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Opinion
 

Staff Editorial

                        Robyn Morrow             Chris Elliott                        
                                               John Arterbury       Caitlin Cuppernull

Apparently, NBC, CBS don't listen to hip-hop 

The "nappy-headed ho's" comment made by shock jock radio host Don Imus and was directed towards the Rutgers women's basketball team, particularly the black players, received the most play in its short lifespan Tuesday after MSNBC and CBS delivered their "harsh" penalties.

Imus' radio program will be suspended for a grand total of two weeks.

The consensus with most editorial writers and opinion columnists is that Imus should be suspended for a longer period of time, and certain organizations, including the National Association of Black Journalists, have called for Imus to be fired.

Though it's unlikely to actually happen, Imus' firing might not be a bad idea. His comments were totally unacceptable, and so were the comments of producer Bernard McGuirk, who instigated the entire conversation by calling the players on the Rutgers women's basketball team some "hardcore hos." For some reason, everyone seems to have forgotten about McGuirk though.

Offended people everywhere around the country are asking themselves and the powers that be, "How can a guy who referred to a group of women as ‘nappy headed hos' continue to be played on the air?"

The answer is pretty simple. The word of the day is "desensitization."

Hip-Hop and r&b stations play songs by popular black male artist, which on more than one occasion refer to women in general as hos. Granted the context is different, and the racially offensive words are bleeped out, but how can a society that allows music of that nature to be broadcast without recourse expect Imus to receive a harsher penalty?

Yes, Imus and McGuirk deserve to be banned from the radio, but so do many of the artists that gave MSNCB and CBS a reason to keep them on their team.