How bad is it to call someone a knappy headed ho?

[MD-2389]

MD, your not black, so therefore I didn't expect you to intimately know about how blacks feel about the word nappy. To you, it's just a word representing the unkept hair of a black man or woman.

Actually I don't attach race to that word. There are just as many people with really poor hygiene that aren't black. To be honest, some of the locals around here have some of the most unkept hair I've ever seen. (Think Jerry Springer trailer trash)

[Nirvana]

MD, Imus would never have said that phrase about anyone EXCEPT a black woman (I mean, seriously, that was the basis of the joke, and I think you know that), and I think that is the point.

I don't think he should lose his job, and I'm not even sure I think he should have to apologize given what has already been said about the double-standard. This is what these people do - say rude things to offend people, is it such a suprise?

Finally, given the obvious double-standard in common practice, I think he may be stupid for saying something like that (remember when some senator said \"NIGGARDLY\" and everyone blew up!?)

[TIGERassault]

MD, your not black, so therefore I didn't expect you to intimately know about how blacks feel about the word nappy. To you, it's just a word representing the unkept hair of a black man or woman. But it goes deeper than that. Do I expect you to understand that? Absolutely not, and that's why I gave different examples. I'm not Asian, or Latino, but I bet someone of those origins could give a better example of that which may be subtle to us, but mean a LOT more to them.

The point is that having black skin isn't a culture, despite what the media want you to think!

MD, Imus would never have said that phrase about anyone EXCEPT a black woman (I mean, seriously, that was the basis of the joke, and I think you know that), and I think that is the point.

Is this keeping in mind that he called them 'hoes' as a chain comment; as it was an add-on to someone else who had called them hoes?

[Lothar]

having black skin isn't a culture, despite what the media want you to think!

True. But there is a culture that a lot of black-skinned people belong to that's different from the culture(s) a lot of us belong to. And within that culture, "nappy headed ho" is a serious insult coming from outside the culture.

Having slanty eyes isn't a culture... but there is a such thing as Japanese culture, Chinese culture, Korean culture, etc. Having white skin and light hair isn't a culture, but there is a such thing as Irish culture, Swedish culture, etc. There's also a such thing as southern bible-belt church culture, enviro-hippy culture, nerd culture, etc.

Within many of those cultures, there are things people can say that are serious insults coming from outsiders.

Now, it's Imus' job to insult people, and he did exactly that. He just made the mistake of drawing the ire of a powerful guy whose life goal is to stir up trouble whenever someone insults the particular group he insulted. So we ended up hearing about this one stupid insult pretty much 24/7 until the VT shootings broke the news cycle. And people wonder why I refuse to watch TV news...

[TIGERassault]

True. But there is a culture that a lot of black-skinned people belong to that's different from the culture(s) a lot of us belong to. And within that culture, "nappy headed ho" is a serious insult coming from outside the culture.

Having slanty eyes isn't a culture... but there is a such thing as Japanese culture, Chinese culture, Korean culture, etc. Having white skin and light hair isn't a culture, but there is a such thing as Irish culture, Swedish culture, etc. There's also a such thing as southern bible-belt church culture, enviro-hippy culture, nerd culture, etc.

I couldn't find any article that claimed the women to be 'getto'.

[Kyouryuu]

Y'know, the other day, I was walking down the street. And there was this black fellow listening to his iPod and rapping out loud in a trance, as if no one else could hear him.

He was going on rhythmically about \"★■◆●ing the white ★■◆● cause she's a ho so ★■◆● her up hard\" and so on.

I swear, some of the things in rap music make Don Imus' comments look absolutely quaint. But far be it for me to be the moral police. I just stand and shake my head at the sheer lack of intelligence present in these so-called songwriters.

Rap is the only genre of music more lyrically vapid than European techno - and that's saying a lot.

[Foil]

Although that's not necessarily reflective of all rap/urban/r&b music (I rather enjoy it when it's not full of hateful & violent lyrics), that's all too often the case.

I agree with the networks for firing Imus, and I hope they do the same for producers who distribute that kind of lyric.

[Kyouryuu]

Well, nowadays it is. When rap and hip hop first came onto the scene in the late 1970s and through the 1980s, people rapped about positive or innocuous things. Rappers Delight seems benign and innocent compared to the hateful drivel churned out by the RIAA puppy mill these days.

It's kind of unfortunate because it is a waste of a genre.

But, on the flip side, I think this particular brand of rap is beginning to run its course. Sales of these CDs and bands are down considerably. Could it be that listeners have finally tired of the never ending stream of vile hatred? We can only hope.

[TIGERassault]

I just stand and shake my head at the sheer lack of intelligence present in these so-called songwriters.

I'd actually consider them to be pretty smart, considering that they practically get paid for insulting strangers!

But, on the flip side, I think this particular brand of rap is beginning to run its course. Sales of these CDs and bands are down considerably. Could it be that listeners have finally tired of the never ending stream of vile hatred? We can only hope.

Wait, I thought sales figures for rap were going UP!

[Ferno]

I'd actually consider them to be pretty smart, considering that they practically get paid for insulting strangers!

Actually, that's called 'being retarded'

[TIGERassault]

I'd actually consider them to be pretty smart, considering that they practically get paid for insulting strangers!

Actually, that's called 'being retarded'

Paris Hilton is a prime example that Being Retarded is a high-paying job!

[Top Wop]

There was a fest just outside my dorm tower last weekend featuring a DJ and an all black crowd. I could recall dozens of instances of when I heard ni**er, hoe, b**ch, ect. And you wonder about hypocrisies and double standards...