--- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: <snip> > Da Rev. Al says he has complained about the language used > in Hip Hop. He just hasn't ever organized a boycott or made > threats to the industry to stop it.
There are some significant differences of context here. These differences don't excuse the rappers, but they explain why the Imus situation is of greater concern. First, no rapper has a daily syndicated radio and TV show for hours in plum morning airtime. Second, the lyrics in rap songs aren't dissing specific identifiable women. There are also differences between the bigoted dissing of public figures by Imus (calling Gwen Ifill a "cleaning lady," for example) and by other media talkers, primarily right-wingers, and Imus's comment about the Rutgers women's basketball team: The women on the team were only accidentally public figures; at the time of Imus's comment, the public didn't even know their names. Casual bigotry on the airwaves generally, of all kinds, including in rap music, has been gradually becoming more and more pervasive. A tremendous degree of hurt has built up. At some point--unless you think it's fine that it continue and even increase--you have to say, Enough is enough; it needs to stop here. Given Imus's prominence and how far his comment's singular inappropriateness stood out from other similar ones, including his own, this incident may have been that point.
