The 'h' word.

This blog originally posted Monday, April 16, 2007

Current mood: cranky Category: News and Politics

Up to this point, I have avoided the issue of Don Imus and his ignorant comments about the Rutgers team being 'nappy-headed ho's'. It should be self-evident that what he said was wrong (along with many other racist and sexist comments that he has made over the past years).

The biggest problem that I have with this whole issue is the deceitful, hypocritical stance taken by so many in the black community. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are quick to jump on his comments and call for censorship solely because he is a white guy proclaiming his ignorance. Yet, at the same time, they say nothing over the entire hip-hop industry's treatment of women. Further, when Bill Cosby spoke out against these things, he was vilified for speaking out against his black brothers!!!

Russel Simmons and Dr. Benjamin Chavis even issued a statement:

"Hip-Hop is a worldwide cultural phenomena that transcends race and doesn't engage in racial slurs. Don Imus' racially-motivated diatribe toward the Rutgers' women's basketball team was in no way connected to hip-hop culture. As Chairman and President of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN), respectively, we are concerned by the false comparisons some in the media are making between Don Imus and hip-hop. We want to clarify what we feel very strongly is an obvious difference between the two.

"HSAN believes in freedom of artistic expression. We also believe, with that freedom, comes responsibility. Don Imus is not a hip-hop artist or a poet. Hip-hip artists rap about what they see, hear and feel around them, their experience of the world. Like the artists throughout history, their messages are a mirror of what is right and wrong with society. Sometimes their observations or the way in which they choose to express their art may be uncomfortable for some to hear, but our job is not to silence or censor that expression. Our job is to be an inclusive voice for the hip-hop community and to help create an environment that encourages the positive growth of hip-hop. Language can be a powerful tool. That is why one's intention, when using the power of language, should be made clear. Comparing Don Imus' language with hip-hop artists' poetic expression is misguided and inaccurate and feeds into a mindset that can be a catalyst for unwarranted, rampant censorship."
What kind of ignorance is that!!!! I almost don't even know where to begin. First, he is saying that censorship is OK as long as it is racially motivated. A black man can say the 'n' word and degrade women all he wants because that is what he sees around him!!! Who is the racist here? Who is putting down black culture? Secondly, he is saying that art shouldn't be censored, but public speech should be. Thirdly, I would say that most rap and hip-hop lyrics (as with most other song lyrics) are shallow and have little 'artistic message' to them. Yes, some are well done commentary such as 'Gangsta's Paradise' by Coolio in the mid 90's, that really captured the hopelessness felt by someone in the ghetto.

But, for the most part, there is little or no redeeming value to any of this style of music because it glorifies a lifestyle of ignorance while simultaneously denigrating women. (I would say the same of most country music, but that's another blog). Simmons/Chavis are right, Language has Power, and when abused, it can be dangerous.

The duplicitousness of Russel Simmons and Dr. Chavis puts them in the same category with Don Imus, Rev. Al Sharpton, and Jesse Jackson.

I don't respect any of them. They are all racists in their own way. They all help to perpetuate negative views of black women.

I do respect Bill Cosby. I do respect C. Dolores Tucker. There are very few who stand up against the thugs who use shock, hate, and evil as a tool for money or political gain, who stand up for what is right, who stand up for honesty.