Hey, You Didn't Read My Email
Regular listeners know that Tuesday is the day we read from your emails and blog posts on the show. Needless to say, this week the news out of Virginia Tech took priority. Rather than filing away some perfectly good emails, though, I thought I'd post them here at the blog instead...
Our conversation last week about Don Imus's crude remarks directed at the Rutgers women's basketball team elicited hundreds of emails. Penny in Phoenix took issue with the argument, and the defense, that Imus just repeated words used everyday in hip hop music:
"To say that Imus took his words from the rap culture or hip hop music is like blaming the victim. It is the same lame excuse that is made when the "n" word is used. His words were racist and derogatory, and reflect misogynistic and racist principles. His apology is not enough. He will never be able to ever imagine the long-term psychological affect that it will personally have on the players of the Rutger's team."
Another listener saw it differently.
"I don't agree with what Imus said, but I dont want him to be fired," argued Janey, a listener in California. "I don't want them to be able to put Lenny back in jail if you get my drift. When we have to be afraid of what we say, then we are progressing backwards. It's great that Imus took a lot of heat for flapping his yap, but don't take him off the air."
Both of those emails, written before CBS radio decided to fire Don Imus late last week.
And Imus wasn't the only controversy that came up last week. On the Opinion Page, columnist Kathleen Parker argued that Iran's capture of several British sailors and marines, including one woman, showed that women should not be allowed in combat. John Smith emailed in agreement:
"Under no circumstances should women be placed in combat positions. I don't think we as a nation are ready to place our daughters, spouses, and other loved ones in such a position of vulnerability. There is a shining good reason why down throughout history no civilized nation has ever placed its women in combat positions. This as a fundamental issue and no more need be said about it."
Scott in Greenville, South Carolina, did have something to say about it:
"Today's military is a thinking force, not a collection of hulking brutes. Raw aggression is no longer the determinator of victory in combat; the knowledge, skills and winning mindset that are key to military success are trainable in both men and women."
This month, of course, marks the sixtieth anniversary of the day that Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League baseball. And, last Monday hall of famer Dave Winfield told us that he worries about the dwindling number of African Americans on the field and in the stands.
Andrea, in Rochester Michigan, said she appreciates the diversity she sees in baseball:
"The one thing I like about baseball today is that it feels like a true international sport. I enjoy the mix of black, white, Hispanic and Asian players. It seems to be very race-neutral. Basketball and football seem to be predominately black and white. Baseball incorporates a much vaster collection of people."
We also talked last week with the authors of a new guide on email etiquette... and many of you offered your own horror stories of emails you wish you could take back. Laurent, a listener in Ann Arbor, Michigan, suggested two golden rules to follow to avoid any of that email embarrassment:
"1) Never fill in the e-mail addresses until it's done, and you're totally ready to send. I leave the "To" field blank until I've read and re-read it.
2) Never send an e-mail without leaving it and coming back to it at least once. Even when I think it's done, I always close it, and then come back and re-read it at least ten to fifteen minutes later."
That's good advice, and you can put it use when you email us... If you have comments, questions, or corrections, that's the best way to reach us. The address is talk -AT- npr -DOT- org. Please let us know where you're writing from and give us some help on how to pronounce your name.
11:03 AM ET | 04-18-2007 | permalink
