Imus Gets Yelled At But Not Jesse Jackson
@Justareceptionist (869)
United States
April 10, 2007 12:26pm CST
This morning I was watching the Today Show and Meredith Vieira had on Rev. Jesse Jackson regarding the latest controversy surrounding Imus' "nappy headed hoes" comment. After Jackson had his say on the story, Vieira retaliated and said, "Well, what about the time when you called New York City 'Hymie City'? What's the difference between the two remarks?" Jackson was splurting out some random nonsense but it's true what she was getting at. It's a double standard that people can say one thing about one race and get away with it yet the other group has to be quiet while getting stepped on.
I'm not condoning what Imus said. In fact I think the Black public does deserve an apology. The women's basketball team did strive for success to represent the long way they've come. But think of it the other way around also. There is still racism towards Whites, including the Jewish population. It's been going on for years. But now this is a hot topic because of the group it was aimed towards.
Do you think this is fair?
1 person likes this
2 responses
@Idlewild (6090)
• United States
10 Apr 07
I'm not sure but I think Jackson did apologize for the 'Hymietown' remark (it was a long time ago, maybe 15 or 20 years ago?) And I think he made the comment to an aide of his and was overheard by a reporter or camera, not something he intentionally said on the air.
To me the worst thing about IMus's comments was the 'hos' part. I've seen other discussions on Mylot saying 'So what, rappers say hos all the time.' True, and I don't like that either. But a CD is something you choose to buy, and the lyrics aren't talking about a specific person.
Imus, on national radio, called a specifc group of 10 young college students hos, even though he doesn't know anything about them. I can only imagine how the students and their parents felt. I sure as hell wouldn't be happy if my sister or child was called a 'ho.'
And I have to wonder, if the team was all white, would he or his producer have called them 'hos'?
1 person likes this
@silkyt34 (324)
• United States
10 Apr 07
i totally agree with you there is alot of racism towards whites and jewish plus many other nationalities that are never mentioned..what would happen if some white person set up a united caucasion college fund?? jesse jackson would be all over that or if we had only white colleges like there are black only colleges then it would be called segregation.. i agree what happened during the slave days and the civil rights movement was not right but i didnt have anything to do with it nor did my parents.. my great great grandfathers didnt go to africa and kidnap anyone.. and they didnt buy anyone from tribal chiefs who also sold their people into slavery iam getting sick of the racism against other from the black community because it seems like they think everyone "owes" them something i owe them nothing.. sorry back to the point i believe imus should be suspended like he was because those women worked very very hard to be as good as they are and rev jackson should be made held accountable for his racist remarks
@Justareceptionist (869)
• United States
10 Apr 07
Yes, it would be an uproar if there were something like a WET (White Entertainment Channel) but I think what separates the two groups is level of oppression the Black slaves had to endure for 200 years. But I mean think about the level of oppression Jewish people had to endure. 5000 years of oppression and they're doing quite well for themselves. So are the Black population which is why it was a nasty comment to begin with. Imus was basically tying the college kids in with the hoes category and it just didn't fit at all.
That also leads me to mention the fact that there is no more slavery in America and it's true what you say. My ancestors didn't whip the Blacks back then. They came on a boat way after slavery. It's the term "White" that fuels the anger. I mean, I'm half Jewish and I don't go up to a German and blame him for what they did to my great grandparents.
1 person likes this
@Idlewild (6090)
• United States
10 Apr 07
One difference between Jewish and Black mistreatment is that though slavery is long gone, the experiences blacks faced was much more recent, and some continue today.
Also, the racism existed right here in the U.S., not across the ocean in Nazi Germany. It was less than 50 years ago that blacks could be denied access to voting booths and had to use separate schools, restrooms, etc.--and it was totally legal. And lynchings happened well into the 20th century.
Of course, antisemitism, though not as obvious, also has been seen in things like exclusion from organizations, employement discrimination, etc. Many Jews changed their names to avoid discrimination.
