Don Imus only said what has always been in his heart and soul.
The remark he made about the Rutgers team was not a written piece but came from the Imus psyche. It was degrading, hurtful and ignorant.
While his remarks were right up there in being all-time bad, they simply reflect the state of the broadcast industry.
Most of the time, his show is funny, quick and counter to the prevailing conventional wisdom. For instance, Imus was willing to take on the hypocrisy of the political establishment on either side. That is what attracted me to this show.
But the larger issues are not being addressed. Here are a few.
The Imus shows on MSNBC and WFAN(AM) were lily white. Imus lives in a big white bubble. Ninety-nine percent of his musical guests were white. That speaks volumes.
Would he have made these remarks if he had any interaction with African-Americans on a regular basis? Maybe so, but if he had any front-of-mind awareness of the feelings of others who are not white and male, I doubt he would have.
Imus was cancelled by CBS and MSNBC because his advertisers bolted, not because MSNBC President Dan Abrams was offended by his statements.
I have listened for three-days to white male guests of the Imus show rationalize his statements. They all say Imus is a good guy who does lots of good things on a charitable basis; they all say he never displays racist behavior with them.
Of course not. Generally, you can't offend a white middle-aged male by telling “nappy-head hos” jokes.
While I'm no fan of Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton, they have been in the forefront along with the late C. Delores Tucker in pressuring the white males who run and profit from the record labels that put out hip-hop to clean up their act.
After countless meetings and protests for at least 10 years, there has been no response or change. Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) stats say up to 85% of hip-hop is purchased by white Anglo teens.
So who is supporting and profiting from the degrading music this industry distributes? There would be no Snoop Dogg if the white label owners did not condone his content.
As for Imus, the industry will apologize and rationalize for two-weeks. Then it's back to “business as usual.” Imus will return to his 20th-floor luxury trailer park in the sky and go to XM or Sirius.
Andre Washington
Fort Worth, Texas
