Imus & the Brouhaha of Political Correctness
Are you as sick of this story as I am?For those who have been blissfully unaware, let me catch you up to speed.
NYC Shock Jock Don Imus (and his nattering nabobs) stuck their foot in the proverbial "it" the other day when Imus referred to the Rutgers' Women's B-ball team players as "nappy-haired hos."
It wasn't nice. Maybe it was racist (I'm not sure what that nappy-haired bit means). It was certainly unkind to refer to them as "hos". But, in the common vernacular, "ho" seems to mean woman these days in stead of the presumed "whore", but I digress.
Imus was instantly called on the carpet for his comment, most particularly by the irreverant (teehee - see what I did there?) Al Sharpton, the kind of man who has enough experience to recognize a racist remark from anybody else's lips, but not necessarily his own. Other "notables" like Al Roker and "The Messiah" Barak Obama called for Imus to be fired.
I don't really like Imus, but then, I've never found him to be nearly as offensive as Howard Stern. I don't listen to either of them. They have a right to be disgusting, racist, misogynist, perverted, and lecherous. But, I fail to find Imus any more revolting than Stern.
In the aftermath and despite his apologies to the team, Imus has been fired from his MSNBC simulcast and by CBS for the radio program.
Meanwhile, Howard Stern continues to treat women like walking, talking tits.
My point is, you don't have to listen to these jerks. If they offend you, turn them off. As much as MSNBC and CBS have a right to fire him for turning away advertisers, you can fire him by tuning in to something else.
Racial remarks, comments that are derogatory to anyone, are reprehensible certainly. But they aren't illegal. Too often we forget that we have a right to say what we want, within limitations. Those limitations include falsely shouting "fire" in a crowded theater, or the kind of speech that puts people in real physical danger.
Calling someone a name, reprehensible as it might be, is still perfectly within your rights. It doesn't hurt anything except feelings. And, as I have pointed out before and will likely do many more times, you don't have a right to live free of offense.
Remember "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me"? It was true on the playground and is still true today.
If you don't like the speech, don't listen. But don't stone the man because he's a bigot or a fool. I don't like the Dixie Chicks. I no longer listen to their music and anytime the come on the radio, I change the channel. But, and this is the important point, I don't deny that they have a right to speak their mind.
This political correctness crap is getting out of hand. And I, for one, am sick of it.
Labels: Political Correctness
