Sharpton knew better? What evidence do you have for that?

Post #281,331 by Seamus 4/11/07 7:21:13 AM Reply	Sharpton knew better? What evidence do you have for that? Sharpton is an agitator and Imus knew what he was getting himself into. 'You people', with its us vs them connotations, has been a term that fairly easily turns tense situations into racial situations. Obviously, he felt he needed to go on Sharpton's show, but he should have been better prepared. You can't go onto someone else's show trying to salvage your reputation AND expect the host behave any differently than he normally does or to be able to change his mind. It is not fair, but the onus was on Imus prove himself. He didn't and he has no one to blame but himself. Seamus
Post #281,332 by Another Scott 4/11/07 7:41:44 AM Reply	Don's a big boy. Caveat: I've never seen or listened to his show. He's a big boy and has been around long enough, and been on the radio long enough, and talked to enough people to know that there are certain expressions that upset people. "You people" can be quite offensive to some people in certain contexts. Would he have a conversation with Pat Robertson and say "You people..."? I don't think so. There's often a racial undercurrent to it, and people pick up on that. People don't say "Boy" to black men any more, either (and there's a reason why it was never said the same way to white men even though in many contexts it's a harmless word). This stuff really isn't that difficult to figure out. If you use language with one person that's obviously a member of one racial/gender/ethnic group you wouldn't use with another who isn't, then you should think carefully about the implications of that language. Would Imus want his daughter referred to the same way he referred to the Rutgers team? When he figures out why not, he shouldn't get in these troubles as much. Sharpton has his audience and his reputation. Imus shouldn't have expected an easy time on the show, and by digging himself in deeper it shows that he still Doesn't Get It yet. Cheers, Scott.
Post #281,339 by bepatient 4/11/07 8:14:23 AM Reply	Wrong "Would he have a conversation with Pat Robertson and say "You people..."? I don't think so." Yes he would. Does it all the time. Its the Imus version of "y'all". Sharpton's been on and I'm sure has listened on and off for years (NY AM radio icon for 30yrs...) And you know...pop culture is building this double standard. "Ho" and "bitch" are common greetings now in hip-hop. Pop culture is more demeaning to women than Imus could ever be. Its the racial double standard that bugs me the most. A word of a phrase said by one black to another is acceptable, and said by anyone else makes them racist. Too much of today's music is fashionable crap dressed as artistry._{Adrian Belew}
Post #281,343 by Seamus 4/11/07 8:40:54 AM Reply	How do you know Sharpton would think that Imus means y'all when he says you people? Maybe Imus really means you people when he says you people? Either way, Imus is there to cover his ass, he wasn't able to do it. Imus is a shark, he knows when there is blood in the water what the other sharks are going to do. He went on Sharpton's show and let himself get bloodied again. The fact that some young women have bought into the race to the bottom in terms of popular culture makes what Imus said acceptable? As you can tell I don't listen to Imus, I don't find him funny or entertaining. There are plenty of double standards in life, and you don't change them just by bitching about them. Seamus
Post #281,359 by bepatient 4/11/07 10:34:18 AM Reply	Like I said you don't spend 30 years up here without know Imus's schtik. Sharpton knows Imus. Thats why, imo, Imus agreed to go on the show in the first place. And Sharpton took advantage to hang a ratings competitor out to dry. You're right, Don's a big boy and should have know better. And I've never said the statement was acceptable. Not once. Read my other posts. Too much of today's music is fashionable crap dressed as artistry._{Adrian Belew}
Post #281,344 by Another Scott 4/11/07 8:52:31 AM Reply	Those words are used in Hip Hop for a reason. They're used because they're offensive to the society at large. They have shock value and they are meant to indicate that the people saying them are powerful and they don't care about those societal norms. When people outside the group use that language, they aren't using it for the same reasons and shouldn't claim that they words are Ok because some other group uses them. If more "mainstream" people want to play in that sandbox, they need to be prepared to take the dirt and criticism that goes with it. I don't see it as a double-standard so much, myself. I spent many years in Georgia when I was young - in the 1960s-1970s. There's a big difference between the connotations of "y'all" and "you people" - especially between groups. FWIW. Cheers, Scott.
Post #281,360 by bepatient 4/11/07 10:36:50 AM Reply	I certainly do. Because it makes a distintion between people and insult...driving to though police. There should be no difference in reaction to being called a ho by a black man or a white man. The woman should be equally offended. If she is not, then she also is a racist and you have not solved the problem, only made it worse. Too much of today's music is fashionable crap dressed as artistry._{Adrian Belew}

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