Can We Let the Ho Go?

LANGUAGE WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS VILE, DISGUSTING HATE SPEECH AND NEARLY EVERY FOUL WORD YOU'VE EVER HEARD! If you're only reading this for the vile language just skip on down to the second set of boxed comments.

I really am working on two essays I feel are important. One concerns Iraq and the other Darfur. I hope to have them both posted within the next 24 hours. Sadly I am unable to accomplish as much in 24 hours as the fictional hero Jack Bauer on the television series "24."

But the Imus controversy has exposed a raw nerve. Are we going to have a protected group within our society? Are we happy with two sets of rules? Two sets of morality?

The answer is nowhere as simple as it might seem.

Don Imus is attacked and vilified and fired for a simple statement that is racist and misogynistic. Ill timed and poorly thought out as the statement was, the attack on Imus seems well out of proportion to the crime.

Imus is gone from at least MSNBC and that, in itself, is not the issue. I have no problem with his firing. Shows get cancelled and disk jockeys get fired every day. They have no union and there is no grievance committee.

But I have a great deal of a problem with the resulting theory that there are and should be two sets of rules regarding speech, especially racist and misogynistic speech or any other forms of hate speech. One set of rules for the rap stars (black and white) and one set of rules for the middle aged white men.

I don't buy Snoop Dog's explanation for one second.

"First of all, we ain't no old-ass white men that sit up on MSNBC going hard on black girls. We are rappers that have these songs coming from our minds and our souls that are relevant to what we feel. I will not let them mutha-----as say we in the same league as him."

Now Snoop is absolutely right when he says that old white men can't know his life, his story, his path, his pain or his feelings. Snoop can, should and must write and perform what's in his mind. And, I must add, Snoop is a great talent.

But this isn't affirmative action for rappers. And multi-millionaire singers don't get additional rights denied to the rest of society. A ho is a ho is a ho is a ho.

We can't have one class of people protected from all criticism. Snoop should, can and must be allowed to write and sing what he feels. But attacks on women, the objectification of a sex, the hate speech directed at a race (and people who aren't absolutely physically beautiful and physically picture perfect)is not acceptable.

He can write it, but he must be subject to the same criticism as anyone who portrays similar disregard for the worth of another human being.

This gigantic hit for Snoop Dog and Ludacris, "Hoes in My Room," put literally millions of dollars in their pockets. Imus, in the worst day of his 40 year career never thought, mush less said, anything this disgusting:

EXCERPT FROM "HOES IN MY ROOM" by Snoop Dog and Ludacris Who in the hell let them booger bears out they cell (Not me) And what they doin' in ya' room? Nigga make 'em bail (Yeah) Got some fine bitches, dime bitches on they way (Okay) And told security, "Let 'em in, with no delay" (Ha Ha!) So when they get here, they'll probably be like half naked Don't mean to trip out, but bitch yall got to dip out (Dip Out!) Catch the elevator up one floor Presidential with the slidin' key for the door (Oh No!) What the fuck goin' on? Shit, all around the world Luda, then its the same song Them bitches was so ugly, I told 'em to go home [Chorus] Who let these hoes in my room? (Man who let these hoes in my room?) Who let these hoes in my room? (Oh no!) (Did you let 'em in?) Who let these hoes in my room? (Well who let 'em in then?) Who let these hoes in my room? (Get out!) [Verse 3 - Luda (Snoop)] Now, these chicks wouldn't leave, they was ready to clown One was 5'6 and weighed three hundred pounds (No she didn't come thru with a thong on She did for the hell of it, big fat whale of it) You can't separate me, Ima separate you Bitch ya' pussy smell like Pepe Le Pew (You filthy, nasty, sick in the head Sittin' in my dressin room with dick on ya' bread) She said "I want you to climb in this underwear, silly" But I was turned off by her tupper-ware titties (Fake bitches, break bitches, make bitches Kick rocks, when they fucked up in they face Tick-tock, you gots to get up out my space Hey Ludacris let's get the fuck up out this place, let's bounce) Then it got to my head, and somethin' reminded me I know who let 'em in, it was Bill O'Reilly (Faggot) (Ya' white bread, chicken-shit nigga!) LINK TO THE FULL LYRICS HERE: HOES IN MY ROOM

You gotta love the reference to Bill O'Reilly. I guess ole Ludacris and Snoop Dog told us a thing or two. Yep, they sure put them old white men in their place.

Say, my memory seems to be failing me... didn't Ann Coulter get in deep trouble for calling someone a faggot? Didn't she lose a bunch of newspaper columns? I guess Ann is not in the protected class. Only rap stars can call people faggots without any penalty.

We're talking about Ludacirs and Snoop Dog, two of the richest, most influential and powerful men on earth today. Men so powerful and so influential that they escape the fair and balanced criticism of leaders like Bruce Gordon and Al Sharpton or Jessie Jackson.

They wrote this and they performed this piece of art and radio stations played it and they are getting rich from it.

But that nappy headed ho Imus got fired.


TECHNORATI TAGS: FREE SPEECH DON IMUS BRUCE GORDON MSNBC CBS SNOOP DOG LUDACRIS BILL O'REILLY ANN COULTER

DIGG THIS

SAVE THIS PAGE TO del.icio.us