The Residue that Don Imus Left Behind

I have something to say later about the passing of an American original, Kurt Vonnegut. But, I would like to closely discuss the legacy of another individual--especially when his words affect the temper of the times. A lot has been said about Don Imus' comments on the air last week. The last post (hastily and tiredly written after listening to the press conference) covered one aspect of what happened.

There is a residual effect that opens a issue that is sorely needed to be discussed in American society. The words mentioned by the radio show host reveal a lot about how diversity is treated in America. Although there has been progress since the days of the Civil Rights era, still there is a problem discussing social disparity due to skin color. The sensitivity around the subject matter leaves it to be swept under the rug instead of confronting the hard issues surrounding it.

Sadly enough, it usually takes a highly explosive situation before the citizens of the United States can see the disparity occurring before their own eyes. For most of the time, it is "whispered about" in the guise of being hidden. There are even moves to distance one's self from empathizing true acts of racism because it reveals the flaws of society. It is never accepted that there are various ways to discuss diversity. Instead, one side usually gets endorsed to the point that some are so sick of it that they want conversations of race to disappear with silence.

In the present day, silence has caused detrimental effects on social relations and belief systems. Because some citizens would like to ignore what is happening, they aid in perpetuating the indifference and the lack of empathy towards due to institutional racism. Even worse, the silent complicity of hiding from a discussion about race continues to reinforce the attitudes built up around certain groups of people. Due to that inactivity, a blind eye and silent mouth toward wrongdoing only leads to yet another public figure "speaking their mind" about non-white people and women. Once these words have been spoken, no one can say that "we're all the same" and that "we're human beings". Frustratingly enough, phrases like Mr. Imus' "joking" on the air reveal the hierarchy of race that is constantly put forth in society. It is almost an anti-climax for a portion of citizens to feign surprise when events such as these occur--especially when they have stuck their head in the sand before.

What Mr. Imus' occurence demonstrates is that we cannot afford to let silence overtake the discussion of diversity in America. Understanding amongst various heritages and culture is highly important in this day and age. It also means coming to grips with our past to make sense of the present. If we don't confront this fact, the same old things will happen with similar results.

There is a lot more to be said about the entire incident with Mr. Imus. However, this aspect deserves to be examined thoughtfully so that discussions about diversity do happen on the American landscape. The most important part is that these conversations must be handled without fear and trepidation so that intolerance can be recognized and addressed.