Pop Culture Observation

Up front - my apologies for the rawness of the language about to be used. I neither use it myself, nor condone it. But a point needs to be be made. One of the following quotes made millions for the one who said it. One got the one who said it fired from a lucrative contract. One is upheld as a cultural icon, one is being lambasted in the press as a bigot.

Which is which?

Quote 1

[Voice talking] (*echo*)Yeah .. niggas wanna take care of these hoes.
Niggas wanna control these hoes. You can't control these bitches. These is independent bitches these years. You can't understand the 2000 in here? Motherfuckers wanna put they mack down. Wanna put they soder down. Let a bitch do what she wanna do. If she chose to ride wit a G, then let her ride wit a G. The bitch don't wanna sit back and be a housewife all the time.

Let the ho be what she wanna be; a real slut, and let the ho get on and make her money. You understand? I got a homey sittin' by me. Understand this nigga don't understand because he's a young nigga. You know what I'm sayin'? I'm been in the game since '85. And I know a ho don't do nothin', wanna play a nigga like 9 to 5, alright...

Quote 2

That's some nappy-headed hos there. I'm gonna tell you that now, man, that's some -- woo. And the girls from Tennessee, they all look cute, you know, so, like -- kinda like -- I don't know.

Quote 1 - Snoop Doggy Dogg, Rap Music Star - "Wasn't Your Fault"
Quote 2 - Don Imus, Radio Shock-Jock - program quote from April 4, 2007

Community leaders of all national origins, colors, races, creeds and religions - where is the righteous indignation over all offensive comments? If being thoughtless and offensive should get you pulled from the air (and many on the left seem to think it should in this land of free speech), then what about the music scene? No, this is not a black-white issue. Scrutinize C&W lyrics. Scrutinize R&R or R&B lyrics. For goodness sake; scrutinize Contemporary Christian Music and there is plenty that SOMEONE with an axe to grind can find offensive!

The point people is not that I find Imus or Snoop offensive (and I do). The point is that IF we are to have FREE SPEECH as formulated in the 1st Amendment, then those with offensive language have it as well.

If a crime is committed, prosecute.

If you don't like what a celebrity says, don't buy her/his product.

If you feel strongly, try to organize a LEGAL protest or boycott.

But don't go feeling all self-righteous when something someone says hurts, and your overly-sensitive feelings get offended. Just because your opinion doesn't agree doesn't mean the other individual should be gagged...

And, for what it's worth - NBC executives? If this warranted his being canned, why the heck didn't you do it 30 years ago? My guess is that Imus is no longer the money magnet that he once was, and you've just been looking for a reason to let him go.