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19
Apr
07

Me on Public Radio Tonight. Race, Class, Language, Imusness. What Would YOU Say?

By baratunde
Categories: Pop Culture and Social-Political Tags: .

UPDATE: SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED. they decided to focus on the Virginia tech thing. The show will air at some point and be less about Imus, which is good. In the meantime, keep the comments coming, and if you want, leave voicemail on my call in line. I’ll do my own podcast on the subject based on your input! Voicemail number is in the sidebar to the right. Or just call 254-247-3228.

The good folks at Radio Open Source have invited me on the air for a third time, this time the subject is Imusness. From the show page:

Race, class, and language. The Right is defending Imus by claiming that African Americans use that language…so let’s take their argument head on. Should we discuss who — in this country of free speech — can use derogatory language about race? Can the youth say it; Chris Rock; only African Americans? Have we reached a point that it shouldn’t be cool for anyone — anytime, to use that language?

Nother, in a comment to Open Source, 4/13/07

They also link to Michelle Malkin’s version of the argument.

The show airs live tonight April 19 at 7pm - 8pm eastern, and you can grab it online.

I’ve been inundated with Imusness for the past week, talking about it, doing standup about it, writing my Weekly Dig column about it (runs next week). I count at least 10 issues raised by the event, but on this subject of “who can say what.” In essence, folks are saying, “black folks say it. so can I.” Here are some of my thoughts.

1. criticism of rap is cool, but it’s not a simple problem

as black folk, we DO need to challenge the uglier images of ourselves promoted by us, especially in the form of the worst commercial rap music. i don’t think it’s as simple as “stopping” misogynistic lyrics. You can’t just tell people to stop doing something even if it’s in their interest to do so. We all know McDonald’s is unhealthy, yet its business continues to grow. Rap music is big business owned and promoted by corporations whose profit-driven motive cannot be ignored or underestimated.

2. Imus is your embarrassing dad trying to be cool

He failed in this instance because of a combination of factors: he wasn’t funny but just mean, and he attacked the wrong people. Also, those words just sounded so very wrong coming from him. He is 67 years old and, racist or not, no one over 50 has the right to say the word “ho” whether directed at peers, scholar-athletes or sex workers. You know how awkward you feel when your parents wear their caps cocked to the side and try to use the language of your generation and tell you how “fly” you look? Suddenly, you don’t feel so “fly,” just ashamed, and you want your parents to just be quiet.

3. has my comedy ever embodied self-deprecation that is specifically about being black?

Yes my comedy has made fun of me being black (friend chicken, kool-aid, for example) because that’s a part of me. I’ve also made fun of being an American, liberal, Bostonian and other aspects of my identity. So no, I won’t stop doing it, and I don’t think other comedians should either.

check out the audio or transcript from NPR’s On The Media last week. Leon Wynter makes some great points about appropriation of black culture that I sort of respond to below

4. Do others, i.e. non-blacks, interpret this kind of self-deprecation as an opportunity to adopt that language?

yes, others “outside the family” constantly try to appropriate inside language for their own purposes, usually to gain some sort of street or hip cred. This is not a simple issue. I would never attempt to appropriate inside jokes from Thai culture, for example, because Thai culture is not POPULAR. I get no validation from society regarding my image when I do Thai things.

Yes, we’re dealing with sensitivities of group pride, ownership and comfort along with who is “allowed” to say something or not.

But we’re also dealing with big business and popular culture. It’s hard to blame the white executive that greets a new black employee with “Sup son!” because to him, that language isn’t necessarily “black” inasmuch as it is “cool.” What that executive needs to ask himself is would he greet a young white employee the same way or with “hey dude.” Executives should stay executives either way.

Our current culture conflates to an extreme degree elements of the black experience with coolness, and the danger is for some non-black person to attempt “cool” and come off as offensive, completely unintentionally. There is also damage to black people, even globally because commodification of culture is rarely without its costs.

Those elements of black culture that are being sold to society at large are caricatures of a slice of the black experience: baggy pants, the n-word, nappy, hos, etc. The popular culture hasn’t found it fit to sell perseverance, faith, creativity and strength — all equally important aspects of black American identity.

The packaging of black culture has deprived black people of their humanity in many ways. Our culture is just another product to be picked up and reused by whomever. This Imus incident and Michael Richards and <insert 1,000 examples here> make me look -forward to the day when we can just be human beings again.

5. A hodgepodge of other issues

  • Freedom of speech means the government can’t lock you up. It doesn’t mean the people have to like it or put up with it. It doesn’t mean you have a right to broadcast it everywhere you want and expect no consequences. Part of freedom of speech means dealing with the repercussions.
  • Risky comedy still has to be FUNNY. Imus consistently fails the funny test
  • Disrespect for women sells across ALL races. It’s not just black rappers. Ever seen a car commercial?
  • The industry of “shock jocks” is irrelevant in an era of beheadings-on-demand via YouTube
  • Asking why Imus got fired for saying this thing is like asking why Scorcese got an Oscar for The Departed. Both men are being recognized for their entire body of work and finally got what they’ve earned :)
  • and many more things…

———-

I know it’s short notice, but I’d love you get some feedback and your own ideas about this issue of language, race, and “rules” before, during, or after the show tonight.

I’ll integrate all that into a podcast of my own on goodCRIMETHINKcast

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Viewing 8 Comments

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    I think you should also challenge the notion that "it's ok for black people to say it." You may want to point out rappers and other black Americans also catch a lot of flack from the Black community for their choice of words. Think of Bill Cosby's recent tirades against the Black Community. Think about the sisters at Spelman who boycott that rapper's concert. Think about the uncounted thousands (millions?) of Black Americans who refuse to watch BET. Just being black doesn't give one the right to say these things. Black people do not escape these criticisms either.

    You may also want to point out that the majority of those who purchase/support the rap industry are white. Also the major networks/media outlets that distribute the images/messages of the rap industry are largely white. Therefore, the pressures within the industry push rappers to appeal to their white audience and their white executives, not to the masses of black Americans. So basically, rappers are an example of what WHITE people think is cool to say, not an example of what black people think is cool to say.

    Lastly, you may want to mention how this event has really exposed how racist white people continue to be. By even saying that "black people say it," they have revealed their impression of black norms of behavior. They think that Black people walk around cursing and disrespecting women left and right. Of course, in reality, this is not the norm in black America (perhaps the cursing is starting to be - but certainly not the overt misogyny). And to think that we accept this kind of behavior is even more racist. You and I both know the reactions I would get if I walked around calling women b*tches and hoes.
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    I was just thinking about this topic this morning - and the two points-of-view in particular that have heard come out of this whole Imus thing which bother me: 1)Imus shouldn't be completely blamed for his comment because it's the type of thing said in rap music and 2)we (and by we, I mean black women - even though I guess this applies to black people regardless of gender) shouldn't be outraged by that kind of speech because we allow it in rap music and even dance to it at the club- and being called nappy-headed is something we do amongst ourselves.
    Both speak to the issue of there being a double standard regarding who gets to say what - but my thoughts:
    As #1 - being called a "nappy headed ho" is unacceptable regardless of who is doing the calling. Clearly there is a double standard that rappers and the music industry has been profiting from - and its something that black people in this country need to examine and change. But the double standard doesn't justify Imus' comment - one is not justified in wrongdoing by the wrongdoing of another - even if latter has gotten away with it.
    As for 2- Last time I checked, black people have a sensitivity about the whole "nappy headed" thing, regardless of the race of the person saying it (read, even when a black person says it!) It's that stigma that motivates many a woman to relax their hair and/or get a weave (which in effect motivates a billion dollar black hair care industry) and fuels many a nasty statement made to those of us who decide to shed our relaxed strands and embrace our "nappier" hair. I'm speaking from personal experience here - it's not nice, in the least.
    Also, women with any kind of self respect don't like to be called hos, plain and simple - hence the reaction to Don Imus' comment. So why can't we be sensitive to it if we - or at least a group of us - are called nappy headed hos publicly! We have a right to act out against that type of language!

    Those are just my two (maybe more like four) cents on the issue... another thing you might want to discuss are the real motivations for Imus' firing - Does CBS really care about the content of Imus' comment or do they care more about the impact his comment had on the advertising revenue they once gained from his show? Should he really been fired considering this was apparently his MO? What about first amendment issues involved? However reprehensible, do you believe his speech was protected by the first amendment?

    Maybe you can also discuss how this whole thing has forced many black people to face up to the double standard we've been living with regarding misogynistic sentiments expressed in popular music and what needs to be done towards obliterating the double standard.

    I hope some of this is helpful. Good luck!
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    Ok so I don't know how I missed #5 - maybe it wasn't there when I started to write my comment? You addressed my suggestions! Anyway, can't wait to hear what happens tonight!
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    At times like these, I tend to defer to the free market to make the big decisions. There's no law prohibiting racist thought or offensive language. However, when one makes such statements publically while under an employers clock, I support the right for that employer to make personel changes based on how said comments may effect business positively or negatively. There's no need to defend or assault Imus. Pure moral arguements tend to run in circles. Ultimitely, the power to decide rests in the hands of the people who may or may not change the channel or turn the dial. Imus's employer believed the backlash would be detrimental to their corporation. Was that the correct decision? I think so, but the free market will still have the last word.

    Do I sound too much like a libertarian? ...That was the point.

    -Chris
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    here's a better question: why do we assume that when a rapper uses "bitch" or "ho" he is talking about black women exclusively or in our entirety?

    now i have issues with snoop, *BUT* he nailed it on the head with this comment:

    "[Rappers] are not talking about no collegiate basketball girls who have made it to the next level in education and sports. We're talking about ho's that's in the 'hood that ain't doing sh--, that's trying to get a n---a for his money." (from mtv.com)

    rappers' use of 'bitch' and 'ho' has a very specific context. it refers to a specific *kind* of woman -- one known as a skank, slut, tramp, or hussy outside of hip-hop circles -- not to *all* women, and not even to all *black* women.
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    First of all No. 2 is just jive, turkey.

    As far as Michelle Malkin the videos and lyrics she spotlighted are to me is no different than an episode of The Tudors ( http://www.sho.com/site/tudors/home.do ) or Rome ( http://www.hbo.com/rome/ ). All those shoes are about is banging bitches and who had the biggest rims on their chariots. Exploitation of women and bragging about sexual exploits is not something hip-hop invented. The only difference between Mims and King Henry VIII is that Mims' exploits are based on fiction.
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    Sorry about the grammar in the last post. :-) shoes/shows
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    yo. lovin this blog thing. thanks all for the comments.

    @ms i may really have to use your line "All those shows are about is banging bitches and who had the biggest rims on their chariots." That's hot.

    @ian great point about "not all black people" and the fact that folks like Cosby and C. Dolores Tucker (much has her technique turned me off) have been battling the wacker side of rap for a while. As for white people thinking that's how all black people act, well, if you're only experience with black people is the commoditized, made-for-TV version, what do you expect? This is the same system that leads chinese people in china to greet blacks with "wasup my nigga?"

    @dinger great point about the market deciding in this case. it wasn't the government locking him up, and he's still "free" to say whatever, just not for CBS anymore. There's more to this argument (what happens when corporate outlets are the ONLY outlets and the speech offends the owner? but I can't get all up in there right now)

    @tricia sorry about #5, I posted twice in rapid succession, adding that piece. You're not going crazy

    also, thank you for bringing the hair issue into the discussion. au natural is often greeted as "oh no!" by many in the community

    @tiffany find me examples of these rappers referring to women in any other way (note, I am NOT talking about ALL rappers, just the wack, hip-hop destroying, super commercial whores). I hear snoop, but mr. Girls Gone Wild host is just no credible when it comes to respecting women, at least not to me.

    the focus on black women in my mind comes from video-ho imagery which tends to focus on black women

    ok. that's all for me from now. keep it coming my people. the weather in iowa is nice!
 

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