Prometheus 6

BurtMP is back.

I think you'll find that whites nationwide are disgusted by the situation in Jena.  The awareness of the story there is just beginning.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_anthony__070901_racism_in_the_dirty_.htm

It's actually the kind of story Imus would draw attention to.  He was one of the only white broadcasters to attack Harold Ford's opponents for that racist ad, with the "Call me" girl at the end.  He said that Tennessee voters should be ashamed.  He called the Katrina response racist immediately.  Personally I think that was more the result of institutional racism(why the city was in poor repair) and modern-day gov't ineptitude. Just like he did with Sean Bell.  This is a small sample.  Respect for black culture was a continuing sub-theme of the show.  Imus had many black fans also.

So this is why Imus fans are so ready to defend their guy.  It's not because he is white.  We were very hurt to be misunderstood so much, because his audience was basically labelled as full-bore racists.  Being called a racist when you are not is very painful.  We CAN see race.  We're not blind.  But we know from MLK that color is not deep, so some, like Imus, make the leap that it's okay, even healthy to laugh about.  The comment that got him fired was well over the line though, I felt that when I first saw the show(I was watching live) before any reaction surfaced. Just unnecessary.  But he improvs 20 hours a week and slices so close to the bone that the risk is there.  MSNBC should never really have had him on if they weren't aware of this.

I'm frustrated by how you cut key parts of things I've written, and change the meaning significantly(for instance including Pryor's 1974 album but not Imus' 1974 response, "This Honky's Nuts"---  have you heard this?).  His idea with that project is to bring us all onto the same level using humor. 30 years later, it's a relatively small part of what he does, but that's here the roots are. BTW, I think your site was linked from huffingtonpost, and gave the impression that it was Lipez's site.

If your goal with the devoweling is to make someone feel silenced, and unwanted, good job.  It's an interesting effect, and while painful, thanks for the experience.

Check out Imus when he comes back, if you were at the Pryor show you might be surprised how much you like him.  Also check out "This Honky's Nuts"(1974) if you can find it.  It's the parallel between the two that makes the point, not that Pryor's comedy justifies Imus' April remarks.

Sorry for the long email, but you got me going.  Thanks for the site.

Burt

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