Possibly we have gone too far. Beginning a generation or so ago
Americans became touchy about racial, ethnic, and gender slurs --
even if they were only jokes. Now it is hazardous to utter a slur
even in jest about members of another race, ethnic group, or -- as
the sexologists might say -- sexual orientation. We all recall the
furor around Don Imus when, pursuant to a cheap laugh, he uttered a
rude reference to the black female basketball players of Rutgers.
Imus was forced out of his popular radio show.
As an ardent defender of the First Amendment I opposed Imus's
extinction. Yet this touchiness about slurs is not going to go away
-- and in many cases should not. Often the slur betrays a deep
contempt for others merely because of their race, ethnicity, or
gender. Contempt is not a civilized value.
At any rate, given the intensity of our national touchiness over
slurs, no group should be exempt from protection. Slurs are based
on stereotypes, often misinformed stereotypes, and to allow one
group to be slurred is to validate a stereotype. Oddly enough, two
groups continue to be the victims of slurs in America, people of
faith and Italian-Americans. For now all is quiet on the people of
faith front, but an Italian-American group is making an issue of a
slur recently broadcast on NBC. I actually heard a similar
anti-Italian slur on a cable station while I was exercising at the
gym a few weeks back. I wish I had had a pen handy. I would pass
the details of the incident on to vigilant members of the Columbus
Citizens Foundation, sponsor for decades of New York's Columbus Day
Parade and other Italian-American heritage programs. They are now
after NBC for failing to discipline the golf analyst, Johnny
Miller.
During the U.S. Open, he slurred Rocco Mediate who was at the
time strongly challenging Tiger Woods. As Mediate's tenacious play
raised the possibility that he might win, Miller quipped: "Guys
with the name of Rocco don't get on the trophy, do they?" Earlier
Miller opined: "He's a character [Mediate] -- he looks more like
guy who cleans Tiger's swimming pool." Today in America no
commentator would get away with making such remarks about the
African-American Woods. Why should a commentator get away with such
slurs on Woods's Italian-American opponent? For that matter, why
would Miller even be thinking such thoughts? Italian-Americans have
been top-ranked golfers since the days of the great Gene
Sarazen.
On June 21 Miller issued an apology that made matters worse. He
denied that his remarks had anything to do with Mediate's
"ethnicity." That really roused the ire over at the Columbus
Citizens Foundation. Citing the long list of commentators who have
been suspended by their networks or fired for slurs, the Foundation
insists that NBC do the same. The Foundation has a very good point.
Are Italian-Americans less worthy of protection from slurs than
other Americans? NBC should do the right thing and give Miller some
time to think, and one of the things he might think about is how he
might craft an apology free of further insults. A joke about the
name "Rocco" has no ethnic bias? Mr. Miller, how stupid do you
think your audience is?
topics:
Africa
