I've never listened to Don Imus, and I think what he said about those women was stupid, unfunny and offensive. But good grief, is their self-esteem so fragile that an offhand comment by a shock jock causes such agony? Really? And the idea that Al Sharpton -- Al Sharpton! -- is the person to whom Imus goes crawling seeking absolution is vomitous. A few years ago, I wrote a New York Post column about the grandiose funeral plans for the dead young pop star Aaliyah, and said that we in this culture esteem celebrities too much. Here is National Review's account of what happened next (N.B., I was not a NR writer at the time):
The 22-year-old pop singer and actress Aaliyah died in the Bahamas when her plane crashed, after her entourage overloaded it with equipment. Her fans were stricken, and her funeral on Manhattan's Upper East Side featured a horse-drawn hearse, a silver-plated coffin, and the release of 22 white doves.
This struck Rod Dreher, a columnist for the New York Post, as a little much. "The family of Aaliyah," he wrote, "does the poor woman's memory no favors with this tasteless gesture."
This struck the Rev. Al Sharpton as much too much. Sharpton held a rally and a press conference at his Harlem headquarters, and hung Dreher out to dry. "What you really mean is, you should have a nice little Negro funeral." (Dreher had actually compared the singer's exequies with those of Princess Diana-"a ghoulish saturnalia of sentimentality . . . the epitome of modern celebrity worship.") "To say that she was less than someone else is abysmal, insulting, and racist." (This is Jefferson run amok-everybody is equal in every way.) But this was Sharpton's kicker: "We will bring down anybody who tells us how to mourn our own."
As if on cue-no, exactly on cue-the Post's phone lines lit up with threats to Dreher. Here is one beauty: "Look, white bitch, you're not answering your phone, but you can't hide forever. One of us is going to be waiting for you outside your building . . . We're gonna step out and choke your motherf***ing neck."
New Yorkers know better than to take these threats lightly. In 1995 Al Sharpton's National Action Network fastened on a landlord-tenant dispute in Harlem. A Jewish-owned store, Freddy's Fashion Mart, itself the tenant of a black church, was accused of jacking up the rent on a black subtenant. Sharpton set up pickets, manned by a lieutenant, which heckled black customers as "traitors" and Freddy's as "Jew bastards" and "bloodsucking Jews." Sharpton sometimes addressed his minions himself. One fine day, one of the mob, a nut with a criminal record, shot four people and burned the store down, killing seven (including a black security guard). When Sharpton incites, people die.
New Yorkers know Sharpton's record, but they will not speak of it. This dangerous clown has become a kingmaker in the New York City mayor's race, and he has announced plans to run for president in 2004. Sharpton is presumed to speak for black people-which is truly abysmal, insulting, and racist.
The New York Post, Dreher's newspaper, is one of the few outlets that have kept a spotlight on Sharpton throughout his dismal career. But now that one of its own has been threatened, the Post seems to have taken a powder. In response to the threats, the paper's new editor, Col Allan, made one minimalist grunt: "I stand by Rod Dreher. He had a right to express an opinion." The silence from the rest of the New York media has been deafening. Since a Democrat is almost certain to win in November, Sharpton will be given the keys to City Hall. The press does not want to offend the city's new lords spiritual, not even in the cause of defending the reputation-and perhaps the safety-of one of its own.
Happily, a Democrat did not win the mayoralty, but everything else in NR's account was true. I had to go into hiding in my own apartment after numerous death threats. Some black thug got on cable access and told his viewers that he had spoken to me, and I'd made racist remarks to him. The crowd worked itself up into a frenzy. They also chanted "Kill Giuliani! Kill Giuliani!"
The point here is not whether my column was offensive. It was arguably ill-advised, but what's important is that Sharpton took my comment about the phenomenon of celebrity, racialized it, and used it to promote himself at my expense -- this at a time when I was under death threat because of it (one message warned that "we know where you come out of the building, and we'll be waiting for you, and you won't see us coming).
Sharpton is a racist thug. Anything he touches is contaminated. None of that puts Don Imus in the clear, and don't misread me as apologizing for Don Imus. I'm not. What he said, again, was racist and offensive, and he should face some kind of sanction for his remarks (and he is facing that from his employers). I really don't care if they fire him, except that it gives the repulsive Sharpton a scalp to hang on his belt.
But let's be honest: the way this thing is being covered is a racially-correct media feeding frenzy. Note well the point made by the Catholic League's Bill Donohue:
“Two years ago, Penn Jillette (of the comedy team Penn and Teller) went on Showtime calling Mother Teresa ‘Mother F—king Teresa’ and called the nuns who worked with her ‘f—king c—ts.’ Showtime is owned by Viacom and that is why I wrote to its chief, Sumner Redstone, to register a complaint. He wrote back extolling the merits of ‘artistic freedom’ and ‘tolerance.’ Last year, on Viacom-owned CBS radio, Jillette said Mother Teresa ‘had this weird kink that I think was sexual,’ compared the saintly nun to Charles Manson and said she ‘got her [sexual] kicks watching people suffer and die.’ Again, nothing was done about this.
“In 2005, Bill Maher went on HBO at the time of the death of Pope John Paul II and said, ‘For those who could not make the funeral, the Vatican has asked that in lieu of flowers, just stop touching your d—k.’ He also said that the whole story of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and the Resurrection was ‘grafted from paganism’; he ended by mocking the death of the pope and the upcoming conclave. The letter I received from HBO said that ‘it’s a free country, and people are free to say silly things—even on HBO.’
[snip]
“In other words, Catholic bashing is humorous and an exercise in liberty. Racism is awful. Bigotry, then, is neither good nor bad—it just depends who the target is.”
As a professional matter, it would seem that Don Imus's problem is not that he's an unfunny bigot. His problem is that he's not bigoted against the groups our media overseers allow to be mocked with impunity.
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Good morning Franklin, yesterday was one of those days in north Texas that only come a couple of times a year. Perfection should never be common. I'm not always a swing first and ask questions later person. A couple of years ago our little town was almost impossible to navigate off traffic times. When traffic was heavy it was impossible. The main road was tore up for widening and it was a nightmare. Saturday afternoon and I needed a part for the tractor. Small town thing, proprietor running the card over at the desk and me talking to him while my wallet laid open fifteen feet away at the counter. Young man walks to where my wallet is and looks around. I walk over and pick up my wallet giving the kid (early twenties is a kid) a dirty look as I picked up the wallet. I pulled out on a side street to get access to the main road. I'm sixty foot long with the combination of truck and trailer. Part of my trailer is infringing upon the access off those wanting to use the side street, not much, just a little. I stopped behind an Explorer waiting to enter the main highway. Traffic clears and the Explorer doesn't move. I did the old throw my hands up in the air in frustration thing. No bad words, no single digit exhibit, just an expression of frustration. Explorer driver steps out and screams at me that I'm an, well think of donkey marrying a cavern and having offspring. And he's not going to move until I back up. It was the kid in the auto parts store who evidently still smarting from the dirty look I'd given him. Two problems here. First is I can't back up, people are behind me, one of them using their horn already. Second I know that there's at least six to eight feet between us even though from his position in the little Explorer mirrors it appears I'm inches off of his rear. I also understand he doesn't present a threat because he has a deathgrip on his door as he screams at me. I smile at the young man and tell him to not get into a hurry to move because I think it's funny. And I dial 9-1-1 and explain to the dispatcher who I am and what's happening and an official presence would be appreciated.
By the time the cops arrived it was a total circus. Traffic was blocked almost all directions. The finest rolled up and motioned the young man into the auto parts parking lot. He was still protesting my being the earlier described offspring. I heard an officer tell him that had nothing to do with blocking traffic. I was waved on my way with a knowing smile from the officer, kids.
I tried to post a long post, retelling a story a friend of mine related to me. Unfortunately, it got et by the HaloScan blackhole. You are not the first trucker of my acquaintance, not by a long shot: in my experience, truck drivers are amongst the best and the worst drivers on the road anywhere. You certainly sound like one of the former.
Well, here's Dr BLT's answer to the whole Imus ordeal. You heard it first here: Imus Forgive Dr BLT words and music by Dr BLT (c) 2007 http://www.drblt.net/music/ImusForgive.mp3
I don't know if I should be upset or not. Reading his article made me both nod and shake my head. But he is correct that society tends to dictate what we can and cannot consider funny. Now, I am a black woman and though yes Imus's comments were uncalled for, would he be getting the same reaction if he made a comment along the lines of "trashy white trailor trash hoe's" about a school of white females? I doubt it. I don't think anyone, no matter what their color, should be subjected to any kind of critism.
Rod, in your April 11th blog, you appear to straddle the fence when commenting about Don Imus and the Rutger's women's basketball team. You claim that the comments made by Imus was unfunny and offensive, yet in the same breath, you state "good grief, is their self-esteem so fragile that an offhand comment by a shock jock causes such agony". You continue to rant on and on about Al Sharpton taking the attention and focus away from Don Imus. I thought that was who you were writing about. How do you really feel because you certainly didn't persuade me on the little blurb - one liner- about Don Imus' insultive behavior and callous words. You can't stop people from using words which is ridiculous because all of us has said some things that we can be ashamed of if revealed. However, the FCC should regulate language on talk shows and television, period. The "b" word is used loosely on sitcoms, reality television, videos, etc. I believe there should be more regulation or certain "freedom of speech" communique which will force individuals to purchase videos, records, etc. like x rated movies. Or one could subscribe to Sirrus radio but not on the public airwaves. If videos are shown with vulgarity, bleep the words. Until the music industry stop or regulate what is shown or played on the airwaves you will continue to hear and see the vulgar rap videos. Also, comedy shows are another avenue to offend across the board. No one is speaking of that group. If mainstream television producers and executives does not regulate what is seen on tv shows then you will continue to have "slips of the tongues" and later meaningless apologies. We can't stop what people say but we can regulate what goes on the airwaves.
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