First Draft – Taking a Stand

Indeed. It angers me that we still have to fight blatant racism and sexism. I put up with the snide remarks when I went to my engineering classes – I truly hope, one day, we will be beyond this crap.

Hey, all you insecure white males – you don’t need to make fun of the rest of us. You are the privileged ones, who don’t have to put up with jokes made at your expense. It’s no excuse for your ignorance, your intolerance, your “jokes”, and your covering for your own fears and insecurities. We don’t need it, and this country can no longer afford it.

First Draft

As Coach Stringer said, we realize that it’s about women across the world, across this nation. It just so happens that we finally take a stand. And we ask that you continue to support us and not look at it as we’re attacking a major broadcasting figure. We’re attacking something – an issue that we know isn’t right. And we just continue to ask for your support and thank you for your support thus far.– Essence Carson, captain of the Rutgers women’s basketball team (via Pam)

I can’t believe that there is any debate by anyone as to whether Imus’s remarks were racist per se. It’s pathetic. It was racist. No debate, no question. Period. But the remarks were also incredibly sexist and as a one time young woman student athlete I have a few remarks on what Essence had to say from that perspective.

As a kid I loved basketball. In fact I was crazy about basketball. I played everyday out on the driveway, rain or shine. In the winter I’d shovel the snow from the drive and shoot away. However there was no organized girls basketball back in those days. So I played alone. Why? Because I loved it and I was GOOD at it.The coach of the boys 8th grade team had told me if I had been a boy I’d be starting for him. His words were affirming and crushing. If only…..

When I was in high school a friend and I decided enough. We went to the principal and demanded there be girls sports. Fortunately Title IX was in the pipe and the writing was on the wall so he supported us. However it had to go to the school board. They were not so enlightened. According to them I’d never menstruate again if allowed to play sports. Oy! In response I remember standing and giving a passionate speech at the board meeting ….the theme of which was WE were their children too. We simply wanted the opportunity to play. They approved a program for basketball only and we had our opportunity. It wasn’t easy.

We were given the old uniforms of the boys volleyball team to wear. We had to find our own coach for them to hire. We practiced at the worst times in the worst gyms all over the town. And we took shit…a lot of shit. We were mocked and called names and basically characterized as ugly manly dykes. It hurt.

It wasn’t something we discussed often as a team. We heard it. We knew it. We expected it because we were the first. We knew there was a responsibility in being first and that was to prove we could PLAY. That was our answer. We would show them girls could be athletes. Good athletes. Great athletes.

In the final year I played we won all but one game and brought our school a conference co-championship. We were proud of our record. We were good. We had done all we could to prove our point. To make our stand. To take our rightful place. We were pioneers and proud of it. No matter what people thought or said. Every dirty look, every cruel remark, we took it. We took the shit in hope that those who came after us would not have to do so. We were proving a point and taking our stand, not only for ourselves but for all the other girls out there who one day would just want to PLAY because they loved the game and they were good at it.

That was years ago. And given that, it is sad to see in the year 2007 that someone as accomplished as Essence Carson has to stand before the nation and “finally take a stand” as a woman …. the very same damn stand we had taken so many years before as young women. How many generations will have to fight this fight?

I wonder what my team mates of years ago are thinking, feeling and saying of all this tonight. No I don’t have to wonder. We shared too much, were too close. I know exactly what they are saying of Don Imus. I know they are immensely proud of the Rutgers women’s basketball team for proving the point, for taking the stand…..for being the new pioneers.

Congratulations to the Rutgers women on a great season and Thank You for carrying on. It isn’t right to have had this placed upon you. It’s never been right. But somewhere out there is a young girl shooting hoops on a driveway or at a park……

UPDATE: Had to add this from Smirking Chimp after the “But what about the rappers?” comment here:

The Imus affair is not about free speech. If he wants to throw these bigoted hate words in the face of some glorious young women, he has the right to do so, on any street corner.

The issue here is whether a publicly owned media company, in a publicly regulated industry, with sponsors dependent on the public goodwill of their customers, with some serious standard of corporate responsiblity, should peddle this crap for profit on the public airwaves.

Let’s be clear: Media barons not only allow but encourage bigotry, anger, smear, derision and disrespect so long as it is good for business.

Much of my business is in entertainment, and I once had dinner with a high-level friend in the business and his wife. In a pre-planned attack, I said to them that maybe I should tell their teenage daughter she is deserving of various criminal sexual acts because she is really nothing more than a prostitute (I used different words).

Of course, Mom was deeply offended and said if I ever used such language again she’d never talk to me again. At which point I pulled out a CD, from a black rapper, using those exact words about a black woman, and asked them both: You realize I just quoted verbatim a product your company puts out, whose profit is paying for our wonderful dinner at this fine restaurant?

At which point Mom looked at my entertainment-business colleague and said, “We are going to have a long talk when we get home tonight!!!”

Does it matter if a billion-dollar white-owned conglomerate pays a fortune to a black rapper to make insulting, racist, sexist comments about a black woman? Or if a white-owned conglomerate puts this garbage on television and radio?

Trust me, if there were more African-American, Hispanic, and female owners at the highest levels of management of these companies, this kind of racist, misogynist content would disappear.

If there were more African-American, Hispanic and females as full-blown hosts on these radio and television networks, the quality and respect of our media and political discourse would far better reflect the American notions of tolerance and melting-pot inclusiveness.

And more from Gwen Ifill:

Every time a young black girl shyly
approaches me for an autograph or writes or calls or
stops me on the street to ask how she can become a
journalist, I feel an enormous responsibility. It’s
more than simply being a role model. I know I have to
be a voice for them as well.

So here’s what this voice has to say for people who
cannot grasp the notion of picking on people their own
size: This country will only flourish once we
consistently learn to applaud and encourage the young
people who have to work harder just to achieve balance
on the unequal playing field.

Let’s see if we can manage to build them up and reward
them, rather than opting for the cheapest, easiest,
most despicable shots.

Gwen Ifill is a senior correspondent for “The NewsHour
With Jim Lehrer” and the moderator of “Washington
Week.”