Don Imus Revisited.

Say the name Don Imus and I bet your first though is not a positive one.  Click here to read an article chronicling his first year back in radio, since being fired for making offensive remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team.

When the "Nappy headed ho" comment first occurred almost two years ago, I was pretty much like everyone else in this country, I though Imus was an idiot.  His comment was ignorant, insensitive and just plain wrong.  These young women did not deserve to be disrespected in that manner, it made no sense.

They were playing basketball, not going to a beauty pageant.  What were they supposed to do, get their hair and nails done, then go play ball?  Sweating it all out, just to appear "cute" on TV is not logical.

Looking back on it now, what happened next is a microcosm of what's wrong with our community.  Black leaders decried this incident as racist and demanded Imus be fired.  Iums defended himself by saying rappers say far more insulting remarks about women than him.

Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprising), certain black comedians, such as D. L.  Hughley and Damon Wayans came out in support for Imus.  Hughley joked that the ladies on Rutgers are some of the ugliest, nappy headed women he had ever seen.

While Imus got ridiculed and fired, very little has happened to Hughley or Wayans.  In fact, Hughley now has his own show on CNN (although, he did not have a show when he initially came to Imus's defense).  Black leaders and the community itself did not call for them to lose their jobs or boycott their comedy concerts.  They focused on Imus and let the other two ride.

Why?  Isn't murder, murder?  Were they not just as wrong as Imus?  Wasn't their comments just as racist and hurtful to these young women?  But because they are black men and Imus is white, it's not that big of a deal.  I guess that's the message Black leaders are telling us.

While I've heard it said that black folk are the most honest people on earth, I'd have to disagree.  It's easy to analyze someone else's issues, it's more difficult for us to look at own our shit.  Black folks will scream about white racism, but will ignore the black racist.  I have to ask, how honest is that?  In my opinion, many a black folk (human beings in general as well) tell it like it is when it's convenient for them to do so, not when it involves their own flaws or shortcomings.  

Why? Maybe we're afraid to look at our own insecurities or just ashamed at some of our folks decisions and circumstances. 

Maybe we fear admitting we're just as superficial as the white folks we call racist.

Either way, as much as I hate to admit it, Imus showed more courage than Black leaders or negro sambo comedians.

Why would I say such a thing?  Because Don Imus publicly apologized and then faced the Rutgers women's basketball team.  He did not have to do the latter.  Imus heard first hand how hurtful his words were and pledged to switch up his act.

Where did Imus get this spine from?  He states in the article that he's a recovering alcoholic/drug addict.  I suspect Don Imus is familiar with AA and the twelve steps.  It's obvious to me that he used steps 4-10 in the Rutgers situation.  I'll list them for those of you who are not familiar with them.

• Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
• Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
• Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
• Humbly asked him to remove our shortcomings.
• Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
• Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
• Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

Looking at these steps, many a so called black leader or civilian should try to apply these laws to their life.  Imus was wrong to say what he did, but at least he acknowledged his mistake, faced the people who he hurt and pledged to never do it again.  He did not try excuse his mistake by saying it was "cultural" or minimize what was said.  Don Imus held himself accountable for what he did.  That's something we all can learn from.