The persistence of racism...

[LeftHander]

Racial slur, denial, apology, forgiveness, making amends, racial slur, denial, apology, forgiveness, making amends...and on and on and on.

While all this goes on people are still segregated and living completely separate lives based on skin color in this country. WHITE people are perfectly okay with it. As long as "they" are over there and we are here....all is well. As long as we don't have to drive through their neighborhoods it is okay and prevent them from driving through ours we are safe. As long as we accept our own comfort levels at other's expense we will continue to foster racism.

By keeping people isolated because we have lighter skin, fear and can't understand the cultural dynamic of African Americans then we persist in creating a environment where entertainment is allowed to perpetuate racial stereotypes.

Imus's racist remarks are only the tip of a much bigger problem in this country that many are really beginning to realize. That problem our own "American Apartied".

The majority of White middle class America does not KNOW HOW to communicate, or interact with African Americans unrightly so because it is as natural as falling off a log, we are all just people. I see normally outgoing vital people freeze in cultural shock, afraid of saying the wrong thing or saying the right then misinterpeting the response. So they mumble and shuffle. And many of them simply do not want to and enjoy seeing people of color laughed at and ridiculed and people like Don Imus are there to provide that.

I have seen the communities butt against each other time and time again. There are always exceptions but those are far and few. I think I am one of those exceptions as is the LGBT community in general. The most integrated community in Milwaukee in terms of Race right now is the gay community.

My partner is African American. He knew nothing about Don Imus...or his remarks. I told him about it and he shook his head and said that was simply so wrong. I could see in his face that clear look of "yet again". I have heard stories and seen first hand what happens as we move about both communities. My white suburban world of the Western Suburbs and his on Capital drive in North Milwaukee...being gay we both share a different form of bigotry and hate projected at us equally. Which I feel is one reason we were able to meet. We shared common ground and we met in a social environment.

That is what is missing for much of America...particularly between white and black. We live very separate lives.

Here in Milwaukee...the segregation is painfully evident. White bread suburbia cannot cope with integration. Even those who realize that the separation we experience is unhealthy and damaging to our city, they struggle with finding and initiating even the most basic level of interaction between communities. We meet in common places talk and acknowledge a problem, shake hands and exchange ideas, then drive back to our respective communities surrounded by people whose skin color is the same. We have really large issues and tolerating garbage like Imus and others like him do nothing but hold us all back.

Don Imus is simply a figurehead, a representative of our systemic problem of white privilege, segregation, bigotry and racism. His removal from MSNBC shows that for us to solve the larger issues we face in the country in terms of racial equality we first have to stop tolerating open hateful damaging speech that WHITE America finds entertaining.

I understand why Imus has raised such a stink, why the commentary around him continues and why people keep back pedaling, apologising, defending or persecuting him. It is because it has exposed the raw ugly nature of race in this nation and it exposed how the Media has stood by and benefited from our callous ability to find entertainment in degrading others.

As the dialog continues to swirl around Imus...hopefully we will all realize that it was a step towards a much needed reconciliation in this country. The voices like his need to be removed from for profit broadcasts. Let him find a audience where "free speech" includes racial slurs and jokes, somewhere on shortwave next to the KKK, the radical Religious right and survialists. We would not tolerate this kind of speech in our homes, churches or public forums why should we tolerate it on commercial broadcasts?

NBC made the right decision. There should be no profit in racial slurs. No more for profit entertainment in degrading other people. It is simply too damaging to our nation.

[Bluerthanblue]

1. so .......elequent.... k&r and thank you. eom

[MedleyMisty]

2. K & R!

I think I need to take a break from here for a while. The fight against bigotry has to go on, but every once in a while you have to stop beating your head against the brick wall and take some headache medicine.

[Neshanic]

3. Before I became PC, I was told that my deep love for an African american man...

showed me to be flawed and because I was white, a ruse to garner attention.

Thank you's to that person, and all that agreed, because now that I am now PC, I see that my love for this man was indeed a misguided and self centered thing that I need to work through.

To that person...again thanks!

Happy day everyone.

[LeftHander]

4. Now that I am human....

I behave like one....thank you's to those who said I was human because now I am able to love.

[Neshanic]

5. But you can't get married. Or have rights, or have people fired on radio...

for homosexual slurs and alleged "comedy".

Our Democratic leaders are on this though.

[notadmblnd]

6. I really don't think that racism and bigotry can be helped

it's a part of human nature. But the bigger question I think is, do we as humans have the ability to recognize it, acknowledge that it is wrong, and do something about it?

My husband probably wouldn't have known who Imus was either, but he grew up a black man during the 60's in the south. We had a lot of discussions of racism when he was alive, the stories he told me about growing up were sometimes painful; being arrested for riding in the front seat with a white woman who had given him a ride to work) and sometimes very funny (he told me the kids used to pee on white people from the balcony of the movie theater where blacks were assigned to sit). He also talked about racism within his race (dark skinned v light skinned people) We both came to the conclusion that racism is not just a white/black thing, it's a people thing.

The firing of Imus sends the message that we do recognize that it is wrong and that people are willing to do something about it. And that gives me hope.