Jason Was Close But No Cigar
My man BCL posted a simple reference to Jason Whitlock’s recap of the Don Imus situation that I had been trying to avoid addressing at all. I read it…re-read it and simply had to comment.
First, what Don Imus did is simply shameful and inexcusable. So my first issue with Whitlock’s viewpoint is somehow that a simple apology is good enough. Did he apologize? Sure. That was the obvious thing to do. So what? Don’t get me wrong, the road to recovery for Imus is admitting he has a problem. However, if I were to speak down to the level that Imus did at my job I would’ve had security escort me to the door. His job, in my opinion, is a fair punishment.
After that, however, I tend to agree with Whitlock’s point of view. The media latched on to all this and made a mockery of it all which was the first thing I fully expected. Da Reverand’s (Al and Jessie) quick response to the situation was fully expected and Whitlock accurately conveyed this was simply a chance for them to fight the easy fight. Don’t get me wrong, they fought through the toughest times of the civil rights era and I can attest that the progress in the area of civil rights needs to continue and I don’t pretend that my young age will never let me truly appreciate the job they did, however, they are in desperate need to reinvent themselves and take on some of the tougher issues facing the black community like the disrespect in the black community in *some* of Hip-Hop. This is where my opinion begins to fall away from that of Whitlock.
He quickly pretty much all of Hip-Hop saying it is a culture that “has been perverted”. Wrong. Having grown up in the Hip-Hop generation, one that welcomes the addition of Old School Hip-Hop radio and internet stations, I can say that my current tastes are consitent with the days of old. Common’s, “I Use To Love H.E.R” was about as good a explanation of the state of Hip-Hop as it is today (even though if some of his own lyrics are, at best, questionble). Talking about the bad aspects of inner city life, one I admit not having had much of a taste of, is still a good historical reference to the situation of the times. Does Whitlock hold the lyrics of Tupac Shakur in such low esteem? He better based on his comments. I view Tupac’s lyrics representative of the inner city youth struggling to find a way. He forgets that Hip-Hop is dominated by teenagers-turned-men who are still trying to find their way in life. Nobody should confuse Hip-Hop artists for leaders, though, their influence can be more powerful. This is one of many of the inequities in life where a podium is given to celebrities.
Whitlock then gets into evaluating Vivian Stringer, the ex-Iowa Womens Basketball coach that my wife remembers wishing she could play under as a kid. C’mon Jason, Vivian isn’t a “black leader”…she’s a top-notch basketball coach. So excuse her if she isn’t making the sort of uplifting, spiritual speech you seem to be expecting. Frankly I was amazed we didn’t hear from her until the time we did. Given the situation and her job title I’m willing to overlook the fact she isn’t the most elegant with words but *some* of her words rang true and in the end her speech was “good enough”.
Other than that, Jason and I were on the same page. There is too much tolerance within the black community for disrespecting one another and our so-called leaders need to start looking there instead of worrying about losing the support of their urban constiutants who, to a degree, represent some of the real problems needing to be addressed. But don’t expect me to run off and throw away my Tupac albums…