Sometime the stereotype fits

Holy Cow! Imus is in trouble again. How can that be? Wasn’t the “nappy headed ho” experience seared, seared into his soul?

Imus is in trouble for, according to Rev Al let’s all go burn Freddy’s Fashion Mart Sharpton, racial stereotyping. Well we can’t have any of that. That flap got started when Imus – foolishly - asked what color Dallas Cowboy defensive star Adam “Pacman” Jones was. Jones, a balck man, it seems has rung up more arrests and court appearances than tackles since joining the NFL.

But if someone fits a stereotypical pattern, why is it inappropriate to point it out? And how does the stereotype become the stereotype anyway? “Stereotype” is printing term - a metal printing plate or a raised printing surface, such as type. And what comes off the plate? Hopefully, very similar printed pages.

In human terms, we use the word “stereotypical” to describe someone who comports to a set image type for a group. Movies use this all the time as a laugh line. When the stereotypical gay man, wearing a pink ascot, flits into the biker bar and lisps in high over dramatic feminine voice, “Say bartender where are all the boys?” The Bartender says, “Oh, their out back kicking the crap out of some fag.” The gay guy lowers his voice eight octaves and says, “Oh! No shit!?”

Well the point is that the stereotype became the stereotype somehow. It wasn’t made up out of whole cloth. But decent people avoid throwing people into stereotypical catch alls. Stereotyping generally is in very bad taste unless it’s used against gun owners, truckers, Southerners, NASCAR fans, Christians – especially Catholics, conservatives or white men. Then, of course, it’s quite all right...and hillarious.

It’s only when you might use the stereotype as a police method to protect the country – as in profiling – that stereotyping becomes problematic for Libs. And that’s what Imus says he was pointing to in his comment. The “I” man claims that he was pointing out that all of Pacman’s problems might be because white cops were profiling a black man. Yeah right. Wink wink. But It’ll probably work. After all, in Lib's minds - insert oxymoron joke here - that would be true.