Like many, I find the whole Don Imus foot-in-mouth-firing situation fascinating. I never listened to Imus, so I’ve been hesitant to enter the discussion and won’t add much to what has been already said elsewhere. The fact that we as a nation are actually talking about free speech, public discourse, ethics, and race is a beneficial outcome in my opinion, no matter how difficult or uncomfortable these discussions may be. Imus’ comments are certainly deplorable, but I don’t want people to walk away not knowing why they shouldn’t use such language about African-Americans or women. And that is where the uncomfortable aspect of the discussion comes in. We have to be willing to sit together and listen to each other about our thoughts. Otherwise we run the risk of turning into David Brent—the manager from the original version of The Office—who has the cheapest form of political correctness in that he knows that certain phrases are racist or sexist, but he has no understanding why they are offensive and ultimately his views are never challenged; his language just has to be suppressed.

People have rightly brought up the sexist and racist language found elsewhere in the media—particularly in hip-hop. I don’t want that discussion to draw attention from Imus. Any demeaning language is wrong and we need to understand why. I’m not for banning words, I’m for developing character.

Most importantly, I don’t want this discussion of Imus and his maligning the women of Rutgers basketball to draw attention away from what will happen this Sunday: the 6oth anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball when he played his first game on April 15, 1947 for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Rather, the current conversation should shed light on what Robinson’s actions meant then, what they mean now, and how far we still have to go in our understanding of race. Robinson’s bravery and character helped change our nation, and I argue that we need to remember his character to continue to change our nation into one that not merely tolerates people who are different than ourselves, but into a nation that makes room and welcomes the other. One of my favorite stories of Robinson changing peoples’ attitudes is that The Sporting News decried the Dodgers’ president Branch Rickey signing Robinson before the 1947 season because the magazine took a strong stand against integrating professional baseball. At the end of the season, Robinson’s play and character impressed The Sporting News so much that they named him the rookie of the year.

(Consequently, signing and playing Robinson was the last good thing the Dodgers ever did. I had to get in that dig.)