WP, Robinson: Misogyny in the Morning (from plenty of radio jocks)

[DeepModem Mom]

Misogyny in the Morning
By Eugene Robinson
Tuesday, April 10, 2007; Page A17

....I'm not sure that kicking (Imus) off the air would accomplish much of anything, since there would still be plenty of morning radio jocks spewing racism, misogyny and other forms of cruelty for the amusement of gridlock-bound commuters. Howard Stern, another radio superstar who has expanded into television, recently held a degrading "Miss Black Howard Stern" contest.

Drive-time radio has become a free-fire zone, a forum for crude and objectionable speech that would be out of bounds anywhere else. There's an intimacy about radio. The medium creates the illusion of privacy -- it's just the jock and his or her entourage speaking to you, the listener, alone in your car where nobody else can hear.

Maybe, in your heart of hearts, you think some of those stereotypes are true -- about black people, or white people, or Latinos or Asians. Somewhere on the radio dial you'll find some jock who not only agrees but is willing to say so out loud, willing to ridicule those "others" and thus cut them down to size. You can have all your prejudices confirmed on your way to work. It's almost like putting on a suit of psychological armor.

If anything, Imus is more substantive and less offensive than many of his competitors. In a sense, that's one reason for his current predicament. Prominent politicians and other notables regularly call in to his show, and sometimes actual news is made -- which brings him greater scrutiny. You can be a shock jock or you can be a respected interviewer, but you can't be both.

One question remains, though: Why would Imus think to use the word "ho" to describe those young women from Rutgers -- or, for that matter, to describe any women?...It's easy to surmise that Imus came out with the word "ho" because hip-hop is an African American art form and he associated the word with black women....That's something for Imus to think about as he performs the ritual public examination of his soul -- and fights to keep his job. Meanwhile, the rest of us should banish that hateful word "ho" from the language.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/09/AR2007040901003.html?nav=hcmodule

[SoFlaJet]

1. I'd like to see peole like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity held accountable for THEIR hate-speak

I've heard much worse being spewed by Limbaugh on an almost daily basis

[TOhioLiberal]

2. Indeed...

...wasn't it 'Mr.' Limbaugh that called Obama a 'halfrican-American'? I'm no fan of Imus, but if we're holding him to a certain standard, shouldn't it apply to all? Or is this another case of IOKIYAR (It's OK if you're a Republican)?

[SoFlaJet]

3. That's exactly what it is

so it's OK for Cheney to go on rascist Limbaugh's show any time he wants to spew HIS own brand of intolerance and lies