Self-(read:Imposed) Censorship

So, with the recent media feeding frenzy over the fresh corpse of Don Imus' career (who I must say looked like a walking corpse) finally past us, I thought now would be as good a time as any to dredge that topic back to the surface. Not his comments mind you, or those of his critics, but the whole topic of offensive public commentary and the like, and there's a lot of it out there.

First, but probably not the biggest firestarter is foul language. Of course, after seeing a kid of less than 5 years old at the park yesterday saying "Look, you big fucking bitch!" because he wasn't getting the attention he thought he deserved, this is certainly one that should be addressed. Possibly as long as radio has been around in this country, the use of foul language has been taboo, and with good reason. Initially it was probably not regulated, except by standards of excellence from the broadcasters. Of course, now the FCC regulates this.

Of course, it's reasonable to say that this is a significant issue, because clearly, both from television/movies, and undoubtedly from within the home, this kind of language has an impact on children and people in general. Crude, vulgar, and almost always angry, it has the power to demean anyone using it, and becomes a reflection of them, their upbringing, and even education. Certainly, adults use it and always have, but the issue today has more to do with the lack of control with which it is used, particularly as regards in front of children, or even directed towards them. In doing so, even if the parent chooses to scold the child for use of the language, it signifies to the child that at some point, it is still acceptable, it just depends on to whom and when.

As demonstrated by the first example I gave, clearly the child knows the word, knows its negative connotation, and knows how and when to use it. Of course, if he knows that word, it's undoubtable that his vocabulary is much more extensive. That brings me to my next topic.

Racist terminology has been around for nearly as long as humanity has been able to distinguish one group from another. In the past, it was more than just race, of course: Class, national, and regional origin have also been considered acceptable attributes by which to segregate and demean someone. Naturally, this proud tradition continues, though it is considered more acceptable to mainstream culture these days.

We all remember the wonderful warm fuzzy feeling we all got from the repetition ad nauseum of Don Imus' comments two weeks ago. Was it a bad joke? Sure. Was it completely off color? Of course. Does that mean a comedian isn't allowed to make a bad joke? No, naturally it doesn't. Does that mean that a white comedian isn't allowed to make a racist joke? Yes, apparently it does.

I admit that I didn't really know what to think, say, or do, when the backlash against Don Imus started. I recall thinking that I didn't hear anything about it in the near week long stretch since he supposedly said it, and would come to realize later that it was because nobody actually DID say anything until then. Then I looked at who was saying something about it... Not the Rutgers' women, not Don Imus, or any of his loyal listeners, or even CBS/MSNBC... It was Al Sharpton. Naturally, red flags came up.

Let me be clear on this point. I less often question WHAT Sharpton and those like him say, unless it's the same hateful rhetoric they accuse others of saying, because he does say that. It is how and why Sharpton says it that makes me question him. Usually in front of a lot of cameras, probably with full makeup on, and surrounded by the obligatory group of lackeys that seems to follow him from each "sad denigrating incident."

Anyway, back to the point at hand. Sharpton has for years been on a quest to silence anyone who would say anything bad about the black community or its people, and has occasionally rented himself out to other groups to gain their support as well. This has included more than just white people, but this represents the largest selection of his targets. Who does he go after? Not outspoken clan leaders, or flagrantly racist radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh. He goes after the Don Imus in the crowd.

I'll be the first to admit that Imus' comments were offensive, but they were meant as a joke. That's all. Sure, bad jokes, and yes, he should've toned it down, but no more or less than other comedians needed to keep down their racial jokes. He shouldn't have been fired over this any more than another comedian should've been fired for his jokes, or a rapper over their lyrics (which it's fair to argue have a much more significant impact on the mentality of youth these days, see my very first point above).

Now, after the backlash against Sharpton for targeting only Imus and allowing the rap and African American comedy community to get away with murder compared to Imus' veritable jay-walking, he makes a token gesture of 'meeting' with rap moguls in an effort to 'address' the concerns about lyrics.

Anyway, the whole thing about this that got me started on this post (aside from that child I saw in the park), can be found here:

http://www.illwillpress.com/topical2.html

Thank you, Foamy.