Didn’t I just write something about a celebrity coming under fire for racially charged banter?

Here’s the thing: Don Imus is a shock jock. He’s paid to say what’s on his mind and to say it with candor. He’s given a lot of money to shock, entertain and, every so often, to offend some people here and there. In no way do I defend what he said, but you can’t say that context doesn’t matter.

Speaking of context, does anyone actually think that Imus uttered the phrase “nappy-haired hoes” in hatred against anyone, let alone an entire race? It was clearly a joke, albeit a tasteless one, and everybody pressing this issue knows that. Imus made a mistake. Imus apologized. Now let the wrinkled alcoholic hillbilly alone.

I’ve said it before, but it amuses me how minister and civil rights leader Al Sharpton takes it as his God-given right to ruin careers and ruin lives every time a white man fucks up and gets caught saying something off-color (if you’re reading Al, that pun was completely intentional). This man knows nothing about forgiveness and, as a minister of the Christian faith, this makes him the worst kind of hypocrite. Call me naive, but shouldn’t a civil rights leader, a man that by definition demands equality and justice for all peoples, hold everyone to the same standards? I think he wants us all to be equal, but (to paraphrase Orwell) he wants the people he represents to be “more equal” than the rest of us.

“We cannot afford a precedent established that the airwaves can be used to commercialize and mainstream sexism and racism.” (Al Sharpton)

I completely agree! So why isn’t Al going after black artists for such lyrical masterpieces as A Nigga’ Wit a Gun, Bitches Ain’t Shit, Bitch Niggaz, For All My Niggaz & Bitches, Can U Control Yo Hoe, and I Miss That Bitch? Oh I get it… it’s one of those deals where you’re only allowed to say the word if you are the word, right? I can call myself a hillbilly white trash cracker, but I can only tell a woman she has nappy hair if I or someone in my family sports a similar hairstyle; and I can only call someone a ho if I myself am a scandelous skeezer or skank. Equality my ass, Al.