Me, L, and Don Imus

Last night I received a phone call from L, a lovely lady from my church who almost always calls to remind me when it's my Sunday to usher.

It is usually a perfunctory conversation:

"Hi, Sherry? This is L. I got you down for ushers on Sunday."
"Okey dokey. Thanks, L. I'll be there."
"'k, bye."


Last night she said more:

"You wrote that article in the Envoy*? About Imus?"
"Yes Ma'am"
"Well, it was good. I liked that Imus article you wrote."
"Thank you."
"'k, bye."

*our church's newsletter


I know I'm no Spring chicken, but this woman is old. Ok, not old like my maternal grandmother, but old. Like octogenarian old. And for some reason, that makes her compliment all the more meaningful.

Maybe cuz Larry (our minister) asked me to write it, and frankly, I struggled. It's not the best thing I've ever written, but it's not as bad I'd feared.

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Why I Care About What Don Imus Said

I am a huge fan of college basketball. NCAA Tournament time is an especially fun time for me. I get to enjoy March Madness twice as I am a fan of both the men’s and women’s games.

This year, the NCAA Women’s Basketball championship game was between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights.

The Lady Vols are coached by the winningest coach in US college history (men’s or women’s): Pat Summit. They are the stuff legends are made of, and formidable opponents. Few female basketball players would decline an invitation to play for Summit. As a result, the Lady Vols is less of a “local” team; the young women are from all over the country- the best of the best.

The Scarlet Knights, coached by C. Vivian Stringer, “flew under the radar” all season, consistently ranked in the top 20 in both the AP and Coaches polls. They are amazing basketball players- a back-to-basics team filled with players from working-class, urban New Jersey.

Shock jock Don Imus, in discussing the game, mentioned how “lady like” the Tennessee players were- they were pretty girls, with neatly coiffed hair, painted nails, etc.. This was in comparison to the Rutgers girls, who looked “rough.” They have tattoos and looked like they’d been playing basketball- mussed hair, sweaty, etc. In Imus’ words, they looked like “nappy-headed hos.”

The young women on these basketball teams are exactly that- young women- the same ages as our own Sarah** and Kelly Smith** and Freda Jones**. And no doubt, they have the same goals: to succeed. To use what resources that are available to them to do well in the world. Most are still teenagers, and only a few are at the age of majority.

And since when do we allow our young people fair game?

In my mind, this is not a matter of someone saying that the team did not play well. It was a personal assault, based on what these young women (on both teams) looked like.

Do we all judge people based on superficial attributes? Absolutely. Do we pretend it’s a good idea? Not a chance. We admit that we do it, but we also admit that it’s not a good thing.

But maybe we don’t really mean it. Maybe we actually think it’s ok to be unkind to each other. That it’s perfectly acceptable to call someone a nasty name. And if you don’t think it’s a bad thing to call someone a whore, then the next time you’re at the bank (or the grocery store or at church), say it to someone. Just walk up and say it.

Not in a million years would you do it. Not because you’re afraid of being slapped, but because it’s not appropriate. Period. It is simply not appropriate.

I could talk about the hundreds of reasons why Imus’ words are troubling- and talk about issues of race, gender, economic disparity, and the like. But I don’t think any of that really gets at the heart of the matter. The simple, sad truth is that Imus makes his living by hurling insults. And if that weren’t bad enough, he deliberately uses the most inflammatory rhetoric to achieve his goals.

What is wrong with us that we condone such behavior?
What is wrong with us that so many of us remain unmoved by what Imus said?

We allowed a 66 year old man to hurl insults at a group of teen-aged girls just trying to get an education and play a game they love. What does that say about us?

…”Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these among me, ye have done it unto me..” -Matthew 25:40

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**I changed their names cuz maybe they don't wanna be mentioned in my blog. It's bad enough that I put them in the church newsletter without asking them. I think this would probably be too much.