What Sunk Imus: Racism or Sexism?

I didn't follow the Don Imus flap very closely because the incident -- and the commentary that surrounded it -- seemed to be the same old, same old to me: A shock jock turned the shock level up a little too high and got burned for it.

But one piece that I do want to take the time to point out regarding Imus is this column by a good friend of mine from grad school, Jason Stahl.

The opening to the piece poses an interesting question: If Imus never used the phrase "nappy-headed," would he have been fired?

The column goes on to explain that the answer to that question is likely "no," leading into Jason's second point -- and my favorite part -- which serves as an explanation for why black rappers are able to get away with using similar language toward women.

As Jason explains:

Namely, there is an element of American culture that now encourages men to bond across racial lines in their objectification of women. Thus, elite white record company owners, black rappers and the Don Imuses of the world can come together to "put women in their place." This message then filters down through the culture, sending the message that sexism is not only fine, but valued by those in power.

If you neutralize the racial element of Imus' comment, he probably would've gotten away with it. And since black rappers are able to neutralize the racial element of their comments by being, well, black, they're able to simultaneously get away with their sexism.

Jason's entire column is well-worth the read, and so are the other pieces he's written as a weekly columnist for the Minnesota Daily, which you can find here.

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Side-Note: Jason's article about the Imus flap reminds me of the Super Bowl halftime show a few years back. Everyone was so obsessed with the fact that Janet Jackson's boob was partially-exposed, no one seemed to care that Justin Timberlake ripped off her clothing to expose it. Is the boob itself really the most offensive aspect of that scenario?