Watch what you say

In this blog, I am making an attempt to address an already sensitive issue and am offering my comments and the way I perceive the entire situation. By no means am I a racist. So after reading, please don’t come to that conclusion either.

Recent hubbub is about Don Imus being suspended for two weeks for his racist remark that he made during his talk show regarding the Rutger’s Women’s Basketball Team. The purpose of this blog is not about what he said, despite the fact that it hurt some people. Don is known as the ‘shock jock’ and he does have the tendency to go over the top and say things for shock value, like they say “the modus operandi for a shock jock”. I have not heard his show, so I cannot say much about the quality of his show. But he is a shock jock and will pick on anyone to get that attention. It is his persona for the show. It is what keeps his show on the edge.

By making this comment it does not make him a racist. His comment went over board and he apologized for it and is on a two week suspension. But some people and groups wanting him to be fired and wanting to make his show and livelihood history seems a little over the top. The news media wants politicians and advertisers to back off from his show. No more ads from Proctor and Gamble, and Staples will be aired during his show. Politicians are asked not to be the guests in his show. Why? I have seen on T.V. and heard other radio shows where non-white (trying to be politically correct here) has made similar comments about their own race. But that does not seem to raise a flag anywhere. When one race makes a comment on another race, that too on a show, just to get an edge or make their show attractive or get some laughs out of the audience that seems to make the entire system hay wire.

Like I said, I have not heard Imus talk on his show but years ago, I was a fan of ‘The Greaseman’ show by shock jock Doug Tracht. I still am, except I don’t know on which station he is aired. (If anyone knows, please share the information). He was punished, suspended and finally booted off from his show because of similar racist comments he made during his show. He was not a racist either but it is just that his mouth outran his brain. Some days his shows don’t turn the way he intended to. If I am listening and I don’t like it, I switch stations; same with Howard Stern.

Few months back, Senator George Allen of Virginia, a Republican, was at a political rally in support of his campaign when he called Sidarth, a “macaca”. The Indian community was up in arms over this fact. Allen had of course apologized and his life and career moves on. Was he suspended from what he was doing? I don’t think so. I am an Indian (and am proud to be one) and just by Sen. Allen calling Sid (and us, Indians) a macaca, do we become one? No. We are who we are. Just by anyone passing comments on us, is not going to change anything. What ever happened to Gertrude Stein saying, “Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose” to mean "things are what they are". Let us just forgive and forget. It is just a show to entertain people and let us leave it at that.