Letters to the Editor
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Imus
The firing of Imus represents an example of 2 undeniable phenomena of the current American Zeitgeist: 1.white hyperguilt and 2.chronic black victimhood.
While Imus' comments were indubitably in bad taste and poorly chosen, so is much of the material he has used regularly for oh, about 30 years. So why this incredible overreaction, when comparable comments about other ethnic groups go regularly unnoticed? The answer of course is the knee-jerk reaction to anything negative about blacks uttered anywhere. The ensuing campaing, led by the likes of such stalwarts of morality as Al (Tawana Brawley) Sharpton, and Jesse (how many girlfriends?) Jackson, is nothing short of world-class hypocrisy. And far from defending blacks, this now routinized uproar does nothing but demean blacks, by implying that one inapprpriate remark by one white guy can damage the entire black community.
While Imus may have said many racist,sexist, anti-Semitic, and anti-Catholic things over the years, I actually don't believe he's either a racist or bigot. He actually is one of the cleverest, most inventive, and actually broad-minded individuals ever to grace the airways, in his own dysfunctional way. Remarks like these should indeed be condemned and then ignored! The extreme overreaction only serves to perpetuate the image of blacks as consumed by their own defeatism. Much more helpful would be for real black leaders to come forth and decry the really destructive elements in current black culture, including the worship of rap and prison culture, teen pregnancy, drugs and gun violence.
The truth may be painful, but it's the only way to begin fixing these very pressing andf real problems.