Washblog

I make a point not to listen to shock radio (I've been told by some that Mr. Imus opened the way for Howard Stern). However, to hear several leading political presidential candidates jump on the bandwagon of moral amazement and shock, and to hear seemingly rational people scream for Mr. Imus to be fired smacks of incredible ignorance and hypocrisy. To learn this morning that CBS, no bastion of moral decency considering the wide array of violence and profanity regularly employed in so many of their productions, leaves me rather confused. A very high percentage of music produced in the hip hop and rap genre is far worse in terms of degrading and offensive statements or comments directed at social groups, ethnic groups, women, and others. This music is played loudly and boisterously in the public arena, and is adopted and indeed celebrated, it seems, by the mainstream corporate culture as well as many social organizations. Those of us who ask someone who is playing such music on a public bus to turn it down and show consideration for others are often threatened or worse. I myself was called a nigger, and the bus I was on was a "free ass fuckin' bus". Many examples of this type of music openly celebrate violence against women, police officers, white people, gays, or whoever happens to be the target of the moment. I have heard no moral outrage about this. This being said, as a liberal, I am disgusted by the seeming need by society to pander to one group of society, not wanting to offend them, while completely ignoring the rest of us who are daily assaulted and made to feel responsible for all the ills of society simply because of the color or our skin. Richard