Don Imus part 2...

Go grab some snacks this is a long one...

As I do most Sunday mornings, I woke up to  watch the Sunday morning political TV shows. Clearly the big topic on hand today was the Don Imus/Rutgers controversy. Everyone, from Russ Parr ( a Nationally Syndicated black DJ) to Gwen Ifill of PBS (including the sport reporters from ESPN) got a chance to share their two cents about the subject. What I heard today on the various shows left me speechless and frustrated.

Most of the discussions lacked sincerity and were full of hypocrisy. First of all most than half the people on these shows have been on the Don Imus' show multiple times over the course of his 20 years of tenure to promote books, organization, causes and etc... They have come to know Imus are have befriended him. Asking these people to then discuss this issue, is in essence asking them to participate in a public lynching of a "friend." If my friend messes up, although I may tell them in private they screwed up pretty bad, I will go to bat for them in the public arena. That's what friends do. To ask this journalists to do otherwise is asking a bit much of them, especially after the guy lost his job.

These discussions were too politically correct. First off, the token black analyst, be it Ifill, Donna Brazile (whom i have a great deal of respect for), Clarence Page or Colby King (very impressive resume) gets the first crack at the issue. Just because they are black doesn't mean they should get the first say on the issues. I think this actually frames the discussion as a black issue, which is not. This is a NATIONAL issue. As Imus showed us, blacks are not the only using these derogatory terms, they are not the only ones purchasing the CDs, and they are not the only giving a platform to hip hop artists. I also felt that discussions were not genuine from some of the participants as they should have been. David Brooks of the New York Times went out this way not to step on Ifill's toes while discussing this (see transcript starting the bottom of page 2). One can argue that Brooks did it out of courtesy to her since she had been personally "attacked" by Imus, which would be a refreshing change in today's world of personal attacks politics. However until we can have an honest conversation, one in which every side can express than views and opinions without fear of offending any other side, we are just going to sweep this issue under the rug and come back to it in a couple of months, best case scenario-- in a couple of years.

Two names that were in every one of these panels were Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. Sharpton and Jackson are men whose accomplishments and work should be heralded in American history. These two men have fought valiantly for civil rights of black Americans and for that we should forever be grateful. However, the fight has changed and you can't teach old dogs new tricks. No longer are their tactics and goals in sync with the ones of the rest of the African American community. I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say that most of the blacks in the country no longer consider these men to be leadership figures. The mainstream media is one of the reasons why these men have stayed in the forefront of the news. The media has failed to introduce any new voices to racial debates. Your guess is as good as mine as of why this is the case. Moreover, the mainstream media has failed to accurately represent the diverse views and opinions within the black community itself when having these discussions. The other reason why these two have been able to continuing to "speak for" the blacks in the country is lack of new leaders to step up to plate and fight the hard fights. An example of this would be Harold Ford Jr., former Congressman of Tennessee. Ford ran for Senate with an endorsement from Imus (interview transcript), but when Imus was under fire Ford was no where to be found. If you're going to ask black Americans and the rest of the country to take you seriously as leader, you must be able to fight tough fights. Harold could have have help framed the debate on race,sex, and language in the country and propel himself in the national spot light as an alternative to Sharpton and Jackson. To be fair to Ford, just because you're running for office doesn't mean you want to be seen as spokesperson for the entire black community. Look at Condie Rice. Needless to say that Ford and I will no longer friends on Facebook.

Lastly, although he doesn't play nice with other reports sometimes, I want to leave you with this article and video from Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star (formerly of ESPN). I clearly don't agree with every word he says, but I agree with his main points.

What are your thoughts on the subject?  I'm really interested in hearing what my peers have to say on this issues. If you don't feel confortable leaving a comment, feel free to shoot me an email at policts  at makembe dot com.

Sorry for the Novel.

UPDATE:  Knojo Nnamdi had a show today about the future of the NAACP.  Take a listen.  It's about time this discussion reaches the public.