Issue date: 4/19/07 Section: Opinions

Sarah Shebek

Just when we think it's safe to like the media again, Don Imus destroys that notion with one ill-advised sentence.

I was reminded this past week why I really can't stand commentators, in politics, sports or otherwise, when some cantankerous radio host decided to call the Rutgers University women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos." This after they had played their way into the championship game against one of the dynasties in women's college basketball - the University of Tennessee - showing admirable resiliency and effort along the way. Yes, the majority of the girls on the team are African-American, as is increasingly the case in college basketball. Yes, Rutgers is in New Jersey, a state whose reputation is not exactly glamorous or shining. And yes, these are women playing a college-sanctioned sport, one that doesn't leave room for much traditional femininity.

But Imus seriously must have rolled out of bed on his head because he managed with a few words to be racist and sexist at the same time. White men generally aren't successful at humor when targeting females or minorities and the combination is lethal, especially on national airwaves. It remains to be seen if Imus is actually a covert Tennessee fan or just really enjoys rubbing people the wrong way - a pastime that's become all too common these days. Either way, he's fouled out and was finally fired after the nation rallied against him. Despite an admirable move to meet with the Rutgers team, his credibility - and that of the broadcast industry - has taken a massive hit.

What remains to be seen is why the media has embraced all things offensive. Apparently somewhere along the line, they've decided that the best way to get people to pay attention is to make them mad. Really mad. Forget well-crafted stories, clever dialogue and thought-provoking discussions - nobody cares about that. If you want good ratings, you'd better offend someone, the sooner the better. And no topic is taboo. Religion? Between calling Muslims terrorists and Christians idiots, I think they've got that one covered. Politics? You'd better believe it - and we're supposed to believe that President Bush is the next Adolf Hitler or that climate change is nonexistent. Sex and gender? There's no place for you unless you embrace radical feminism or bash anything related to women's rights. What about ethnicity? Let's not even go there. So the Bill O'Reilly and Rosie O'Donnell types are continually pushed in our faces, and we're supposed to be entertained by it.

Sorry, but I'm not laughing. The last time I checked, most people don't like being belittled in front of thousands on-air. We don't mind an occasional put-down among friends or family, but it's much less acceptable to have some big-headed talking mouth insult us. Humor has a place in the media, but today's version of humor is a far cry from what I think is funny. Meanwhile, both sides trumpet that our country is more divided than ever. Maybe that's because we're constantly getting fed radical ideas and expected to believe them. They call themselves conservative and liberal but continue to poorly represent both ideologies. What started out as polite disagreement has turned into an all-out name-calling war while most of us moderates are ducking for cover.

We've turned into an angry nation, always on the brink of outrage, always protesting something. Life is a split-screen where two hot-headed commentators argue over the most mundane of issues. If you haven't been offended yet, just give it a few days and a media personality will find a way to do so. This is the nature of the beast.

Someday, it's got to end. They'll run out of people to belittle and ideas to crush and be forced to actually do their job. They'll realize that people are tired of sarcastic humor and bad jokes. They'll give up controversy once and for all.

But right now, that seems even less likely than Imus' chances of working in the broadcast industry again - or his sudden transformation into a Rutgers fan.


Sarah Shebek is a sophomore communication major from Iowa City, Iowa.

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