:: GussetBLOG ::

:: Thursday, April 12, 2007 ::

It's Political Correctness Gone Racist, I Tell You

The Imus vs Rutgers debate in the US at the moment has intrigued me. Some of the media there are playing the bigoted racist angle by selectively only using photographs of the female basketball team that only show black players, there are white players on the team too. They are quick to call Imus's comment – he called them "nappy headed hos" – racist and sexist, which it could be, or it could just be a very badly judged joke. I don't know.

(I'll quickly make the point here that I had never heard of Imus before this and my initially impression of him is that of someone I would dislike and would be unlikely to agree with.)

Parts of the media have then attempted to position his comment (and in part explain it) but showing use of similar phrases in gangster rap and saying that it's perfectly normal then. (I'm thinking of Channel 4 news in the UK when I say that.) Yet they never question the borderline racism in preventing white people using words that are seemingly acceptable from a black person (in my mind as long as the context is the same it should be ok) or the issue of the glorification of sexism and degradation of women in rap culture.

By using that phrase was he pointing out the inherent hypocrisy in the allowable use of language? Or intentionally trying to provoke a response? Or just being naïve? I think he might actual just be stupid, but calling for his resignation because of that is ignoring the bigger issue and exacerbating a double standard.

Labels: Feminism, News, Politics, Rasism

:: Dan 12.4.07 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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