« Thursday Thirteen: The Death of a Champion | Home | News »
On Don Imus and Racism
By Nancy Lindquist | April 13, 2007
The bandwagon just got to my door. I’m jumping on it. This is an opinion sure to piss off everyone. Let’s go.
I’m not white. I’m not black. I’m not going to advertise what I am, but I need to address those who read this and say, ”Well she’s not _______. Who is she to say anything?”
That said, I’ve not had the black experience. I don’t know what it’s like to have someone mistrust me because of the color of my skin. I want to make that very clear. Just so you know I’m talking out my ass here.
I don’t put much store into race. Never understood what my father’s problem was when he asked me to lock the car doors when we drove through a black neighborhood, as a child. I thought it was the dumbest thing to come out of his mouth. I once got punished for telling dad, I was going to roll down the window and invite some of the people he was so afraid of, over for dinner. I do know his fear affected me. I’ve caught myself thinking things I had no right or basis to believe. I’ve been horrified by it. So horrified, I didn’t want to face it. It took me years to admit it, but I do see people of different colors as people of different colors. I’m not going to say, “I don’t see race.” I cannot say that. I think we all see race. It’s not seeing race that’s the problem. You cannot deny color. It’s the secret thought that someone isn’t quite up to your level because they are ____. That’s the true problem.
There are a lot of blanks in this piece. Anyone, of any type, can fill them in with anything. Makes no difference what.
Which brings us to this morning’s discussion.
Don Imus is an ass. Is anyone surprised here? He was paid good money to be an ass. When he made those comments they probably were intended to make him sound like the back end of a mule. Congratulations, you succeeded. That said, I’m not sure he’s a racist, more than your average person on the street. Which is to say that most of us are, on some level. We deny it in PC rants that make us sound like we’re all good with one another, but we aren’t and those rants aren’t fooling people anymore. We’re not getting to the root of the problem.
Point your finger at your monitor and tell me I’m wrong, go ahead. Then tell my children why their Grandmother refers to them as, “Hot Latin Lovers.” Not the birth grandchildren, the Hispanic grandchildren. My adopted boys. She loves them with all her heart. She would be horrified to think she’s racist, but it’s there. People point and stare at my rainbow family like we’re zoo specimens. I don’t think it’s my stunning good looks. I know it’s not when I get the question, “Are they adopted?” No lady, we found them in a cabbage patch.
We’ve had teachers make remarks, people on the street, all sorts of folks and it crosses every racial line. I once had a Latin woman ask how I ended up with a, “barrio boy?” If most people don’t see race, then every other community is color-blind, but ours. Something I don’t think is possible. We see it, we judge based on it and we should be ashamed. We’re not. We’re too busy patting ourselves on the back and thinking about the person at work we talk to once a week who is of another race. Aren’t we good people for being nice to ___________, he’s _____________. As long as we’re telling ourselves we’re great people for being friends with those who are different from us, we’re racist.
We sit at home, watch TV and congratulate ourselves because we’re not like, “those people.” Those people being, Don Imus, Rappers, Mel Gibson and heaven forbid, Isiah Washington, anyone who’s demeaned someone else.
We think we have a unique view of the world because we are not like *that.* How could anyone suggest such a thing? Yet, time and time again I’ve seen people, good people, talk down to someone of another race. Fall into a stereotype-well so deep, they can’t climb out. It’s crossed all racial boundaries. No color in the rainbow is exempt.
Because we deny the existence of racism with the, “But some of my best friends are_______” speech, we don’t deal with it. You can’t cure what you don’t acknowledge.
Should Imus have said what he said? No, of course not. He blew it and he’s paying the price. He’s ended a career that’s spanned three decades with something he will be forever linked with. However, he’s not the problem, he’s a symptom. His firing didn’t fix anything.
What do we do to really fix the issue of race in America? I don’t know. I want to post a cure-all, win the Nobel Peace Prize and have a statue erected in my honor. It’s not going to happen. Maybe the solution is to go out and be with the people we are most afraid of? It’s a suggestion. More learned people than I, have failed with this problem.
But Nancy, *I’ve* not judged by race. Okay, fine. I believe you. What about weight, sex, sexuality, political beliefs, famous people? Are you the man on the street that pointed to me when I was three hundred and twenty pounds and said, “You’re a fat pig?”
Racism, sexism, weightism, etc are rampant. Admit it, face it, involve yourself in communities of people who are not just like you, and let’s get rid of this unacceptable cancer at our core. We need to confront it head on and deal with it. Get to know one another. At least that’s how I’m trying to do it with my kids. I hope it works. I pray it works. Something needs to change.
April 13th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
I’m one too.
April 17th, 2007 at 2:22 am
Great post Nancy - certainly got me thinking. Sure is hard (impossible) to fix something that most of us simply won’t acknowledge exists - perhaps the first step is to admit that we ALL have prejudices, we ALL put people into neat stereotypical boxes - and move on from there.
I, for one, don’t think we’ll EVER really get rid of prejudice and judgementalism in people (how can we..it is in our nature…and in some ways is probably a necessary and quite evolved survival mechanism….ie you see someone that you think might be dangerous and RUN)But it would definitely help if we all acknowledge this not- always-pleasant aspect of human nature - and learn from it.
When someone declares loudly “I’m not judgemental…” it really is utter crap. Implicit in that very statement is a judgement of the very people you think ARE judgemental.
I’m rambling here - but this is an interesting topic - and your honesty is refreshing.