Muslim racial comments he made before this. He certainly used more biggoted comments then, but how dare he use the word "nappy" now?

Don't get me wrong, I agree with most people that say he shouldn't be on the air. I just don't get why this is the tipping point for public outrage. Why should African American racial slurs carry more weight than other racial slurs? Are we racial slur racists?

I think one of the factors is Rev. Al Sharpton. Lately, it seems like he's got nothing better to do than to scour the media looking for something racial that he can spearhead into a riot or something. I believe he'll do pretty much anything that will draw attention to himself from the media, perhaps for another run at the presidency. Yet the irony is that he doesn't have to look very hard to find racial slurs and imagery depicting black people as a negative part of society, he can just pick up a copy of 50 cent's CD. Some people would object to my reasoning with "...but, 50 cent's black, so that's ok". I would counter by saying that by being black, and by being the self appointed representative of black people, he should have the most influence and the most reason to straighten his people first. If racial epithets shouldn't be used to refer to his people then his people should be to first ones to stop using them. Is it not hypocritical to preach one thing to one group of people, and sit idly by while the people you represent make a mockery of your preachings? To drive my point home let me share with you an interesting quote: "Let us consider a more concrete example of just and unjust laws. An unjust law is a code that a numerical or power majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not make binding on itself. This is difference made legal. By the same token, a just law is a code that a majority compels a minority to follow and that it is willing to follow itself. This is sameness made legal." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "Letter from Birmingham Jail". Here, Dr. King is saying that you can't make laws that don't apply to everyone, especially yourselves. Although he's referring to legal laws, does this not apply to social laws too?


I like to talk about Sharpton because I see him as such a waste of valuable potential to the African American civil rights cause. No person, race, or civilization has ever risen up by the continued guilting or pleaing for reparations from a dominating person, race, or civilization. The last thing that anyone who cares about his people would do, would be to foster an attitude of "the white man needs to give me something because I've been oppressed". African Americans will never be judged fairly if they don't pull themselves up with their own drive to become successful. You simply cant end stereotypes that hold true more often than not.

Sharpton should be advocating an ethos of self-reliance, pride in one's culture, the willingness to support your brothers, and a passion for true justice regardless of race. Then again, I can see why Sharpton doesn't want to elevate the status of black people in America. Without a suffering race, you cant claim that you're oppressed. If your race is not oppressed Sharpton can't incite anger and place himself as their liberator. I wonder, if God presented Sharpton with a secret choice (1) racisim would be eliminated in the world, but he would be unknown in the media forever or (2) racisim would continue status quo, but he would depose Jesse Jackson as the sole leader of the African American civil rights leader, ...I think he would pick the later choice. If you read this additional research that I did on him you'll be convinced why.

In my opinion the biggest No-No that Sharpton has done was to pull out the racial card at every court case/police beating where race wasn't even a factor and still try to support the black guy despite the enormous evidence to the contrary. A true leader would be the first chastise a criminal as a disgrace to their people, not make wild accusations in an attempt to bring attention to yourself and sow increased racial discontent while drawing attention away from the facts in hand.