A slur aimed at specific people is obviously different than a generic slur in a rap song, but it's not that different. If one is offensive, so is the other, and it's hard to argue that the cesspool of misogyny in contemporary rap has no effect on the wider culture. It's not that this excuses what Imus did. It's just the opposite. If we're justifiably outraged by what Imus said, shouldn't we be just as outraged with anybody else who says the same thing, regardless of their skin color?
Doesn't anybody realize that it is not only hard to argue that "the cesspool of misogyny in contemporary rap has no effect on the wider culture," it is virtually impossible. Impossible, that is, if you want in the same breath to say that Rap is culturally relevant and an expression of African American anger etc. How can you say something is culturally relevant, even important, but at the same time argue that it has no effect? It's like saying the verb to google, did not come into common parlance because of Google. It just happened. Linguistic norms don't just happen. Common usage doesn't just change, and slang doesn't arise from whole cloth. It comes from repetitive use by people to whom we listen and whom we ultimately emulate. That usage has influence on the broader culture. If Imus thought for one nano second before he said what he did, he probably wouldn't have said it. He didn't think, it just popped into his head. It popped into his head because he had heard it before and probably repeatedly.
All that said, I don't think Imus should be fired, nor do I believe you need to shut down record labels before you fire him. Imus should lose his job because so many people object that they stop listening and buying advertising. If you want to protest Imus criticize him. Tell everyone who will listen how terrible it is that he said these things. Make him apologize and ultimately turn the dial on your radio and pull your adds. Don't censor him just as we shouldn't censor rap music. Don't fire him because of the content of his speech. As I said elsewhere that is a dark path down which we don't want to descend.
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