Don Imus: I Ain't Forgivin' and Forgettin':
The Dec 3rd "Moment of Silence"
Min. Paul Scott
Some dude named Alexander Pope once said "to err is human but to forgive, divine."
Whatever, homie.
I bet ol' Alex was the kid who got his lunch money taken everyday at school.
For the record, I, vehemently, oppose Don Imus's 12/3 return to radio. Just because one Civil Rights leader may have given Imus his blessing does not mean that he's getting a pass from the other 38,699,999 black folks in this country.
After all the ruckus that jumped off last April, I suppose that we are just gonna let him waltz in and sit his racist behind in that big cushy chair behind the microphone...
(Scratch that)
In order to lure Imus to WABC, along with the mega bucks they are paying him, they probably had to throw in a golden throne.
And we're just to suppose to accept that without a mumblin' word?
Seems like folks think that after a nine month, 20 million dollar paid vacation courtesy of his old employer, CBS, Imus has somehow paid his debt to society for the "nappy headed ho" comment, last April. Yeah, I know that Imus was real apologetic and even submitted to an hour long interrogation on Rev. Al Sharpton's radio show. Seems like he's done everything but hire a black gospel choir, go on a nationwide tour of black mega churches and sing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot."
Now, I know that some of ya'll are thinking how noble it is that he is using his big comeback to raise money for a children's charity. Well drug dealin' Tyrone gave out free turkey's last Thanksgiving, does that excuse his behavior?
These people don't think that black folks know the difference between genuine goodwill and a cheap public relations trick.
To these PR people, the black community is an easy sell. After all, we have let marketing firms convince us that sneakers that cost 10 dollars to make are worth $200 dollars. And that thousand dollar gold teeth and spinnin' wheels on a 1988 Honda, somehow make you a better human being.
I can see Imus's handlers back doing the days of slavery squashing a slave rebellion:
"Don, babe...Just give them an extra chicken wing and a slice of watermelon. Trust me. I know these people..."
We must not forget that the conversation on race in the aftermath of the Imus fiasco which should have been about white male bigotry and the disrespect of black women quickly turned into a conversation about Hip Hop, the "N" word and saggin' pants.
So, if the NAACP and the other Civil Rights groups that buried the "N" word last July don't fight tooth and nail against the Imus comeback, they should go to the grave yard, dig up Mr. "N" word and give him a public apology. And if the black bloggers don't speak out, they need to nominate BET's highly internet protested show "Hot Ghetto Mess" for an Emmy Award and send host Charley Murphy a thank you note.
Fair is Fair.
But then again when was the race issue ever fair?
Is it fair that although many people are bringing up the "Freedom of Speech" issue, many black entertainers have been persecuted for much less? I don't remember rappers such as Sister Souljah and Professor Griff being rewarded with million dollar record deals after they made comments that some folks found offensive. Nor, do I remember any support groups being formed for the then "King of Pop," Michael Jackson, when he was forced to remove "They Don't Care About Us" from his 1995 HIStory CD. As the old saying goes, when it happens to someone else, it's a comedy but when it happens to you, it's a tragedy.
So should WABC and its parent company be held accountable for hiring Don Imus when he should still be in exile on his ranch in New Mexico?
You're darn right!
WABC hiring Imus is like a renegade employee crossing the picket line when you have been protesting out in the cold and rain for two weeks. Unless, you whop the traitor upside the head with a picket sign, you can rest assured that there will be a long line of scabs coming behind him.
So we must stand our ground.
On December 3rd we need to have a 4 hour "moment of silence" from 6AM to 10AM and turn off all stations and programs owned by Citadel Broadcasting and ABC Radio Networks.
http://abcradionetworks.com/article.asp?id=341544
While this company is mostly known for conservative talk shows, it also depends on African American audiences to support its "multi-cultural" programming.
Sometimes it takes great sacrifices to make change. Sometimes it takes a large 10,000 man demonstration to make a point. Sometimes you have to get on a bus and travel 12 hours to a protest. But sometimes you can make a change by doing something as simple as turning off your radio.
Min. Paul Scott's blog is http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/ He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 info@nowarningshotsfired.com
