The Pissed Off Professor

This debate is part of what’s wrong with the educational system (and the real world): no critical thinking skills are required.

A chunk of America is in an uproar over the on-air comments Don Imus made about the women’s basketball team at Rutgers University, and while I stand with the crowd, my voice carries a different cry, and I am confused.

My confusion stems from the issue(s) being brought up: that Imus’ comments have been deemed racist and sexist.

I don’t think these are valid issues at all: I think the focal point needs to be that is Don Imus is a bully, and he bullied his way across an unforgivable line pleading the humor defense.

Don Imus did not level his hair comments at Barack Obama, nor did he take a shot at Hillary Rodham Clinton’s womanhood. This genius of comedy didn’t take his words and toss them at Oprah Winfrey, and he completely missed the boat by not including Dennis Rodman instead of the Toronto Raptors in his joke.

I’ll tell you why he didn’t do these things: he’s a bully and a coward not a comic. Instead of picking on anyone who might have had the power and the authority to fight back, he picked on a group of college women who had just suffered one of the greatest defeats in women’s basketball history.

And he kicked them when they were down. Nice: insert laugh-track here.

I watched the game, and I saw what happened: Rutgers was gutted by Tennessee. It was hard to observe, not only because I wanted Rutgers to win, but also because the way they lost made my ex-athlete’s heart ache for these women who had—up to that loss—seemingly solved the problem of Sisyphus by moving that damn rock up that impossibly steep hill.

Along with his remarks about the Rutgers women, Don Imus made it clear that he wants to date the Tennessee team: he thinks they’re pretty and cute. That’s disgusting, and severely not funny.

Here’s my lesson in critical thinking:

If Don Imus actually watched the game, I think that proves he isn’t a sexist: if you doubt me, you aren’t paying attention to any of the hateful comments being made about women’s sports in general and women’s basketball in particular.

Given Imus’ remarks about wanting to date the Tennessee team, he’s likely not racist either: Candace Parker is about as pretty as a woman can be, and unless I am mistaken, she is African-American. At 5’2’, Shannon Bobbitt drilled so many three-pointers, Rutgers had no chance, so Imus must have noticed her, and she’s also African-American. Nicky Anosike was a rebounding monster, and given the number of second- (third and forth) chance shots she provided Tennessee, it’s no wonder they steamrolled Rutgers. Oh, she’s African-American, too.

I want to know something: did Al Sharpton watch the game, or did he ring in after the media frenzy began? I’d be willing to bet he knew nothing about any of the Rutgers players prior to all of this blowing up. I’ll bet he still isn’t clear about who Candace Parker is, and I’ll bet he didn’t wonder why the commentators kept referring to Vivian Stringer as “C. Vivian Stringer” all afternoon.

Al Sharpton is a racist, but no one cares because he’s a black racist.

I don’t care whether or not Don Imus is a racist or a sexist, but I do care that he is a cowardly bully who attacked a group of college women.

I care because his attack has placed each of them in the position of having to think about everything they say and do until this whole thing is resolved.

I care because his words have diminished what the team accomplished on the court.

I care because I know what it’s like to be bullied.

More than anything else, I care because I would be honored to have any of these student athletes in my classes: they are as skilled academically as they are athletically.

Don Imus should lose his job and be permanently banned from broadcasting, but not because he is a racist or a sexist: Don Imus should be fired and banned because he is a bully and a coward and he used his authority to belittle and intimidate college students.