The Imus situation is all over the place now, maximum coverage. It appears that, as a society, we are attaching a lot of importance to words.
rac-ism
n.1. The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
2. Discrimination or prejudice based on race.The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition.
By this definition, is Don Imus a racist? Do the few words he said last week speak to his beliefs or make the case that he practices discrimination?
One thing I am hearing over and over is the phrase, “We shouldn’t tolerate racism”. How is it possible to not allow a person’s belief? What if someone comes right out and says, “I’m a racist”. Sorry, that’s not allowed. It’s a ridiculous notion. If you were able to disallow one belief, why not others and who decides which ones.
Another phrase that is new is, “apology tour”. This is another ridiculous idea. If you say something that is hurtful to someone, you apologize to that person. If your comment is directed to a group, you apologize to that group.
So, the apology tour is not the natural progression. It is markret driven; it is hype. Al Sharpton, Matt Lauer, Imus apologizing repeatedly on his own show, all of it is damage control. What bothers me, and creates mistrust, is the fact that Imus chose to do all of the hype before meeting with the Rutgers team.
How Imus will be punished is also market driven. If the public percieves that he has paid his debt, the show will go on. Hence the hype takes precedence over moral responsibility.
Also, listen closely to Al Sharpton. At the core of his argument is the premise that racism should not be tolerated on F.C.C. controlled, public owned airwaves. In other words, he wants the government to control people, that he percieves, have a certain set of beliefs. Once again, if a person were to publicly state they are a racist, does that mean that they should not be allowed on the radio? After all, said person would be a member of the public and part owner of the airwaves. As radio is a commercial enterprise it wouldn’t fly. People would be offended and not tune in. Sharpton seems to want to change the system and have radio governed based on people’s beliefs and ideas.
On to something else. When I was a kid, I vividly remember watching Hank Aaron surpass Babe Ruth’s home run record. It was exciting. It was part of what has made me a life-long fan of the game. Aaron was the model of consistency. The lesson was a good one, be consistent and you can accomplish great things. On the other hand, Aaron was shy by nature and not a media hound. He went through some deplorable things, death threats and hate mail, during his chase. The media was different back then also and they allowed Aaron to have glory in the moment.
Barry Bonds will likely break Aaron’s record this year and Aaron says he wants no part of it. The perception, of course, is that Aaron disapproves of Bonds because of his alleged steroid use. Whether or not Aaron sees it that way, I don’t know, but that is the perception. There is no way to prove retroactively whether Bonds doped on his way to the record. So, his record will stand. It makes me sad that a new generation of fans will not experience the same excitement that I did as a boy watching Aaron.
Plugs:
If you are an indie artist/band check out my friend Dave at AirplayPro.com. He has started a new company that is doing radio promotion. This is an area where it definately helps to have someone representing you. Dave is a rare type in the music biz. He is willing to do the actual work involved in promotiom, he will hype for you but not hype you.
Also, if you are in the area come see us Saturday night at the Bearded Clam in Kimberling City, MO. If you would like to come to the show and stay the night, the Clam has rooms available for a discounted rate of $40.00. Contact me by e-mail or call the club manager, Tony, at 417-739-4440 to get a room.
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Tags: AirplayPro, Al Sharpton, Barry Bonds, Bearded Clam, Hank Aaron, Imus, racism
Jenn wrote,
“How is it possible to not allow a person’s belief? What if someone comes right out and says, “Im a racist”. Sorry, that’s not allowed.”
That’s just where the left and the politically correct apologist are taking us.
Link | April 15th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
Patrick Darnell wrote,
Dear friends:
I want to say something, but I may be out of my league.
I am offended by my own use of general-istisms statements, and all-too-wide-of slogans/catch-phrase/bloggadacious ubiquity as I ape and follow modern “leaders” of Anti-things practices. But the real leaders were more eloquent in their days.
When our ’60s MLK spoke of the situation, I always got the message of “I and Thou,” even before we studied Martin Buber at Trinity U, back in ‘73. The fact of racism is not too far away from your defintion above.
It turns out, my own mother now 83, grew up in Martin, TN, said to me just the other day, “I think I am truly a racist.” I said, “Mom, I get it, but most everyone else can not fathom that.” It turns out she was a little girl she remembers being on one side of a fence in her back yard Tennessee, where resided Blacks on the other side, and they talked, teased and played to each other, through the fence.
Before anyone attacks me mom on this, you will have hell to pay; for you see she has just proven the theory, or posit, of the discussion above, exactly as it is written: “Once again, if a person were to publicly state they are a racist, does that mean that they should not be allowed on the radio?.”
Such as Imus was being “I and Thou” in his statement, [and he is not too far away from 80 himself]: “Those na;:y heads and costumes…” or what ever he said, is no different than an elder giving advice to a granchild. “I think I am a racist, I think I did something in my childhood, or something happened and I was grievously punished for;” this is identical, same, speech MLK gave only in a screen/script-writese way.
I am right, this is not coming together!!
So all the folks, J. Jackson, A. Sharpton, etc making blanket statements need to look at their own motives. Most of the business of those two is about taking money to insure that its corporate interests is protected as are its collective of workers, all ages, all colors, all cultures, form racism as they, Jackson/Sharpton define it. You, know, the old insurance gambit.
But it is not necessarily racism like MLK was talking about. Besides in Imus’ case there is infinite bandwidth out here. Pay the premium: tell them you apologize in the “excuse me for living” sense, get back on air. ..which I think he has done by now.
I think I’m getting too old for this!! But here goes: In conclusion –
Barry will surely break the Bonds that bind him to Uncle Henry’s Cabin-ette of trials and tribulations, as one four-bagger to another: “I been a slave to the field of dreams, I been a Bondsman, I been a mule, but now I’m a doper on a rope.” >pd
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ps. “Martin Buber: Ich-Du (”I-Thou” or “I-You”) is a relationship that stresses the mutual, holistic existence of two beings. It is a concrete encounter, because these beings meet one another in their authentic existence, without any qualification or objectification of one another. Even imagination and ideas do not play a role in this relation. In an I-Thou encounter, infinity and universality are made actual …rather than being merely concepts.
“Because, I/Thou relationship with anything or anyone connects in some way with the eternal relation to God.” [retrieved from: Why Iki Peed ya] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Buber today
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pss. I and my group are really sorry to have missed all those Clam Bakes and Gigs you have had over the last twelve years… we would’ve enjoyed Clamberling City for sure.
Link | January 17th, 2008 at 11:20 am