Nobody else is allowed ever again.

I copyrighted it.

But I promise only to use it on white dudes.

It confuses the hell out of them.

Isn't Don Imus a comedian? Aren't comedians "artists"? Surely Richard Price and Lenny Bruce were artists? Ok, maybe Imus isn't as talented, his "nappy haired ho" didn't tickle the funny bone. Imus is a PERFORMER. When he made his tasteless joke, it wasn't like he was some KKK guy going up to one of the basketball players and spewing racist S- at them. He was on the radio, "performing", and thought it would be funny for an old white guy to use "rapper" lingo. It wasn't. But thats what it was-- a bad joke.

Isn't it hypocritical to give the rappers "poetic license" and not give it to Imus. He too is an artist/performer- although perhaps not a good one. ( a lot of rappers are bad too...).

Asim gives the rappers free reign because as "artist", they somehow illuminate the truth about us and our society. I think Imus did too. He did it so well he lost his job.

>Isn't Don Imus a comedian? Aren't comedians "artists"? Surely Richard Price and Lenny Bruce were artists? Ok, maybe Imus isn't as talented, his "nappy haired ho" didn't tickle the funny bone.

No. He's a broadcaster. Big difference. Artists don't shill for Ameritrade and Ditech.com

>Imus is a PERFORMER. When he made his tasteless joke, it wasn't like he was some KKK guy going up to one of the basketball players and spewing racist S- at them.

What's the difference? The guy had a looong history of racist and derogatory remarks towards blacks. This was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

>He was on the radio, "performing", and thought it would be funny for an old white guy to use "rapper" lingo. It wasn't. But thats what it was-- a bad joke.

So what? Everybody knows that one bad joke can ruin a "performer's" career - look at what happened to Mort Sahl. Why should Imus be immune?

>Isn't it hypocritical to give the rappers "poetic license" and not give it to Imus. He too is an artist/performer- although perhaps not a good one. ( a lot of rappers are bad too...).

No. How many times does it have to be explained that rappers do not speak for the entire black community, and that none of the girls on the Rutgers lady cagers are, in fact, rappers.

This is an absurd red herring and a racist argument that assumes that "rappers" speak for all black folks.

>Asim gives the rappers free reign because as "artist", they somehow illuminate the truth about us and our society. I think Imus did too. He did it so well he lost his job.

Keep believing that. Meanwhile Imus lost his job and Russel Simmons and other hip-hop moguls are calling on rappers to clean up their acts or get left behind too.

Rappers do not speak for all black folks.

The thing about slurs for women in the mouths of black rappers - it's just not the same as the N word.

They are using a term *men* have used to insult and degrade *women*.

It would be parallel if women were claiming the words for themselves. That's not what is happening.

I think there is a real issue with the pimp parade that makes up so much of day time mass market rap. Comparing it to the N word doesn't address the issue.

Isn't that the bottom line? I don't believe whites can ever use these terms in a racist-free manner. I believe white people are racist, some more than others. Yes, all white people. I don't believe there are any white people who are not racist to some degree. Is this a shocking statement? Is it false? Are there any white people posting on this board who truly believe they are not--to some degree--racist?

In my 50s, I have always had both white and black friends--always. And, yes, even my white friends are --to some degree--racist. Although they relate to me as a friend, socialize with me, confide in me, I don't believe they ever forget I'm a black person. For most, their friendship with me is usually an exception, not a rule. My white friends have never had a lot of black friends; they have one or two at a time. They have acquaintances.

The problem is that white people don't want to admit this. They won't own up to their racism. To explain their not having black friends, they'll blame black people. We self-segregate, we reject them, we are the racists!

But understanding this defect allows me to accept you and be friends with you anyway...because I realize that you are not wanting to be a racist, it's a malady of American culture, of global culture. It will take generations of struggle, individual and societal, to rid the world of racism.

Because you are racist, I can't entirely trust you. If I hear you use words that Imus used, I will wonder if they are coming from that racist part of you, if you are using them a bit too eagerly, as easily as n-was used decades ago.

If you record a song about your mother, referring to her using a special pet name, I'm not going to visit your home and address your mother similarly. You have a right to express yourself artistically about any subject matter you choose, but it would be awkward for me to appropriate your symbolic expression for public use. It would be misunderstood, transformed into something else. Even learning French language and culture meant understanding who you could "tu" and who you must "vous." Respecting that cultural system and distance did not disable friendships; in fact, it nurtured relationships allowing them to grow in closeness and trust.

Sure, blacks can be racist but it has negligible impact on your life. You can be a raging success over your entire life without coming into contact with any black people if you choose not to. But the reverse is not true for me.