there is a lot of talk about racism going on right now with the Imus situation?

Question

I've been reading a lot of questions and answers on here, and it's amazing the double standard that seems to prevail. It's ok for shock jocks to call white people crackers, but white shock jocks can't use racially insensitve speech towards the black community. It seems to me that both shouldn't be allowed. I understand there should be free speech, but not free speech that will hurt others. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton can smear the names of innocent people before even knowing if a crime was truly committed, they can use deragatory terms toward jewish people, and they are free to do so with no reprecussions, not even an apology. Any person who is involved in falsely accusing an innocent person of a crime should apologize, regardless of their color. Being a minority doesn't make you exempt. I grew up poverty stricken, no money, no father, etc. and I am not a minority. It is not only limited to people in minorities to grow up in harsh less than perfect conditions.

Over and over people have asked the same question as I'm asking, or rather made the same point I'm attempting to make. Each time one or two responses are in regards to the past and the persecution faced by various minorities. All people, if they look back in their past, have family members who have been persecuted. For color, religion, sex, orientation, etc. There are obviously varying degrees that different groups have faced, each more horrific than the next. How though, if we do nothing but use the past as an excuse for things today, or as an excuse to perpetuate racism and stereotypes, will we ever move on as a country to a place where we truly get along and are "united?" When do we look forward, rather than back? Easier said than done, I know. I have myself faced sterotypes and discrimination, personally, on a very regular basis. I know the pain it can cause, but it doesn't excuse me from doing it to another.

I'm not excusing Imus. I am only bringing his name up in association with the vast quantity of race related questions I have noticed. It is a prominent story in the news right now, so many people are talking about it. I am on here trying to make the point that people SHOULDN'T be excused for racist and hateful speech. No matter their color, sex, orientation, etc. Having a past of bad, horrible, worse treatment doesn't excuse any person for their behavior now, especially if it is repeating the very things they protest so much.

Answer 1

I didn't feel like reading that much.Bottom line we should all be nice to each other.If you have nothing nice to say then don't say anything at all.

Answer 2

Imus got screwed. He's been doing that for years. He don't mean anything by it. If you think he's bad, just listen to a conversation amongst average New Yorkers of any race. Most of you care bears would have their feelings hurt. Jackson and Sharpton are a joke and just wanted another white guy trashed on their resume.

Answer 3

Well for starters, anytime a race issue comes up there's going to be somebody somewhere who feels they were offended. Now as for Imus, I think he should have stopped at the tattoo remark and left it there but he went further after his producer was heard in the background making an ill advised reference about the Rutgers women's basketball team.

They called the Tennessee women "cute" and I suspect that comment was made based on the fact that some of Tennessee's African American players are fair/light skinned African American women. The Rutgers women were not and therefore the comments were oozed based on a totally ignorant observation.

I've noticed in social settings and particularly in job settings that white people tend to be "more friendly" towards lighter skinned African Americans than they are darker skinned African Americans. It's also very prevalent in movies, TV, commercials etc etc that lighter skinned African American members, particularly women, of our society are treated far more differently than are darker skinned African Americans.

If anyone knows their American history, plenty of slave owners fathered children with African American women who were slaves so it goes to reason that you would have some African Americans who happen to be a lighter complexion than others based solely on the fact that their female ancestors probably gave birth to children that were fathered by slave owners.

All in all, I doubt we'll ever get the over race issue in this country simply because there's so much negative history associated with it and for some people, it still stings quite a bit.

If we as a people and as a nation are to tolerant of people, then we have start being accepting of those who are different than we are. Until, we'll continue to be mired in this bottomless pit of social ignorance regarding other races.

As long as we allow people to stereo-type others, we are only doing an injustice to those people and to ourselves. I for one thought the comments by Imus were inappropriate just as I also feel comments by hip hop artists are as well.

Hip hop music in my opinion, has done more to degrade African American women and men over the past 15 years than any other one thing that I can think of and yet the African American community doesn't raise a stink when negative comments by an African American rapper are made. We shouldn't tolerate negative comments from anyone regardless who they may be.

Answer 4

The phrase "double standards" was concocted to take attention away from Imus' actions and onto other people that do things that are wrong.

Imus is the one we are talking about at the moment.
Just because other people do bad things, it does not mean that it is ok for Imus to do them.

Answer 5

Yeah, and it would really be interesting to see if Rosie O'Donnell would defend Imus if he had called the b-ball players a bunch of dykes rather than nappy headed hos.

Answer 6

Calm down, everyone knows all racists are white.

Sarcasm +10?

Answer 7

I totally agree.

Answer 8

can we get past this, already?

the man made a mistake... and has been dealt with

now, let us move on..... :-)