Is Imus a Slimus?

Forgive and Forget? -- Picture courtesy Time Inc.

by blogSpotter
Don Imus has now been exiled from CBS and MSNBC. This is the result of Imus calling the Rutgers women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos". Because of his imprudent words, a deafening furor erupted across the nation; the protest was led by no less than Al Sharpton. Imus' remarks are indefensible, and there's no argument regarding that. There are however some inconsistencies to note, as pointed out by writer Michelle Malkin in yesterday's Dallas Morning News. Sharpton himself has made racially insensitive remarks before, and so has Jesse Jackson; our "hip hop" culture at large has some of the most woman-hating, race-baiting lyrics to be found. Examples are easy to find on Billboard's current hit list. Bow Wow and R. Kelley currently have a hit that talks about "cuffing yo chick". Popular new artist Mims sings, "Nigga gimme some of what you got".

None other than Rosie O'Donnell has pointed out the same basic thing on The View -- hypocrisy and inconsistency abound everywhere. If microphones followed everyone around, there would be way more apologies owed. Rosie and her View cohorts also pointed out that Imus and Anna Nicole completely knocked Iraq and the attorney firings out of the headlines. One beneficiary from all of this news redirection is the Bush Administration.

Now getting back to Imus himself, how can he pull it out of the fire? Or can he? He's made similar apologies before, only to turn around and do it all again. He might consider a couple of the recovery steps taken in 12 Step Programs. 12 Step programs (like Alcoholics Anonymous and Gamblers Anonymous) have a concept of making amends -- it goes deeper than a simple apology. You, the offender, ask the aggrieved person, "How can I make this right? What can I do to make you know I'm sincere?" The remediation offered by these questions is based firmly on the idea that actions speak louder than words.

Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks followed this variation of the Golden Rule after he insulted Dairy Queen in a national broadcast. He knew he had stepped in it. To compensate, Cuban worked as a fry cook at a Texas Dairy Queen for one entire day. It ended up being a win-win -- Cuban and Dairy Queen profited greatly. Imus should make a donation directly to the Rutger's team or their favorite charity. He further should volunteer to be the team's water boy for at least one game, maybe more. It would be fun and funny, most of all a heart-felt amend. These measures might well prove the power of redemption that exists in all of us -- the ability to turn a strong negative into a strong positive.

Does Imus have a deep-seated hatred of Rutgers or blacks in general? Probably not. He was punching up his broadcast to be controversial and went over the line. His sincerest amends, as described above would help to reinforce that idea.


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