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I think there are two separate issues here that have collided in the Imus mess - the issue of hip-hop influence on culture and the issue of acceptable entertainment. Imus stepped over the line because he used words and phrases out of hip hop culture toward respectable people - approaching a slur instead of being a parody . What was meant to be funny approached cruel and crude. And he is paying the price for
The two issues are related because a fairly large part of hip hop has degraded much of what used to be considered acceptable public discourse. The misogyny, bling and "gangsta" attitudes are reflected in attitudes you see on the street and in much normal conversation. You hear this in the comedy and parody today as well as in the numerous videos of these groups. Go to U-Tube and look at many of the vids there - to imply that rappers have not influenced the dialog and attitudes in everyday culture seems to be denial of observable fact.
The real point is this - If you accept that Imus is an entertainer, then you have two possible conclusions for his outburst. The first is that he (badly) was mirroring rapper (and therefore popular) culture when he described the team members as "hos". The second is that he is just a racist expressing his true feelings. I don't think that the rappers made him do it - but I certainly feel that they had an enabling role in the statement. I think you are wrong on this one, Joan.
