A comment from the KC Star on Don Imus

[huzzah]

http://www.kansascity.com/178/story/66339.html

This does not concern Billiken Basketball per se, but this topic was mentioned on this board and the article is a very good commentary. There is also a great article on St. Louis as an integration ground for Major League Baseball and the part played by Sunny Brown and the St. Louis Browns and the St. Louis Cardinals.

[VTIME]

Some of his points are valid, some are not.

[Band Legend]

Please elaborate, Vtime. As per your cryptic comment, you could believe that all of Whitlock's statements about rappers and gangster culture are valid, but Don Imus is a paragon of legitimate radio journalism.

[Schasz]

Rome had Whitlock on his radio show on Friday and I got to catch most of that segment. Frankly, most of what he said I found myself agreeing with on this Imus subject which has got far too much air play. A lot of what Jason talked about in the Rome interview was covered in this article, but he is definitely no fan of either Jackson or Sharpton. He said it is time that their reign as President and Vice President of the black people ends, and someone else who is more inclined to attack the real problems of African Americans face in today's world takes their place.

[MB73]

Don Ho passed away yesterday at age 76.

Can I say that???

[VTIME]

He acts like Sharpton has never addressed the rap community and its negative effect on the community. Just recently he called for radio stations to ban the playing of all music by a rapper from G-Unit Records because of some incidents that occurred. He has had several rappers on his TV ONE show "Sharp Talk" to talk to them about how the music affects the culture and other things. I'd also like to know what Whitlock has done with his celebrity to help improve the culture. Bashing our activist and music moguls isnt helping anything either.

[courtside]

Don Imus made his comments. No one else made them for him. He has a long history of racist comments among other things. He could not have it both ways, ...be a shock jock comedian and try to have reputable journalists and politicians on his show. You have to pick one or the other. It was merely a matter of time for him or someone else like him. Many others will be next. There is no defense of Imus, none. We live in a 24/7 media society, Imus in in NYC with radio show and simulcast, and therefore is more powerful than say an ESPN anchor Stuart Scott who made ignorant comments a few days later.

Al Sharpton doesn't speak for the African American community.(Thank Goodness) He has a long history of a lack of credibility, racist comments etc...among other more serious things.

There are currently, reportedly, 662 songs with lyrics of what Imus said. It is not okay in any sense of the word to defend these lyrics or songs. No excuse.

It is up to the National Media to hold people accountable. To not let someone like Sharpton receive air time or to question their credibility and past actions and pattern of behavior when they shamelessly, in a self-serving way, try to fulfill their own personal agendas often at the expense of African Americans. If other African Americans want to see them go, then they must continue to aggressively speak up against these figures.

Two wrongs don't make a right. Imus in and of himself was wrong. No one else needs to do this or that first in association with Imus.

The Duke case was and should be a much bigger deal because it dealt with imprisonment vs freedom for many years, as opposed to hate speech. It does not in and of itself make the Imus situation non-important, or any less wrong.

Many eloquent African Americans have written and spoken about all of these topics. As I said, Al Sharpton and the like do not speak for the entire African American community.

[courtside]

>He acts like Sharpton has never addressed the rap community

>and its negative effect on the community. Just recently he

>called for radio stations to ban the playing of all music by

>a rapper from G-Unit Records because of some incidents that

>occurred. He has had several rappers on his TV ONE show

>"Sharp Talk" to talk to them about how the music affects the

> culture and other things. I'd also like to know what

>Whitlock has done with his celebrity to help improve the

>culture. Bashing our activist and music moguls isnt helping

>anything either.

V, there are many many African American "leaders" out there. Don't align yourself with Al Sharpton. You are more resourceful than that. I've seen it in some of your other posts.

[VTIME]

I agree that he is not the voice of the community. However I can get behind some of his causes like when came to St. Louis and shut down I-70 in an effort to get some black contractors some jobs on the highway expansion. Only like 3% of the guys getting those jobs and the time were minority. It wasnt right, but he helped and a change was made. He's done some good.

[courtside]

>I agree that he is not the voice of the community. However I

>can get behind some of his causes like when came to St.

>Louis and shut down I-70 in an effort to get some black

>contractors some jobs on the highway expansion. Only like

>3% of the guys getting those jobs and the time were

>minority. It wasnt right, but he helped and a change was

>made. He's done some good.

His "bad" has far outweighed his good and sucks any crediblity he has on any issue. And it is a non-improving long pattern over decades.

He is only interested in Al Sharpton.

You are better than that V.

[VTIME]

Give me a black leader that you have respect for.

[slufanskip]

JC Watts ... though he is out of office now on his own accord.

V what do you think of Imus?

Official Billikens.com sponsor of H Waldman

Official Sponser of the Stemmler and Ahearn could and would have helped club.

[VTIME]

I think he is a loudmouth who got a longer leash than he should have. The comments he got were definitely not the worse he's ever made, but I think a lot of shock jocks get too much rope. The reason his comments are so demeaning is that they hurt in more than one way. The nappyhead part is offensive because the black culture's hair grows a certain way, and since we've been in America we have been made to feel that wearing our hair natural is wrong and unpleaseant when there is really nothing wrong with your hair curling up. The ho's part hurts because black people in general were not considered people when they first got over here. They were animanls or property and the women were portrayed as sex fiends. When you call them nappy headed ho's you are saying that there is something wrong with them. You are saying that are ungroomed and promiscuous. It hurts these young ladies because they are in college trying to make something of themselves and be the exact opposite of what they are being called in addition to being great athletes. I think Imus' comments were wrong and that he should've been fired long befoer they were made. There are some black people who I feel hurt the culture to like Tyler Perry. I consider most of his Medea film's and plays to be nothing more than a modern day minstrel show. His latest movie Daddy's Little Girls wasnt bad, but he did have a "mammy" type character at the beginning and I wont be watching the new TV series he has coming out title "House of Payne."

[courtside]

>Give me a black leader that you have respect for.

Respect and agreement with are two different things. I just want to say that up front.

I also want to add that leaders exist in all walks of life....from religious, like my friend Bishop Terry Steib of Memphis, formerly of St. Louis, to political such as Harold Ford Sr. or Jr., to Athletic such as Ervin Johnson or Arthur Ashe, to academic such as Carol Swain or Niger Innis. to pop culture such as Oprah or Bill Cosby, to journalistic such as Bernie Shaw etc...or business.

Try reading this link and attached book V.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5618023

[VTIME]

Did you see Juan Williams when he was on Sportscenter Tuesday night discussing Imus' comments saying the media took to long to take hold of this story? And yes, I'm in the progress of reading the link. I would love to read it, but I am two weeks from Final Exams and have some currently more important information to retain. I'm enjoying my first year of college as just a student and not a student athlete, but as I'm nearing graduation, I'm totally swamped with work, usually posting on this board while simultaneously working on 10+ page papers.

[courtside]

Al Sharpton has done worse to the African American Community than Don Imus.

[slufanskip]

I understand his comments and imo were stupid, they didn't make the Rutgers team look stupid, they made him look supid. The team over played the incident. The thing is the people who give a ##### what he thinks aren't going to change their mind, regardless of what you, I, Jason Whitlock, Al Sharpton or anyone else says. If someone has been brought up that way, rhetoric from Al Sharpton isn't going to help. If you think he should be fired, how come Sharpton shouldn't he is as big a racist as anyone. Whitlock nailed this one. You said Al does some good. So does Imus. If Al's negatives should be overlooked because once in awhile he does some good, shouldn't the same be true for Imus. Imus should have been fired, you are right, but you don't get it both ways. You are a Irons fan, don't you remember when he said Nick Kerns was not going to SLU because he wanted to play for a black coach. What if Matt Lawrence would have transfered from Mizzou because he wanted to play for a white coach. What would you have thought about that. You need to hold everybody equally accountable.

Imus is an idiot, all inteligent people ignored what he said and certainly didn't think anything different of the girls than they thought before his comments. The proper response would have been to just say ... "you know that sounds like a pretty ignorant comment to us. It's sad that a few people in the US still feel that way. We look forward to the day when all prejudices are eliminated from the minds and hearts of every American. His comments are irrevelant to us as they stem from ignorance" and then just went about their business enjoying their well deserved success.

Official Billikens.com sponsor of H Waldman

Official Sponser of the Stemmler and Ahearn could and would have helped club.

[Basketbill]

nm

[VTIME]

i dont think the team overblew it. The coach yes, the players, no. I didnt defend Al Sharpton, I just didnt agree with what Whitlock said. I dont have a problem with what Nick Kern said and I wouldnt have had a problem with Matt Lawrence doing what you said above. Players have to go with what they perceive to be the best situation. BTW, I dont remember Kern saying that. I could've sworn he just didnt qualify, otherwise couldnt he have followed Romar to Washington? I do think if either of them felt that way, they should keep it to themselves.

[courtside]

>i dont think the team overblew it. The coach yes, the

>players, no. I didnt defend Al Sharpton, I just didnt agree

>with what Whitlock said. I dont have a problem with what

>Nick Kern said and I wouldnt have had a problem with Matt

>Lawrence doing what you said above. Players have to go with

>what they perceive to be the best situation. BTW, I dont

>remember Kern saying that. I could've sworn he just didnt

>qualify, otherwise couldnt he have followed Romar to

>Washington? I do think if either of them felt that way,

>they should keep it to themselves.

And what did Whitlock say that you disagreed with?

[slufanskip]

Kern didn't say it Irons did and I have a hard time believing you'd have thought it to be ok if Lawrence said it. Don't you think we should try and get to a point where color no longer seperates us.

Official Billikens.com sponsor of H Waldman

Official Sponser of the Stemmler and Ahearn could and would have helped club.

[VTIME]

That Sharpton didnt address the rap community about its lyrics and that Sharpton only takes issues that have money attached.

[VTIME]

We all know how fickle recruits can be. If thats there reason, its there reason. I didnt think I heard Kern say that remark. As long as there are idiots, color will separate us. We have come along way, but since the civil rights movement, no one seems to want to stand up for anything anymore. That's why you need the NAACP. The NABC. Because of the caste system, there will always be separation. Look at SLU's student enrollment. Is it not separate? Look at our schools. The PHL schools are all black, the Christian schools are all white sans Ritter and Lutheran North. Some of the Suburban East and North schools are mixed, but for the most part we are separated. Our churches are separate. We are not as separate as this may sound, but we are not as assimilated as many think we are either. Honestly, think about this: If you saw me walking down the street in my everyday clothes, do you a senior in college who has been class president, sports editor of the paper and 3 time scholar athlete with a 3.0+ GPA, or do you see a young thug, who might have a knife or a gun or maybe a criminal record? I forget who it was that gave me the Rams preseason ticket this year, I'm thinking UNCA Soderberg, but I'm not sure. What did you think when you saw me?

[slufanskip]

actually I would never think thug. I'm much more aware of the way things are than you would think.

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Official Sponser of the Stemmler and Ahearn could and would have helped club.

[VTIME]

Skip, you say that, but am I an example of the way things are? I want everyone on the board's HONEST OPINION of what they would think if they saw me walking down the street? Do you think Scholar Athlete or Street Pharmacist?