Response to Imus

Stanley Crouch, a syndicated columnist for the The New York Daily News, says people have been upset about the denigration of women for many years. Now, because of the Imus controversy, the issue is getting the attention it deserves.

When the Rutgers players spoke out about how they were affected by Imus's offensive comment, Stanley says a lot of people began to identify with the victims. "The pure humanity that came out of [Rutgers] Coach Stringer, [team captain] Essence Carson and that team shocked everybody, because they realized, 'Oh, this is who he was talking about,'" he says. "Humanity of people is the only answer to this, because people are being dehumanized in popular culture. … When people saw who these women were, they saw how much of an insult it was."

Lisa, a woman from Maine, was one of those people. She wrote a letter to The New York Times that stated, "I'm a white, prudish suburban woman with the requisite huffy indignation for all things racist and sexist. Yet I watched Don Imus most mornings. It often made me squirm, but I could justify the puerile banter as being another part of urban culture that I just didn't get. So I was ready to defend Mr. Imus because of the platform he provided for in-depth, high-caliber interviews.

When I saw the young women of Rutgers, I was shamed as I have never been shamed before. I suddenly saw my very real contribution to our racial divide. Indifference. … Thank you all for showing me that I have much work to do."