http://mediamatters.org/items/200704120001
Visit the above website and sign in with where you stand, using your public speaking skills! Do we have a double standard when it comes to racial remarks, can certain people say things others cannot? Analyzing your audience is important for any speaker, did Imus fall short in this area? What about Howard Stern and even other hip-hop artists that say "ho" all the time, such as Snoop? I look forward to your thoughts, and check out Oprah on Tuesday afternoon if you can, she is hosting a town hall with Russel Simmons and Al Sharpton among others to discuss the implications of this event and the consequential firing of Don Imus within the Black community, amongst women and people in general. Maya Angelou says that words matter, they stick invisibly to things and can do damage beyond the immediate moment they are spoken.
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18 comments:
Did Imus fall short ? Imus took a long ride off a short intergallactic wormhole at the wrong end of his 15 minutes of fame. I never watched Imus, though, channel surfing once in a while, noticed that he seemed to delight in wearing his cowboy hat, and stating outrageously irrational reactionary material with a little naughty boy sort of mentality and look. Did I mention I wasn't impressed? I dismissed him, long before he dismissed himself with his dis.
Do we have a double standard? My goodness! We have standards that reverse themselves like a mobius strip to the "n-th" powers. What is ironic to me is that the assumption I think many people make is that all those double standards apply in the favor of all white males, of which I happen to be one. But the reality is, I don't endorse those good old boy sort of values, so I find that white males (and other demographic groups!) play those games against me, and then, of course, you are considered "a loser" if you don't play that game. So, it's really not about just ethnicity and gender, it's also about a value system. In a society in which the interest group of traditional dominance is itself a minority, it's now all about vying special interest groups. As my father was so fond of saying "democracy is the least efficient form of government... but it's also the best one we have!"
To clarify my prior post, of course, as a rule, white males have had a sufferance of de facto advantage, and have made others suffer for it; there is no denying that ! But life is not generic, and each life has a story unto its own, relative. Certainly, though, I honor those who have had to suffer more, as a group; as a rule. We need look no further, for example, than the speech by Sojourner Truth we examined, to have a sense of what it was to be like as a 19th century African American female !
Frankly, I have to say, I am rather dismissive of popular media as a whole, however. It has the attention span of a fruit fly; will we even remember who Anna Nicole Smith is 10 years from now ? And so it is all sound and fury; an opiate of the masses. Howard Stern? Poof ! Will anything this man has to say be remembered day after tomorrow ?
So, to paraphrase Marshall McCluhan, "the shock jock is the message;" what we have to say is so insignificant in the long run, that we have to make it sensationalistic in the short run. And then, like little fruit flies, people like Imus get caught in that spider web...because they get away with one thing, eventually, they think they can get away with anything. How wrong could they be ? Imus just found out. But don't worry about Imus; he'll have a job somewhere before the end of the month.
I like the Maya Angelou quote, that was a nice finish; a support to theconclusion, a memorable end, and food for thought. I couldn't agree more.
There is always two sides to a coin and as the saying goes, everything with an advantage has a disadvantage. Freedom of speech falls into this category.It has saved many, it has also ruined many. Imus happened to be one of those who got the negative shocking effect of freedom of speech.I read the comments on the said site and was baffled at how people are more worried about whether others have done same thing in the past and got away with it. We should be more worried about rights and wrongs otherwise we sound like kids who uses the excusses that their friend or sibblings did something and got away with it to justify their misbehaviors. This brings us to double standard, yes it does exist, consciously or unconsciously. But, life itself is not fair otherwise some people will not be better than others in one way or the other. Howard Stein and the Hip Hop stars mihgt have used the same words and get away with it but that does not make Imus right and besides they do not work for the same comany or organization as Imus. What their own boss do with them ,if they have any, is their business. My stand therefore is that those who live in a glass house, as pointed out by an adage, should not throw stones.If you are in the media business and missed a class in communication or had a teacher that failed to teach you what you are suppose to know about communication, you might need to read up topics on analyzing your audience and using words well. It helps to be well informed in every profession you go into. It keeps you out of trouble. Let us all see what happen to Imus as a lesson for us all and not as an unfair treatment. He can always get another job if he wants. I like when we learn our lessons from non major issues such as job lost. It could be worst. It could be something as bad as lost of life. I do sympathize with him, but I don't think that his boss is wrong.
Euchay.
Thanks Euchay, you always have such kindness, depth, and insight in your words.
Hey, it's getting kind of lonely out here... where is everybody else's post....oh well, you have a few days yet.... I appreciate that Sandra has given us an extended deadline each week...
Paul
yes we do have a double standard with many things here in American including who can use certain words and who can not use them. For example the N word, African-American have ben calling each other that word for a long time as a sign of affection. Other people outside of the African-American culture my though it was a derogatory word, but among African-American them self it was an affection word. Just like the word dog that young people are calling each other today in contemporary time.
Some people wont to own some words, and decide who can use it and who can not.(Thought Police)
Don Imus and Howard Stern are shock jock that is whot they do for a living and people tune in to them expecting that kind of behavor and would be disapoint if they didn't hear it.
No Don Imus should not have gotten fired. He is a good person with a track record of doing good things. He just got caugh up in a web and some people wont to muzzle him and send a message to others.
Salih A. Qawi
Thanks team--You all rock!--S
Oby
Yes there are double atandards when it comes to using racial slurs. When African-American black person uses the word Nigger to address another black fellow and gets away with it, another person who does not belong to this group may do the same thing and gets in trouble. The person could get killed. Analyzing our audience and adapting to their needs is very crucial when it comes to making any kind of speech. Once a word is said it cannot be taken back even though we sometimes say "I take it back" It does not actually erase the word from our mind. It liggers. It is a pity what happens to Imus but his being fired goes a long way to say that we should always watch what we say, how we say it and to whom we say it to. Howard Stern and other hip-hop artists may have used racial remarks and got away with it but that does not make it okey for Don Imus to have done what he did. In his case he paid with his work.
Oby
You are right Paul when you said "Imus took a long ride off a short..." It is not impressing when people use racail remarks on the street not to talk of someone who runs a radio program with variety of audiece. I hope Imus learnt a lesson from this.
Talk about double standard oh it is always an issue in any culture. especially in united states. I have learned that some people get away with using racial sulur and some dont i think this it self is a double standred. celaberties, famous people can say anything with out worring about it like opra,and then she says it's freedom of speech. Imus also says whatever he wants to say, but then he apologizes to get away with it. like oby said i see people of the same race often call each other names but if any one else outside of their race calles them a name. then we have a big problem. fatana
I think it IS pretty interesting, like Oby, Paul, and Euchay have mentioned about the whole "double Standard" deal. And just last week my english class was discussing this event together, and talking about american values it general. Its odd how some can get away with saying out of the question statements, while others cannont. and then theres always the matter of who media is trying to publicize.
-Barira
Ohhh, And another topic we came across that sprouted from this whole Imus thing was... the Virginia Tech situation. Although, after firing Imus, some believe that it would show that saying certain things is unacceptable in public... it doesnt necesarily STOP it. Like the massacre. Media is publicizing the murder and the fact 2 guns and a ballistic mind lead to all that... Instead of ensuring it to never happen again. Ultimetly they are starting to limit ones rights by not wanting people to have the right to bear arms, like stated in the Amendments. But... its weird how it somehow creates a chain reaction... and more threats are sprouting about.
Barira
So the question that I really forgot to ask once again... Is it just to go back on the Amendments and change them about? Because with Freedom of speech being a MAJOR one... some people dont understand the limitations and where crossing the line can get them. Just like freedom to bear arms lead a student to murder innocent students and professors.
-bariraaaaaa
I have seen a lot of these people come and go. Don Imus is no exception to this rule. We need to be very vigilant to this kind of people, who use the same privilege as the real press do. Thanks to our freedom of speech and freedom of the press they both work 100%.
Lito
I didn't know who Imus was until the incident. Of course what he said was wrong, but I think it wouldn't be such a big deal if he didn't say it on air. People, well mostly celebrities get away with things that they say. Unfortunately, Imus got caught up in the whole mess.
I think the media and people that a person is surrounded with plays a huge role in how a person acts or speaks. Children today are influenced by their favorite music artists and picks after them. They hear them say something bad and thinks it's a good thing to say. Before you know it, it becomes a regular word to the children. To prevent this problem, artists should double check the words and message that they're going to deliver to make sure it's not going to cause an issue. Parents should pay more attention to who their children are with and what they're watching or listening to.
-See H.
I feel that some may, percive or interpret, the Imus scandal vs. hip hop music as evidence of a double standard. But in relation to that I think that everyone has the right to say what ever they want to so long as they properly, and responsibly, analyze your audience. people can make any statement about someone or something as long as that statement does not harm or offend anyone. I believe that people have the responsiblity to make sure that harm or offend their audience. so when it comes to Imus vs. hip hop artist, it may not be a question of who said what but who said what to WHOM.
-michael b
You know, I really did not want to respond to this blog so please bare with me on my thoughts. To compare the words of a rap artist vs. the words of a media host is not a fair comparison of double standards. No matter who says what, it does no justice to the real matter of the heart which is pain. The only difference boils down to tolerance which is accepted more from the mouths of those of the same culture/family and not from those who will NEVER relate. Think about it....if you and your sibling get into an argument or fight and take a swing at each other, you probably wouldn't think much about it. But if a total stranger comes up to your sibling and does the same thing as you , then you would have a major problem with this stranger which is no different from the double standard as referred.
Imus probably meant no harm in what he said as does some of the hip hop artists who say whatever before they think. The major difference is most of the songs that use these demeaning words are said and done with no specific person in mind while the young ladies from Rutgers are singled out,googled, reviewed and laughed at because of the way they look.
I personally know one of the players on that team and the thing that hurts the most is that they had the season of their lives for the hard work and sacrifices that they made to get to the championship. Now they are the butt of hurtful jokes on and off campus because of the words of someone who did not understand.
Alicia
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