Jon,
I am quickly tiring of this conversation because I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that you have not a clue what the outrage over Don Imus' comments is all about. Nevertheless, I will respond to your statements.
The fact that you said they looked like "whores from around the corner", when the only trait you have listed is that they have nappy hair, suggests to me that you are a very bigoted person. For me that is a sign of stupidity.
In fact, I also mentioned the numerous tattoos, which are more prevalent amongst urbanites in general. Moreover, amongst urbanites, tattoos are probably more prevalent amongst prostitutes than other women living in the city. Secondly, although I did not mention this, the women of the Rutger's basketball team also displayed particularly outlandish and ostentatious behavior on the court, including chest-thumping and the like. Now, chest-thumping might not be characteristic of prostitutes, but outlandish and ostentatious behavior surely is.
In addition, being a bigot (defined as "an intolerant person") is radically different from being stupid (defined as "lacking mental acuity"). (And I'm really getting tired of defining words for you.) I'm sure that you could go back through history and find many eminently brilliant people that were bigots. And brilliant people are the very antithesis of stupid people, if you didn't understand the definition of "stupid".
It wasn't the "nappy-headed" part that was particularly offensive, it was the "ho" part. Your statement suggested you identified with the "ho" part more than anything.
First of all, it certainly was the nappy-headed part that caused all of the outrage. The term "nappy-headed" has a connotation in modern America that refers specifically to African Americans, and the current anger at Don Imus is wholly concerned with his so-called "racial insensitivity." However, the word nappy also has a literal definition that absolutely characterizes the hairstyle of the majority of the team. Don Imus' comment regarding their hair was particularly apt.
As to the ho part of the comment, it is merely ancillary, with regard to the outrage. Simply because I first picked up on the team's tattoos and outlandish behavior does not mean that the outrage over Don Imus' comments is over this aspect of his comment. Perhaps Don Imus' vocabulary and mental acuity are simply superior to mine in that he came up with an accurate description of their hair.
All of the outrage is over the "nappy-headed" comment. Please do not delude yourself.
If he had called them nappy-headed *****es or nappy-headed ballers or anything else with the phrase 'nappy-headed' preceding it, the reaction would not have been any different.
For my part, I know that I hear or read the words ho, slut, ***** and whore just about every day in mainstream media from morning talk radio to primetime television to world renowned newspapers to major motion pictures, and similar outrage is never expressed.
I repeat, the current outrage is all about the 'nappy-headed' phrase and the racial connotations that phrase carries.
Perhaps you could enlighten me to exactly why they looked like "whores from around the corner"?
I think I already did in reference to their tattoos and ostentatious behavior.