Imus' Apology is Hollow

For the past few days, the story of radio personality Don Imus's crass remarks about the Rutgers University women's basketball team has been one of the top items in the news. On Wednesday, April 4, just one day after the team lost the NCAA title to Tennessee, Imus and his producer sat on the air making completely ignorant comments about the young women. Imus described them as tattooed "rough girls" and "nappy-headed hos" while his producer compared the team to the NBA's Toronto Raptors. Two days later, Imus offered what many feel was a pathetic apology for his comments, and spent Monday morning apologizing again on Rev. Al Sharpton's radio show as well.

However, many feel the apology is not enough. Furthermore, the apology does not seem sincere in the least bit. Imus claims that the point of his show is to be funny, but where is the humor in disrespecting a group of women who have achieved what the Rutgers women's basketball team has. Not only did they have the opportunity to play for the NCAA championship, these are a group of women who are bettering themselves by getting a college education. As C. Vivian Stringer, coach of the Rutgers women's baskeball team, said, we should see these young women "for the human beings they are," rather than as objects to be made fun of and disrespected. For this man, who I personally do not find funny at all, to disrespect these women and call them nappy-headed hos is absolutely disgraceful.

What makes it worse is that his punishment is a simple two-week suspension, a punishment that he feels is appropriate for what he did. According to his employer MSNBC, "Imus' expressions of regret and embarrassment, coupled with his stated dedication to changing the show's discourse, made it believe suspension was the appropriate response." They went on to say that any future relationship with Imus would be contingent on him keeping his word about changing the nature of his show. Now, let's get real here. This man has been conducting his show in this manner, making racist remarks about various political figures, for years. He isn't just going to turn around and become a nice, respectful person overnight. As the saying goes, you cannot teach an old dog new tricks.

It's not surprising that all he got as punishment was a two-week suspension. The man is white after all, and sadly, in this country, there seem to be different rules for white people. Had these derogatory comments been made by a black radio personality in reference to a white female basketball team, the man would no longer have a job. Furthermore, we would not still be hearing about the issue on the news, seeing the story on the Internet or in the newspapers. By now, we would have moved on to the next interesting tidbit of the day.

Imus claims that he is not a racist. Well, for a person who isn't racist, he sure has profited from making derogatory comments, both racist and sexist, about people over the years. I am with the majority on this: his apology was pathetic; the women's basketball team of Rutgers should not accept it; the man should be fired. Simply suspending him makes it seem like his behavior is being condoned. What will happen the next time he makes comments like this? Will he get another slap on the wrist? Or will people finally stand up and say that it is time for the attitude of people like Imus to change, that it is time for us to stop looking at people based on their race, their sexuality, their gender? At some point in our history, America has to live up to the ideal put forth in our Constitution: 'all men are created equal.' We can't just say it anymore...we have to live it out.

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