2 in One Day!

Yeah, I decided to write a second one today, because of this whole Don Imus situation.

For the record: I'm black. I'm a woman. And my mind is still un-exploded.

Let's be realistic. Calling a Women's Basketball team a bunch of "nappy-headed hos" is wrong. Calling any group of people a bunch of "nappy-headed hos" is wrong. I don't care who you are; you could be famous, infamous, unfamous, or whatever, but if those words come out of your mouth, whether in jest or in sincerity, you're wrong.

I'll give you this: I'm not angry. Maybe because I'm not a member of the Rutgers Women's Ball team. However, I am a member of the female community, and I am a member of the Black community. Still, I'm not angry. Why?

How about I get angry right now? How about I get piping mad, start turning tables, put together a picket, start a riot, scream at the top of my lungs? How about I convince every woman I know to come and bring every woman they know to get angry with me? Will that solve anything?

No. That's the truth. Petitions, press conferences, newspaper articles, everything...will do very little, if anything at all. Because the truth of the matter is that the media don't care how you feel. As long as a reaction comes out of you, they're doing their job. That's why news only evokes the most interesting of emotions: anger, sadness, excitement, etc. Have you ever watched an entire news program and feel nothing? Have you ever listened to a whole radio show and feel nothing? Have you ever watched a television show that isn't on C-SPAN and felt absolutely nothing the whole time? Probably not, unless you don't in the least bit fit the demographic the show is targeting.

Anyway, my point is that this is what Don Imus just did: his job. Of course, he's saying he's sorry about hurting the team's feelings, as well as the feelings of anyone who empathizes/sympathizes with them. And he probably is really sincere. But at the end of his two-week suspension, the First Amendment that we love fighting for all day will kick in and he's going to have his job back. He will be sitting in his usual chair, with his usual co-hosts, talking to his usual audience. Sorry to say, but getting angry won't do anything helpful.

Don't worry about it. Every day, somebody is going to say or do something that offends or should offend a person or group of people. They're going to get away with it most of the time; some of the time they won't. But you must realize that ignorance will unfortunately always live. So in many of these cases, all you can do is make sure you know the truth, and educate who you can. But you have to remember that educating someone doesn't include getting all hot and bothered when they say or do something ignorant. If they refuse to learn, that's their bad for choosing to be the way they are; rest assured, they will learn sooner or later.

So...I'm not mad.