Shortly after Don Imus' comments on his radio show when he referred to the Rutgers' women's basketball team players as "nappy-headed hos," Oprah Winfrey held a show called "Oprah Winfrey's Town Hall." Winfrey assembled a panel of prominent black public figures to discuss the aftermath of Imus' comments, his subsequent firing and how it relates to hip-hop music. Normally, Winfrey is a master at handling sensitive social situations, but the panel exacerbated and glorified the debate surrounding Imus.

Following his initial statement on his talk radio program, Imus tried to justify and escape responsibility for his comments. "I may be a white man, but I know that these young women and young black women all through that society are demeaned and disparaged and disrespected by their own black men and that they are called that name. And I know that, and that doesn't give me, obviously, any right to say it, but it doesn't give them any right to say it," he said.

Imus' response begs an important question: Is there a double standard? Is racism within a race permissible?

In response to Imus, hip-hop mogul and co-founder of the Def Jam label Russell Simmons said that the term did not start in the black community and called the hip-hop community a "mirror, a reflection of the dirt we overlook — the violence, the misogyny, the sexism."

Simmons seemed to say that the hip-hop community, which is predominantly black, is made up of artists using their own experiences to comment on societal injustices. Are they responsible for making positive changes in society? It could go either way if we follow Simmons' train of thought. But if hip-hop music videos, which often depict the sexual exploitation and degradation of black women, are any indication, those artists are perpetuating stereotypes.

Imus' attempt to justify his comments does not make the situation any better, but it uncovers the underlying conundrum of racially sensitive language. How can a black man have the right to make derogatory comments about a black woman and yet act outraged if a white man acts in the same manner? Racism within a race displays a lack of self-respect. The hip-hop community has a powerful influence on many Americans, and especially the black community. Wouldn't it make more sense to dissipate the negative connotations of black women instead of perpetuating them? If the black community shows that they have respect for black women, then surely others will follow. Winfrey was correct when she said that the women must not allow themselves to be glorified in this manner any longer.

Simmons said that he is a teacher attempting to teach artists to know and say more. For a good portion of the show, however, he attempted to defend and justify the hip-hop community's use of terms like "ho" or "bitch," and insisted that Snoop Dogg is a really nice guy once you get to know him (especially when you look past his checkered criminal past and offensive lyrics). "Hip-hop is a worldwide cultural phenomenon that transcends race and doesn't engage in racial slurs," he said. Well, it sure hasn't demonstrated that.

Simmons appears to have had a change of heart, however, and recently recommended eliminating the words "bitch," "ho" and the n-word from the recording industry. Hopefully, more artists and consumers will take his lead in pushing that movement for change.

Winfrey's panel omitted the viewpoints of others who have a stake in this debate. She suggested that white Americans may not understand the hurtfulness of Imus' deplorable comments, as white people use racist words like the "n-word," yet she did not have a single white person on her panel to explain that the bulk of white people are certainly not racist and do not condone Imus' comments. White Americans do understand the deplorable connotations and effects of those comments and a sweeping categorical generalization that they don't exacerbates the problem.

The hip-hop community needs to take accountability for its actions, and its leaders finally taking responsibility for their productions should be music to consumers' ears.

Reach columnist Chris Heide at opinion@thedaily.washington.edu.