Really Really Good-Turn Off The Radio-aka the W(ho)le Story

What's good party people? If you have been living under a rock or cut off from what America considers "news", then you may not have heard about the recent developments surrounding radio (has very little) personality, Don Imus.

If you have cable and DSL access, you already know the story and probably have an opinion about. Good thing your opinion really really doesnt mean anything,I'm not sure if I can handle another slack jawed, nimwit try to get his pea brain around this Imus deal, while proving his ignorance in blogs, bulletings, radio call in lines and other mass media crap shoots.

I mean really folks, it's not that hard to understand why Imus's remarks have caused so much of any uproar. What is surprising is how many people are willing to out" themselves as closet bigots and try to make a stand on this issue. Is this realy what we in America have come to, that we are more concerned with "free speech" than we are of being held accountable for that speech?
That goes for everybody too, not just my foavorite shock jocks or gangsta rappers. I didn't even want to comment on this at all, but after reading all the BS postings and hearing every radio show host try to excuse Imus' behavior, I couldn't bite my tounge anymore.

First of all, Don Imus is a joke. Always has been, ask him and he'll tell you the same. His show is not a reliable source of news, like FOXNews or CNN (sarcasim intended). It's a comedy show, a very bad one mind you but a comedy show nonetheless. So why there are so many people who seem outraged at MSNBC, CBS, Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson is becoming the real question, at least to me.

Nevermind the fact that a entire group of young women felt the slash of Imus' rapier wit, many people on the sidelines have voiced opinions that show their support and unwillingness to understand how or why so many were very offended by Imus' remarks.

The first thing that came out of many radio jocks mouths wasn't, "Wow he really went overboard, that is a terrible thing to say." Many morning show jocks
didn't even really talk much about what was said and why it was wrong. No, the focus immedialy became "Why can black people get away with saying it and we can't" or "Rappers talk like that all the time, so you should be mad at them! Nobody fired 50 Cent or Lil Jon for saying the same type of things, why can they say it and we can't".

I'll tell you why. Because it's wrong to say such things. Period. No matter who says it, it's still wrong. Have we really not learned that yet? It's like you momma used to tell you, if you see your friends jumping off the bride that doesn't mean you should jump off the bridge too!" I mean that's just basic reasoning, stuff we are supposed to know when we leave elementary school. Obviously most of us never picked up on that. So for those of you in the back of the class, let me break it down for you this way.

For the record,if one black person does or says something, that does not mean that ALL black people do it, say it or condone it. That type of thinking is the cornerstone of racism. I know for a fact that not all white men like NASCAR, or have problems on the dancefloor. Many white guys not only can play basketball, but they are ten times better at the game than I will ever be. I know there are some white guys that will tell you to your face what racial denominations they
hate and why. I also know that those thoughts are not shared by every white man in America. The same principal applies to the black community. But you still seem confused, so let me break it down a little bit more.

There is one major difference between Imus and these rapper that people are comparing him to. The rappers are CENSORED on radio and have been since the begining. You can thank Mrs. Gore and the world reknowed music fan group The PMRC for that one. Trust me, many of us hated that move but we deal with it, watching our references to guns and drugs get bleeped, reversed and flat out cut out of songs, while listening to other "mainstream" artists and DJ get away with verbal murder time and time again.

Think I'm kidding? Listen to you favorite country station and tell me how many times you hear that song about Mama before she was mama, smoking marijuana and all that. Not one censor. Now go listen to ANY hip-hop song on the radio and tell me if you hear the word marijuana at all. You might hear all the nicknames and slang references to it, coded so it will pass the heavy handed censor-button pusher, but the actual words marijuana and gun are forbidden on any Hot or Jamz station across the country, at least until after-hours.

So even THAT excuse doesn't really fly. If you hear rappers cursing, that means someone went and bought a CD or mixtape. Sure the guy next to you in traffic might have a car stero system that you can hear from a mile away and you might get a dose of profanity thrown in your face at the stoplight. Sorry. You will not hear it on the radio. Imus was heard on the radio, nationwide.

But that's just one issue people have raised with this Imus situation.

While many choose to attack Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Jackson for "race baiting", their rush to turn the table and shift blame shows a deeper lack of true concern regarding this issue. While numerous people reminded us about Sharpton and Jackson's own past faux pas, NONE of them did the slightest research to show that these two men have spoken continuously to the Hip-Hop Community in regards to their choice of lyrics and misogynistic attitudes in music. Sharpton was demonstrating at Hot97, the Home of Hip-Hop & R&B in NYC, less that a year ago.

He is leading a petition as we speak againts Tony Yayo (G-Unit) and threating a boycott of the hip-hop crew. This is nothing new, as many leaders in the Black Community as well as literally hundreds of hip-hop artists have spoken out against some of the problems that hip-hop music is facing for years. Ask Suge Knight how Maxine Waters thought of his company and some of the material they put out. Ask Afrika Bambatta what he thinks of hip-hop artist that use negative words and imagery and why he started his vision of hip-hop in the FIRST PLACE. Ask KRS-One what he thinks of the state of hip-hop music today.
Or you can do like Fox News and ask M-1 of dead prez what he thinks of it all. You'll get the same story, it's not cool to call women ho's.

By the number of Anti-Al comments online at several websites, none of that matters. The real issue of what Imus said on his show continues to get pushed to the rear and excused.

While Sharpton and Jackson have their mucked up past and their own personal crosses to bear, the only thing that anyone should be concentrating on is the words of Don Imus. instead his supporters only response is concerning rap music and the past missteps of those who call Imus on his actions. funny, he doesn't seem to be trying to offer excuses to what he said. He actually did a very brave thing by sitting with Sharpton on his radio show and addressing the issue.
meanwhile his supporters show what many of us we afraid of from the beginning. They like to hear this man and his racially charged BS and are willing to defend him and his words, even when he isnt so quick to do so. If that is what passes for entertainment on the radio these days, I say shut them all down. Hell, I have alway been with Ice Cube and dead prez on that one anyway..."TURN OFF THE RADIO! TURN OFF THAT BULLSHIT!"

This whole situation has once again shown how far we are when it comes to race relations in America. Many people are sitting on the sidelines, openly saying that they just "don't get it". We have become so numb to insensitive and racist remarks that we as a people are surprised, not when they are said, but rather we are amazed when people are offended. We offer everything but concern and true regret for hurting our neighbors, citizens, and fellow Americans. And to make ourselves feel better about our ignorance, instead of trying to work
with those who continually point these character flaws out to us, we make more jokes and take sides. One thing is for sure, with this type of reaction and response, we can only expect to see and hear more of these type of comments in the near future.

Links

Sharpton boycott G Unit


Al Sharpton Needs To Sit His Ass DOWN!

Blogcritcs story

Is Hip Hop To Blame For Don Imus?

Fox News Picked on the Wrong Negroe to Mess With...

ps
Check out Media Matters, an great site that monitors misinformation in the media. They have several articles on the Imus situation as well as other articles regarding radio and race. Read "It's Not Just Imus" for a running log of the most frequent offenders in radio, which included notable blowhards like O'Reilly, Limbaugh and Tom Savage, among others.

pps.
While watching Michelle Malkin talk over her O'Rielly show guest Opio Sokoni, she went out on a limb a few times, asking questions that she wasn't willing to be quiet long enough to hear an answer too. One statement in particular got my attention.

MALKIN: When was the last time Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson looked at the top of the Billboard hot rap tracks charts? Just look at it this week. Every single one of the top six songs has the N-word, the H-word, the B-word. When was the last time that Al Sharpton said anything about it? Was it two or three or four years ago? Yes.

Oh really? I find that a little hard to believe, but since she is on FoxNews, she has to be fair and accurate in her reporting, right? Hmmm...let's take a look at Billboard for starters. For the week of April 21st, they have the following songs in the Top 6 position of their R&B/Hip Hop charts.

1. Lost Without You Robin Thicke (H and N word free)
2. Buddy- Musique Soulchild (pretty clean so far)
3. I'm A Flirt-T. Pain & Bow Wow (questionable associates aside, the song is pretty clean..)
4 T-Pain feat. Yung Joc- Buy You A Drink (While it might be a tad racy, NO H or N Bombs)
5.Akon-Don't Matter (again...NO N or H words anywhere at all)
6. Mims-This is Why I'm Hot (I know why underground NY heads are mad at this song, but I'm not so sure why Malkin is, she actually mentioned it in her latest piece. It does drop the N & H bomb so she is right about this ONE)


on the rap side of the charts it gets a bit hectic quick. Is she on the money for 6 outta 6?

1. This Is Why I'm Hot-Mims-(This is why she has a point. Not entirely correct but a point)
2.I'm A Flirt-Bow Wow-(Clean-See above)
3.Rich Boy-Throw Some D's-(Oh lord..might as well give her the point for this one, even tho the B in question is a car, it's still the B word.)
4.Outta My System-Bow Wow-(ummmm.....clean)
5.Go Getta-Young Jeezy w R. Kelly-(One of the surprisingly clean cuts from Jeezy. It's actually Kelly who drops the B word. Jeezy gets his curses on but no B, N or H words.)
6. 2 Step- DJ Unk- (damn Unk, you almost made it, but you had to use the N and B word, once each)


So if it wasnt for Unk and Kelly , Malkin would be at 3 outta 6, but his dance steps moved her count up to four. Close but no cigar when you factor the CENSOR versions are all you hear on the radio, bringing the number back down to zero. And to answer the question of when Al said something about it, just re-read this post.