In Defense of Duane Chapman

By now, I'm sure that you all of heard of "Dog the Bounty Hunter," a slightly ridiculous reality show in which A&E follows the last man on Earth (namely, Duane Chapman) to respectably rock the mullet and skip trace. Accordingly, I also presume that you have heard about the recording of Chapman's angry tirade against his son's black girlfriend, in which he used a colorful epithet better known as the "N" word. Since the recording has surfaced, Chapman's show on A&E has been pulled indefinitely, pending A&E's "investigation" of the matter. Chapman has reportedly apologized for his rant multiple times and met with prominent members of the Black community to express his shame, including Hebbard's nemesis, Reverend Al Sharpton.

Alternet, one of my favorite Cali blogs, has a commentary piece by Earl Hutchinson on Chapman's excuses and defenses, couching the author's call for the show to be pulled in terms of what might happen were the situation racially reversed. Hutchinson argues that were Chapman a Black man and caught calling his son's white girlfriend a number of expletives, his show would have been pulled in minutes.

However, I'm not convinced that pulling the show off the air is the proper response to the controversy. While his comments may have been horribly offensive, demeaning, and hurtful towards Blacks, women, and Black women in particular, his comments are also real. By pulling him off the air, maybe A&E is sending the message that certain attitudes are not acceptable. But is that message that these attitudes are not acceptable or these attitudes are not acceptable in public? Rather than confronting his attitude head-on, by cancelling the show, A&E is effectively pulling a CYA move and shoving racism--real racism--under the rug. I'd be far more impressed if A&E kept the show on the air, but made him do penance on-air. But those are just my initial thoughts. Any takers?