Don Imus

Bah. I have to admit I haven't heard him in a long while, and now this. Here is the heirarchy of hypocrisy:

Viacom owns CBS, MSNBC, and Record Producing companies.
CBS and MSNBC own Don Imus's show (or...did)
Record producers liscence Gangsta Rappers
Gangsta rappers flaunt misogyny, often in black culture
Don Imus borrows "Nappy-Headed Ho's" from Gangsta rap.

Blacks speak out against Don Imus while largely ignoring the plague within their own culture. The "N-Word" is a term of endearment among black youth. "Ho" or "shortie" is short for "whore"/"prostitute"/"call-girl"/etc, a very common description for black women by black men.
What Imus said was wrong, yes, but where exactly did he get it from? Black culture.
The really big question is: Why did it take Don Imus for blacks to realize that their culture is the biggest purveyor of blatant misogyny in the United States?

"Whites" cannot fix this problem. It's up to the black community. The status of rap as art is debatable. Hip-Hop apologists say that they write about what is "real." Perhaps the first few times it was real, it was reflective. But now, thanks to the quick rags-to-riches fix and tastelessness of record producers (what will sell over what is good) , it has becomes the fuel of the environment, the statement that poverty is "good."

Censorship will not solve this problem, it will only reinforce the oppression of blacks - only blacks upon themselves.

It's sad: They've only replaced the Sambo, Zip Coon, and Mammy with the Gangsta and Ho. They've taken it upon themselves to provide their own degredation in the media. But it doesn't have to be this way. There are positive images of blacks in the media (Crash). What I hope for, what people who are concerned should hope for, is a Second Harlem Reniassance. I hope, however, that it does not simply fuel current stereotypes. Things can be better, but only if those involved want them to.