Wordweaver66

Hello Sheila,

Thank you for putting together such an eloquent response to Mr.

Patinkin. Have you submitted this to the ProJo as an editorial? This

and Lola Lange's response covers so much ground that needs to be heard

by as broad an audience as possible...may I suggest these commentaries

be distributed broadly by the Women's Center on behalf of all the Women

of Excellence involved with this discussion in RI.

Lola Lange from the Public Defender's Office wrote:

In today's ProJo, our sagacious columnist, Mark Patinkin, tells us that

Imus "has somehow earned the ability to say things few can" and that

"people in public positions who shy from dicey issues are ineffective."

So Imus has earned his ability to say "nappy-headed hos" among other

things, because he is being "effective" in doing so. Interesting

argument, Mr. Patinkin.

Imus should put his money where his mouthed apology is and donate a

sizeable chunk of the cash he's earned in 11 years of cruel humor to a

Rutgers University Journalism Program to fund scholarships for young

people who want to enter this field and bring back the old school

concepts of journalistic integrity and professionalism, both written and

spoken. Then maybe his "apology" would carry a little more weight. The

donation should come out of his own pocket, not from his listener's

pockets through a "Poor Imus" fundraising campaign (boo hoo, after all

the good he's done--raising $40 million over the years, this little slip

of the tongue shouldn't end his career, should it? Who would like to

debate that?

I agree with Al Roker who said that he is "tired of cruelty that passes

for funny humor at other people's expense."

Lola

_________________

Dear Mr. Mark Patinkin;

I read your article on 4-12-07 and in short you've said a mouthful,

carefully!!

Let me try to explain what we've all been missing.

First let me say that I fall short by miles as to being the spokes

person

for minorities

That is "African American women' not because I'm not one (because I am)

but

because I am not a public figure. I have a hard time trying to make

the

people around me everyday give a hoot about what I have to say.

Which is just the point?

Who gives a hoot about what Mr. Imus has to say on a daily bases? his

Audience!!!

Being a public figure, having the media at your disposal, being a talk

show

host, each in it's own context carries a certain amount of weight with

it.

As derogatory is his statement was it was just as much ignorant,

selfish,

and childish.

He used his power (of the media) to launch an unwarranted attack on

someone

that he has no personal knowledge of ? good old plain bullying ?just

because he could. And the reason it was ignorant was not just because

he

did it but was because he used his access to an audience that his

victims

were not privileged to.

By your own admission, in quoting Jimmy Snyder, Al Campanis and Marge

Schott it has been okay to attack any group that has Historically been

oppress by society and if we can't take it with out crying about it

that

just goes to prove how weak we are.

In the end it sadden me to think that anyone who made that particular

comment could be seen as not having any intentions of it being racist.

In

what context would you call a white woman a "nappy-headed anything?

And

just for the record ain't is a word and Hos is not a word.

Stick and stones can broke your bones but words can deeply hurt you?

Can you imaging that you can 1st deeply scar these young ladies just

because?

Or better yet imaging the seed you plant in their opponent minds each

and

every time they play another game? Making an otherwise good sport that

takes real talent into a dangerous (attitude inflicted) sport. That

could

cause someone to get hurt and not just feelings Imus needs to own his

mistake and do something about it because saying you're sorry is just

not

enough. Sorry are for the moment, it will not cover the anticipated

harm

you may have caused.

                       Sheila Robinson-Young