Imus Comment

Deborah Venable

04/16/07

 

Before the recent media storm, (another descriptor for the storm comes to mind but I dare not use it) I barely knew who Don Imus was, and I do not lead a sheltered life.  I doubt that there are many who do not recognize his name today.  It has been another one of those stories, like the Anna Nicole Smith fiasco, that dominated far too much media time, but the fallout from it promises to be serious.

 

The most interesting fact about the whole thing is not that a rich white guy has been persecuted with a double standard, but that liberals and conservatives alike find themselves on the same page – either for or against Imus.  An honest assessment of the situation shows that racial issues will always fall within the parameters of both philosophies.  Race isn’t philosophical no matter how much one side or the other wishes to define it as such. 

 

I have long balked at the attitudes being expressed in today’s culture so freely, which serve only to degrade a race or gender of people, especially when individuals are singled out to be defined with unflattering slurs.  If we could ever just agree that Americans should not be defined by their race or prior heritage, so many social problems would be eliminated.  There must be a lot more give and take on the issue before we can come to that agreement, but perhaps we stand on the edge of truly understanding what America is all about now.

 

For those who are not aware, Don Imus has been a useful tool of the liberal philosophy for decades now.  To a lesser degree moderates from both sides of the political aisle have utilized him as well, but for the large majority of mainstream America, Imus has flown under the radar.  He has not been a household name, thus his speech and actions, along with his good works, have gone unabated – until now. 

 

The same excuse cannot be made for others given a free pass for their objectionable language or actions in exchange for their good works.  We need only to tune into the modern youth community to hear and see examples of language much worse than Imus used, and it is all sanctioned by the almighty dollar in today’s entertainment industry.

 

The whole “free speech” issue is a joke in this argument.  My mother and father always taught me that there are some things you just don’t say to or about other people if you are a good person – not without consequences anyway.  Am I the only one ever taught that lesson?

 

My oldest daughter manages a store in a chain of stores here in the southeast.  Just last week an unhappy customer called her a whore to her face.  This woman proceeded to fling this most serious of accusations at my daughter without a thought of how it would be received.  Now, you must understand that this customer was unhappy because she had been caught shoplifting and my daughter was called to the front of the store to “handle” the situation.  This is not an isolated incident.  It happens pretty much on a regular basis.  These days if you work with the public, you had better expect it and get used to it.

 

Had my daughter chosen to take an Al Sharpton/Jessie Jackson stance and fling back some equally disgusting remark that the race or character of her accuser probably caused the accusation, I am sure that she would have been fired on the spot – shoplifter or not.  But she wasn’t brought up that way. 

 

In the end, freedom of speech or anything else comes with a price.  For far too long too many have refused to pay the price, thus, our speech has become a deficit to our overall character.  Those with sins should not proceed to throw stones lest they bounce off the walls we place in their path and come back to hit (or haunt) us.    

 

 

Home    Rant Page    Feedback