In another of those "protest as theater" events that black leaders have turned into an art form over the past 25 years, Al Sharpton’s radio show today will feature a much-publicized "beat down" for the latest white media personality that has dared confuse comedic license for racial insensitivity. Don Imus, who apparently has a morning talk radio show on NBC’s network, "pulled a Michael Richards" while rendering his post-game comments on the Tennesee-Rutgers NCAA women’s basketball championship game. The comments were made by Imus and producer Bernard McGuirk.

I will not rehash what is probably abundantly clear to the readers but, in case you have paid $5 million and are flying Air Russia to the International Space Station, you can click here for what passes as witty sports (nee social) commentary on "Imus in the Morning." When the "Prejudice Police" called the aged Imus on his faux pas, he apologized, sort of, in the show’s next session. The latest damage control to come from Imus was that he wanted to meet with the Rutgers ladies basketball team to formally apologize. You can almost hear the alarms going off on the S.S. Imus: "Tighten all water-tight doors; rig for collision..."

But, as so often happens, this issue will not go quietly into the good night. The Police, apparently, refuse to believe that this was the simple-minded, insensitive, and tasteless remarks of yet another media personality gone wild. Imus has made a career as a fringe-skirting lunatic. He was called out in 2000 by Clarence Page, the Washington correspondent for the Chicago Tribune. On Imus' show, Page asked if Imus would "cease all simian references [to] black athletes" and "references to noncriminal blacks as thugs, pimps, muggers, and Colt 45 drinkers." Imus responded, "I promise to do that." Page went on to ask that Imus put "an end to Amos 'n Andy cuts, comparison of New York City to Mogadishu, and all parodies of black voices." Refusing to read the hand-writing on the wall, the "I-Man" was denounced just last month for an impersonation of poet Maya Angelou, again by McGuirk. To whit:

Imus: "Who was that woman you used to do, the poet? We used to get in all that trouble every time you'd do her."

McGuirk: "That's right. Whitey plucked you from the jungle; for too many years took away your pride, your dignity and your spears."

Well, enough is enough. It has, for the reigning black leaders, become the latest cause celebre.

Al Sharpton plans to confront Imus in today’s edition of "The Al Sharpton Show" which should prove to be a ratings spectacular for Sharpton (and his advertisers). Not to be outdone by "The Man Who Would be Jesse," Reverend Jesse Jackson, himself, has announced that his RainbowPUSH Coalition plans to protest Monday [about 50 people showed up] in Chicago outside the offices of NBC, which owns MSNBC, over the remark Imus made last Wednesday during his show.

Editorial follows: It never ceases to amaze me that when something promises to provide media exposure, the current black leadership can mobilize within days - sometimes hours - to mount an offensive against a perceived affront. But, when confronted by the "mundane," such as:

• 25 percent poverty rate, or
• 30+ percent of black males between 16 and 25 in prison/parole, or
• 70 percent of all black children born to unmarried women, or
• 30-40 percent high school dropout rate, or
• 10% unemployment among blacks, higher among young black males

- all tagic subjects but, sadly, unlikely to peek mainstream media attention - there is no call to march, protest or boycott. When black males have the highest homicide rate in the nation, black leadership issues press releases bemoans lax police activity in high-crime areas or "racial profiling." When a Baltimore woman’s house is burned down by local drug gangs for complaining to the police and her family dies in the arson, black leaders issue a press release calling for more attention to the plight of the urban poor.

I think Don Imus is a racist (not to say senile) cretin. He and his producer, Bernard McGuirk, should both be fired. He should "do a Howard Stern" and move to satellite radio network where his form of racism and bigotry can fester among an audience that will pay to hear it. The more I think about it, his listening base will probably increase now that he is completely out of the "I Am Not A Racist" [By the way, doesn't that ring about as true as Nixon procliaming "I Am not a Crook!"] closet. The ranks of XM Satellite subscribers seem just the right mix for his banality. Regardless, corporate America should be able to decide that simple adjustment without feigned indignation from Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.

The larger point is that the regnant black leadership should pick larger, more important issues on which to focus and spend whatever media currency they may have left. Their energies should focus the media (and the viewing public) on causes that will positively and palpably impact the lives of the black community. Getting Don Imus off the air is not one of those immediate, crisis-level issues. Of even more relevance, it will not help the black people in the least. If, on the other hand, the agenda of the black leadership is to show that they can still kick a white racist's butt, then I am sure they will make that capability abundantly (if vacuously) clear, yet again.

I am not sure I can see the "uplift" in that any more.

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Addendum #1 (04/11/07): Sponsors pull advertising dollars; Rutgers' coach and team speak out.
                                          Imus suspended for two weeks (possibly more)

Addendum #2 (04/12/07): Fallout: Imus' Wife Cancels Book Tour
                                          MSNBC Cancels Video Feed for Imus' Morning Show
                                          Defending the indefensible: FOX News (wouldn't you know it?)

                                          Imus Axed! No Surprise. Presto! Change-o! Satellite Radio, here I-Man Goes!

Addendum #3 (04/13/07): Cycles of Outrage and Apology (John McWhorter)

Addendum #4 (04/14/07): Jason Whitlock (sports columnist) calls for Al and Jesse to step down.

Addendum #5 (04/16/07): Al Sharpton gets a plethora of death threats

Addendum #6 (04/18/07): Larry Elder: Another White Man Bites the Dust