Nappy-Headed Who?  To be sure, Don Imus had it coming.  The I-man is the casualty of a cultural war between decency and indecency.  And Black people in America, like others, are caught on both sides of the crossfire. 

Some words should never be thought of.  And if thought of, never spoken.  And if spoken, quickly retracted and apologized for.  Imus is as guilty as the people (this writer included) who have used the ‘N’ word, the ‘F’ word or ‘NHH’!  Sometimes the words can slip out accidentally.  Lip control is tough especially if you are consistently in ‘bad’ company where objectionable words are the norm. 

Bad company does indeed corrupt.  Group mentality can sip in, and you may soon find yourself saying shocking things!  It is hard to draw the line to prevent words you’ve said from coming back to hit you!  Boomerang is an equal opportunity offender! 

A few years back in a classroom, an instructor made a ‘simple’ rule.  No one was to use the ‘F’ word or make other derogatory remarks.  The goal was to keep the language ‘clean’ and the intellectual discourse elevated.   It doesn’t take much brain power to use gutter language!  The instructor had a particular problem with the only woman in the class.  She freely joined the ‘boys’ in spewing expletives! 

This woman’s unlady-like behavior took away one of the main pillars for the instructor’s rule.  He couldn’t say “there is a lady in the room” to caution the boys!  The chickens came home to roost when the guys started using expletives that included reference to female private parts!  She took offense!   

The female student came to learn a crucial lesson the hard way.  It is difficult to get into stuff like that and still maintain the lines of decorum.  Once the doors of indecency are flung open, anything can fly out.  In the case of Don Imus, a White newswoman admitted on a news program how she liked “talking dirty”.  A previous guest on the Imus show, she had come to regret indulging him.  Well, better late than never.  ‘NHH’ is as much an attack on White women, as it is on Black women.

Black people who use self-derogatory words have little basis to take offense when those same words become in-coming verbal missiles!  What could be worse than self-mutilation?  Black people must take some of the blame.  Rap singers, sport figures and regular folks have a hand in this mess. 

The ‘N’ word has become a major punctuation mark in the African-American parlance, especially among the ‘cool’ people.  Well, word to the cool-wannabes: it ain’t cool to be cursing your mama, papa, sister or brother!  That is totally uncool! 

If you disrespect yourself so much, how do you expect others to respect you?  A point well-made by a Black commentator is that Imus didn’t get those words out of thin air.  ‘NHH’ is not in the normal dialect of an old Whiteman!  Those words should never come from anybody: Black, White, old, young, etc. 

When Imus got fired, questions were raised as to the timing of the big axe.  He had initially been suspended.  As cries for his ouster grew, the networks seemed to ‘see the light’ when major advertisers abandoned his sinking ship.  Which came first: the chicken or the egg?  Hmmm…  Is it possible that the pack of wolves Imus used to run with turned on him?  How the networks handle others like him still in the American media will determine their sincerity. 

In the midst of this ruckus stood the girls themselves; these were hardworking student-athletes.  They didn’t deserve the jibes from Imus.  It is commendable that he apologized to them.  For the rest of us, especially the not-so-innocent bystanders, we hopefully have learnt from this story.

Words can hurt people.  Derogatory remarks are dangerous whether they come from Black, White or other people.  Words can be like stones thrown up in the air above a crowded street.  When those missiles come crashing down, there is no telling where they’d end up!  They could land on your sister’s head!  Or on some other loved ones!  Or on your own head!

(fredlintaz@yahoo.com)

Robot  Villager

# 1 Nappy-Headed Who? To be sure, Don Imus had it coming. The I-man is the casualty of a ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 19.04.2007 11:09