Ho

Seeing as there was no end to the discussions about Don Imus and his bitch ass remarks, I purposely avoided saying anything on the topic via Broke Thought$. Sure, I had many discussions with co-workers and friends about what he said, she said, this, that, and the third, but I was so busy reading what everyone else had to say, I decided not to join the fray. Then the shit really hit the fan and stuck to the ceiling, when in the same week, the Duke Lacrosse scandal was brought to an end. I mean, as a black man, I'd never thought I'd say this, but I actually got tired of hearing all these discussions about race. I went to a black college, and I never remember a conversation about one race issue carrying on throughout the course of an entire week (except for slavery, we'll be talking about that shit forever). I mean, contrary to popular belief, we did talk about other things like life and whether or not there is a God.

But one thing I did find disturbing in the wake of all this hoopla over Imus and his remarks was the way my people began to demonize our own men. Hell, even I was told by a couple of friends, that because of where I work and for whom I write, I really had no credibility to argue against Imus, which was some bullshit. As though KING started this shit, and Imus just finished it.

Let's get one thing straight, the term "nappy-headed" is what gave the statement it's racial overtones. But the term "ho" is a colloquialism Imus attempted to adopt into his own lexicon so he could sound down, while also being misogynistic, which is not a race issue. Misogyny is a gender issue and the people who confuse the two are idiots.

Some like to point out how rap music is the only type of music that calls it's own women bitches and hos, which is wrong. Rappers call bitches and hos, bitches and hos. Even black women know a couple of bitches and hos. Everyone knows a couple of bitches and hos. To wit: You know that woman that nearly knocked you over as she walked on by without excusing herself? Ten dollars said you called her a bitch under your breath.

As for ho, people have tried to say we, as in black men, started calling black women "ho" first. And that's only partially true: 1) For years, black men weren't even allowed to talk to white women, so therefore, we didn't know any white hoes (which there are aplenty). 2) Ho is just an abbreviated word for hooker, and I could be wrong here, but I'm pretty sure black men didn't make up the word hooker. I mean, there were those couple hundred years we were forbidden to learn how to read and write. So it seems to me the word "ho" was birthed out of illiteracy before it was birthed out of a hatred for women. And this is not to say a white man made it up, but, this goes back to my point. We don't know the color of the man's skin who made up the word "hooker" which begat the word "ho", but we can pretty much go to our graves knowing the word was made up by a man. And since then, black people have taken to using the word "ho" to describe anyone who's scared. In Atlanta, it's a term of endearment. If you ever meet someone who's from Atlanta, ask them where they're from. If they don't say "ATL, ho" you're not family and you never will be family.

I believe Imus is a racist, and anytime a racist is allowed to have their own radio show, those offended by such behavior should come together in order to get he or she off the air. But in the post-Civil Rights era, we have gotten so comfortable with our "freedom" that we don't even fight that fight anymore. Instead, we use any excuse to fight amongst ourselves. Ho, is simply a colloquialism, exclusive to black culture. It is to the language of black men (and some black women) what "slut" is to the language of white men (and some white women), and white men have been calling girls sluts for years now. You know why? Because all men, whether their black or white, gay or straight, are guilty of calling women out their name. And if women have a problem with that, they should call out every man under the sun.