If you have been watching any news lately you have probably heard that radio host Don Imus has landed himself in hot water over some comments he made about some African American female basketball players. Without getting into a debate over what he said or whether the 2-week suspension that he has been given is punishment enough I would like to discuss what we can learn from this situation.
If you are a public figure or if you have the opportunity to address the public via radio or television you need to be very careful of what you say and how you say it. Don Imus is known for his salty rhetoric and opinionated rants. In fact that may be why he has a loyal following - a lot of people like to be entertained by those with extreme views like Howard Stern, Rush Limbaugh, Bill Maher, and Ann Coulter. But we live in times when certain words, phrases, and opinions are coming under increased scrutiny. It doesn't matter what you happen to think of that fact...if you want to get along in the world today you need to accept that.
I think that being conservative with the language and opinions we share in public is just good manners. When you speak you should try to communicate without hurting anyone elses feelings. Diplomacy never goes out of style. Using racial, sexually based, or gender based slurs will probably offend or hurt someones feelings even if they don't speak up right away and tell you so.
As a rule of thumb don't use words that negatively classify any group of people. It seems like such a simple and obvious way to behave but many people have a habit of using certain words in private that they should never use in public. If you are one of those people, now is the time to work on breaking that habit before you inadvertently say the wrong thing in public.
It doesn't matter if hip-hop stars use the "N-word" or not. It doesn't matter if rappers call women "hos". I don't think anyone is taking etiquette lessons from rock stars/rappers/hip-hop stars. Not only that but if you aren't a professional entertainer no one will cut you any slack at all if you make a mistake and insult someone with a poor choice of words.
If you find that you have a hard time communicating without peppering your language with slurs that might insult a group of people it's time to work on sanitizing your vocabulary. These days, using an insulting turn of phrase isn't viewed as a simple gaffe or forgivable error. Using slurs can get you fired, ruin your career, and cause you extreme embarrassment. Just ask Michael Richards, Ann Coulter, and Don Imus...their attempts at humor have cost them money, respect, endorsements, and an audience.
When you speak remember don't be mean, be sweet or the price could be higher than you can afford to pay.
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