Do you have to be black to get away with saying what Imus said?

Question

Why is it that rappers, white and black say this stuff all the time and women, and people in general are buying cds and dancing to it?

Answer 1

Yes I would say so. Given the huge number of black americans who constantly use the same derogatory names in the mainstream media...where do they think the social acceptance of these terms came from?

The hysteria surrounding Imus, and prior to him, Michael Richards from Seinfeld, is hypocritical and shameful. Black rappers and comedians should wake up and stop promoting the use of offensive terms. If it is okay for one sector of the population, then it is okay for everyone.

Answer 2

It sure looks that way! They pay no notice to the degrading words that are being said in songs! It is a whole race thing, they feel they are the only ones that can say those types of things. It is that whole double standard hypocrisy! Why isnt Sharpton & Jackson rallying to stop the black rappers from saying those things on CD? I wonder if Eminem would even get away with saying what Imus did....

Answer 3

Simply stated YES.
This was a lynching 2007 style. Drag him out in the streets and hang em him high.
And for saying something insensitive.
Forgiveness and redemption. Yeah right, forget about it.
One of the news stations had the lyrics of the #2 hip hop song on tonite. The first line was. " You're a F*****G N****R Ho.....
The rest was unfreaking believable.
But Imus got fired.Yeah right.Justice has been served
The black community cleaned up the problem.

Answer 4

It's the biggest double standard in American society that's been going on the last 70 or so years: BLACKS feel they have the exculsive right to free-lip the "N" word. But let a "honky" white person say the word--and it's a CRUSHING DEMAFMATORY STATMENT. If Imus were BLACK when he made his infamous statement, he'd still have a job.

Blame CBS CEO Leslie Moonves and MSNBC for over-reacting, shaken scared by the "reverend" Al Sharpton--the co-mastermind of the Tawana Brawley HOAX. And where's Jesse Jackson in all this????

I don't take stock in racist statements. Any spoken towards me are ignored completely. As for your other question on Rap racist lyrics, take heart: Rap / Hip-Hop music genres are fast dying--and there's harcopy record sales facts to back that fact up. I wouldn't sweat what those poser losers rap about.....

OOps....did I make a racist statement, saying "poser losers"????? Offended BLACKS and rappers: Get over it and GROW THE HELL UP.

Answer 5

The question that you posed was, "Do you have to be black to get away with saying what Imus said?"

My response to that is, "No. But, you'd better know your audience!"

Rap came from people who had a lot to get off of their chest, and this was the form of their expression. The fault really lies with the music industry regulators, gone amuck by freedom of speech, who allow this type of rap music to be aired.

The so-called elevator music was replaced with good vibrations of insturmental sounds. Then these instumentals became the background music for hip hop and rap artist, largely because they did not know how to play insturments.

People enjoyed the instumental sounds and tried to block out the profanity and derogatory remarks. No one said anything so the profanitiy and remarks gained more prominence than the instrumentals themselves. What used to be subliminally stated, now became the actual song title.

The airwaves have the power to refuse to play any song that violates their bylaws and include profanity and derogatory remarks. But, don't think for a minute that just because talk show host are talking about stopping the profanity and derogatory remarks in music, that they are just doing it for the good of the people. Because, they aren't. It is all about the ratings! And, to get one person off the rung of the latter moves another person up. The one who hollared the loudest to have Imus fired, moved up a notch on talk show radio and the book will be out as soon as he writes it.

Answer 6

I think so. I am not racist
but I do fear that there are many people that have been walking a thin line very close to racism and this whole thing is going to push them to the racist side and I think that is what Al Sharpton and Jessey Jackson want because they have been losing popularity an they are using this to get it back
I am hoping it back fires on them.

Answer 7

No but I think the was fired because he's a public figure and he's representing MSNBC and CBS. We're supposed to have free speech in this country but not really. Anytime we use disrespectful language and negatives terms that's ground for termination. Yea I get your point though if he can't say it in the public eye no one should.

Answer 8

wow! As an black woman from the south it really hurts to read these posts. I wonder, are you racists living in the rural south, over 75 years old and uneducated? If so, then I understand you can't help but be ignorant.

Thank the Lord that over my 10 years spent in higher education obtaining my 3 degrees that I have never encountered any white people like you. (at least to my knowledge) I have so many good white friends who do not think like this and thank the Lord b/c I would think that all whites were racist.

Now let me educate you on a few things. It is not ok for a radio or tv personality to call women nappy headed ho's. B/c radio and tv are sponsored by companies who rely on women and blacks to buy their products. Conversely, rap music (which is not all deragatory and you would know that if you listened to it) relies on people to purchase it, which ironically 60% is purchased by young white kids. You see the difference, sponsorship vs consumer purchases.

Accordingly, I as a black woman will choose to close my American Express account if they support sexist and racist people like Imus b/c I don't want to support him. Then American Express looses money b/c women and blacks stop using their credit card.

Rock music has degraded women for years and I don't hear white women using that as an excuse as to why they are in overwhelming majority victims of domestic abuse. Music, movies and books is all art. You look at it for entertainment.
Blacks can use words in their culture b/c it is their culture, just as whites use Poor White Trash, white girls call each other bitches and ***** everyday but they get mad as hell if a man calls them that, gays call each other queens and fags but straight people don't b/c it would be offensive. Plenty of people use terms between each other that would be offensive if others used them b/c they share the same experiences, background and cultures and because the share the same pain when the words are used in a derogatory way. How dare any white person complain b/c they can't use deragatory words to black people without being called a racist. Why else would you be using the words?

Furthermore, hip hop and rap was not created for white people, it was a way for young black men to express themselves and what was going on in their lives, to be heard by other black people. So it is not black rappers fault if young white people love our culture and our music. That is nothing new. Thank God for the young white people, maybe they will put an end to all of this nonsense. Racist white people, please don't use rap music to justify your hate. Even if your right about rap music it's still no excuse for racist behavior.

Answer 9

I dont think you have to be black to be able to say stuff like that and not get fired for it. I think you have to simply be of no interest to Shaprton to be able to get by with it.
I found it a stupid comment what he said, but not a racist comment.
I think the larger issue is that CBS and NBC fell in the line Sharpton wanted them to fall into...and now they will never be able to get out of it.
Latest polls show almost 76% of people disagree with him being fired. These networks dont exactly have their finger on the pulse here do they..?

Answer 10

Yes, blacks seem to be able to make any kind of rude, crude or lewd comments they want about other races and themselves-- and it's considered okay, maybe even complimentary.
Do you know that local high schools in my area have had "PIMP and HO" nights for the kids to dress up and act sleazy. So I figured that girls don't mind being labeled 'hos".
As for the word "nappy", which I looked up in the dictionary, it means having downy hair-- WOW, them's fightin' words, alright!