The Hip-Hop Scapegoat

Last April 4th, Don Imus called the Rutgers women’s basketball team “nappy headed-hos”. In an act bound to be legendary, people including Russell Simmons are now seeking to ban colorful words such as bitch, ho, and the n-word from rap music. It is suspicious to say the least that rap music is in any way related to Don Imus’s outburst.
I am not trying to defend Imus’s actions. The Rutgers team did nothing to earn his attack. All the while, I don’t think that he deserved to be fired from his job. He took the criticism and didn’t try to blame it on anyone or anything else. He didn’t hire a lawyer or a spin-doctor.
It remains to be seen if the rap community will accept the new standards, I wouldn’t hold my breath. In any case this development should be a warning to the rest of us. Anytime someone tries to assert power and censor speech it should be a concern. Once the n-word, bitch, and ho are banned, what’s next? We can’t be eliminating any word just because someone might find it offensive, otherwise we can forget about free speech. Either everything is ok or nothing is. Many noble series like South Park and the Daily Show thrive on free speech, and their art should not be interfered with!