Imus and The Tipping Point

Al Sharpton is mad at Don Imus because he called some women "hos" - short for whores.

The Reverend Al is mad at Imus. NBC is mad at Imus. Women's groups are mad. Don Imus seems to have stepped over a line he didn't see.

Why didn't Imus see the line?

Maybe because rappers have been calling women "whores" - whoops, "hos" - for more than a decade (when they weren't calling them "bitches" or something worse). On MTV. On the radio. In public. During their interviews. And, they made millions by doing it.

Maybe Imus thought he was a rapper. Maybe he just didn't think.

Here's the good news: this is a chance to talk about the degradation of women that's become part of our entertainment culture. And to change it.

This isn't about Imus. It's about a Tipping Point - when women fight back against the degradation that's in rap music, on MySpace and so much "popular" entertainment.

Come on Rosie, Katie, Ellen ... Imus is already going to hell. Let's use the opportunity to change an ugly mind set - calling women "whores" - whoops, "hos". Regardless of the color of their skin.