Imus, U.S. Society, and GIGO
Now that the Imus dust has settled, it’s time for a comment or two.While it was happening I noticed with interest that not one of the loud voices actually replied to the serious objection voiced by the Rutgers Team: that Imus’ comment was a logical result of an endemic culture that allows, and even finds humor in misogyny. The team was quite clear on this. They were smart enough to go to the source; the voices jumping to their defense were not. The defense jumped on the race bandwagon. That’s one behind the human bandwagon. The team was riding high and right on in the lead wagon. But once again, the media—and the money (in the form of advertisers and the networks)--went for what they could sell as controversial and ignored underlying causes.
When you enter the world of computer programming, one of the first lessons you learn is framed by the epithet “garbage in, garbage out.” (GIGO) Which on another plane, reminds me of Tom Lehrer’s phrase: “Life is like a sewer; what you get out of it, depends on what you put into it.”
What you find in a society’s drainpipe is largely produced by those to whom the media grants power. And those to whom this power is granted beget all sorts of off-spring. Hey man, this is what’s hot! This is what gets you the green!
Well, this green is a pretty ugly color after all. But we sure enough see a lot of it. And, unfortunately it is classified as legal tender.
In the interest of full disclosure, let me say that I am a rabid proponent of the First Amendment. Doesn’t prevent me from deploring the fact that I live in a society that so heinously misuses that granted privilege and so hugely gains from doing so.
2007-05-20 07:47:09
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