Ugh

I have resisted writing about Don Imus as it would be breaking my rule of not giving attention to such media figures. Additionally, he is right up there on the list of “pundits”-I-would-only-listen-to-in-hell with other “personalities” that I shall not name and it is inconsistent of me to criticize him based on news reports, rather then personal, first-hand knowledge.

But his comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team have been eating at me for almost a week. Until today, when I skimmed through Pittsburgh's Rants and Raves section of Craigslist and Salon's letters on the subject, I was unable to determine the “what” that was disturbing me. Additionally, I am conscious of the fact that anything I have to say is colored by the fact that I do occupy a more privileged position in society then the targets of Imus' comments.

The Craigslist postings were unsurprisingly unsympathetic towards the Rutgers team and their defenders and very pro Don Imus. The general tone seemed to be that Imus had said nothing wrong and those who called him out on his racist, sexist and degrading statements were trying to censor him. Many of the letters to Salon were the same, albeit in a more coherent, highbrow vein. One letter writer called it a “petty issue”, another whined that it was simply a joke that got out of hand.

But in the middle of that was some sanity (Thank You Salon!) Letter writers who pointed out that Imus and McGuirk's comments devalued the hard work and athletic talent of eight women who weren't even public figures.

Which leads me to what bothered me the most about the exchange between Imus and McGuirk. They did not target public figures*. They targeted a group of college-aged women playing in a basketball tournament. They critiqued those women, not on their ability to play ball, but on their physical appearance and presumed sexual activity. And they thought it was funny.

Coach C. Vivian Stringer responds.

*While equally reprehensible, I'm assuming that those in the public sphere are equipped to respond to such comments.