Don't fire Imus
By now most people know that and cable television personality Don Imus has gotten himself into trouble over racially insensitive comments he made about the Rutgers University women's basketball team.
The day after Rutgers lost in the national championship game, Imus referred to Rutgers players as "nappy-headed hos." Most of the team's members are black.
That comment -- as Imus has repeatedly admitted in repeated apologies -- was not just racially insensitive. It was plain stupid.
Imus will begin serving a two-week suspension from CBS Radio and MSNBC next Monday. But a chorus of people -- led by the Rev. Al Sharpton -- are calling for his dismissal. CNN's coverage seems almost to be hoping that Imus is fired, which isn't surprising to me, given that Imus has taken a big bite out of CNN's morning viewership in the past year.
Here's hoping Imus remains on the air.
Anybody who watches Imus in the Morning knows that the show is known for its often-over-the-edge brand of humor. His willingness to satirize, criticize and offend people is the key to his success in the past three decades.
But Imus has always been an equal-opportunity offender. The shows imitators are equally vicious to Bill Clinton (and by extension Hillary), Teddy Kennedy, the Rev. Jerry Falwell, Ray Nagin and Dr. Phil, among others. Imus is no fan of President Bush, but his politics are all over the map. He championed Republican Sen. Rick Santorum and Democrat Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr. equally in last fall's election. And he's been outspoken in support of veterans, even as he has been vehemently against the war in Iraq.
Sometimes I cringe when I hear Imus or others on his show go over the edge. And clearly Imus crossed the line last week when commenting about the women at Rutgers. There's a difference between making vicious fun of politicians and taking cheap, racially insensitive shots at young women athletes.
But I hope Imus isn't fired. Yes, he's offensive. But he's also very funny. If he goes, who'll be left to make of our most pompous politicians and personalities?
posted by Patrick Rice @ 6:48 AM
19 Comments
19 Comments:
Baloney! Don Imus showed the nation his true colors! His racist remark was just that RACIST. Picking on politicians and extreme right wing-left wing commentators is one thing. But, to dinegrate an entire group of people - no matter the color of their skin is racist. Pure and simple. If they don't can him, then the people of the United States have the chance to show the world what kind of humanity we are in this country by not watching or listening to him ever again.
If you have a problem with what Don Imus said it is exactly that, YOUR PROBLEM! It wasn’t criminal and it wasn’t hate speech. You people need to stop being so overly sensitive and easily offended. You also need to quit expecting other people to be politically correct to spare your fragile feelings
This seems like another attempt by the politically correct whiners to try and stifle free speech they don’t agree with it.
Jesse Jackson has made racist remarks far worse than this over the years and not a word from anybody, yet he’s the one making a big deal out of the situation.
This will turn into an extortion where Jesse Jackson will try and get a payoff, ostensibly for a charitable cause, but which will likely end up in his pocket.
Don Imus is a shock jock, by nature they go overboard and this shouldn’t be unexpected. I can’t believe people are making a big deal out of this but are remaining silent about Rosie O’Donnell’s anti-American outbursts.
If you don’t like the show or what he says, then don’t listen to it or watch it on TV. But quit trying to silence people you don’t agree with. It isn’t up to you to dictate what is and isn’t offensive for everybody else. If this were offensive enough to enough people they will stop listening which in turn will lead to a loss of advertising $$ which will lead to the show getting cancelled. But it isn’t up to you to decide what is and isn’t acceptable for anybody but yourself.
Oh, here we go again.
I feel like these kinds of things are on a never-ending re-run.
Two words: YOU'RE FIRED!
"If he goes, who'll be left to make of our most pompous politicians and personalities?"
Well, you got lots of options. On Comedy Central, you got The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, to name a few.
My problem is that MSNBC isn't a comedy channel. MSNBC is a NEWS corporation. Mr. Imus has high-profile politicians and guests on his show everyday. Maybe Mr. Imus needs to get a show on Comedy Central to do his funnies...I'll be glad to watch...just like I watch the Daily Show and The Colbert Report, because I enjoy a good laugh. People take him seriously on MSNBC, because that's what MSNBC wants in order to compete with FOX News and CNN. He's done this (made racist comments) before, it's just that this time we finally caught him going over the edge.
NOW FOR SOME QUOTE REPLIES (Yippee!):
“It wasn’t criminal and it wasn’t hate speech..."
"Nappy" is derived from usage in the 1950s as a racist description of black people. I would classify that as hate speech, and definitely racist.
"But quit trying to silence people you don’t agree with."
Are you kidding? So you agree with what Don Imus said?
So, once again, some of you just don't know what you're talking about. You couldn't be more wrong. Period.
Hey, and can I tell you a secret? You sure? Don Imus will never fire Don Imus because if they did, they would lose A LOT of money. It's all about money, ladies and gentleman, and the president’s of NBC and CBS, or more specifically, Viacom and General Electric know that all to well...
I don't frequentl watch Imus, he sounds, to me, like a drugie or drunk with his slurred speech and going nowhere points. But Pat lets face it, he violated rule number one: If your white you don't say anything and I mean anything about blacks. Period, Surly he is smart enough to know that. One need only to listen to "RAP" music to hear what I think is a reflection of culture and how the black man feels about the black woman, but its ok to say because its black on black. Maybe we can take Mr Richards (Kramer - fame from Seinfeld, former Senator Ma Ca Ca and Imus and make the new three stooges Dumb Dumber and Dumbest. Remember no free speech exist in the white to black worlds.
If anyone cares to read it, One of our writers on Highbrid Nation actually worked wit Imus over the last few years at WFAN and had some really interesting things to say about the whole situation with Imus and he also has some inside info that the media hasn't mentioned about the whole story.
Radio host Don Imus, an entertainer and comedian, is being raked across the coals for a random racist remark.
That’s what the Media Ho’s at CBS, MSNBC, and CNN, et.al. would like you to believe.
In fact, Imus has been on their hit list for a long time. Read about the long-term attacks from www.tompaine.com for a repugnant look at a far left website.
Why?
Imus is a registered Republican, carrries a concealed weapon (legally, in New York City), and although plays the Devil’s Advocate perfectly, is in fact a — gasp! — Conservative who’s pro-life.
IMUS: “I used to support abortion — until I realized it was killing babies”.
IMUS TO JOHN KERRY: “Why not fill out the forms {releasing his Navy records] today, John?”
That’s the REAL REASON they’re picking on Imus. Imus is a CONSERVATIVE!
If it’s racism they want, let them start with Howard Stern, Snoop Dog and the rest of the ‘hoodniks.
Or Eddie Murphy, who’s movie “Norbit” contains some of the vilest attack on black women ever filmed.
Oh, wait — the liberals laughed at that film.
Here’s a sample from the review at http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/Norbit.html
Nonstop sexually themed jokes and innuendo. Frequent gags about Rasputia’s sexual appetites and body (breasts set off car horn, cleavage is visible, bikini shows lots of skin, shots of nipples through clothes, she washes car in slow motion); pimps evaluate/disparage women and talk about “johns” and “bitches” one sexual scene shows a woman dressed as a chained slave and a man dressed as Abraham Lincoln; sexualized dance moves; sex game features “squealing like a pig” joke about adulterer’s erection; sexual allusions like “tap ya” and “power tap” several references to “titties” and “strip joint”/”titty bar” (to be called “Nippolopolous”); visual bikini wax joke (violent and sexual); joke about trying to “nail” a girl; romantic kisses between Norbit and Kate.
Abusive, mean-spirited bullies; blatant racial stereotypes prey on Chinese and Italian characters, African-American pimps, an overbearing African-American woman, and an elderly Caucasian woman; characters cheat, lie, and commit adultery; plenty of fart jokes and “gross-out” eating jokes.
I guess it’s better to have two hours of fat, racist black women jokes and Murphy in a fat suit and nappy wig than one 5 second remark from White Imus.
One more thing: Do you think that Jesse Jackson no longer deserves his position of prominence because of his “Hymietown” comments, or was his apology sufficient?–
From Jerel: Imus has a long history of insulting Blacks. He is not an equal opportunity shock jock poking fun at stupidity. He is a racist. Accept it.
Those girls did nothing stupid and did not deserve his comments. They are excellent players and they deserve respect.
He said Venus and Serena Williams belong in National Geographic. They did not deserve it.
Imus insulted journalist Clarance Page,a Black journalist from Chicago who attended his show.He called another well respected Black person a "cleaning lady."
Now he wants to have a Black person on his show each day to provide perspective. Wow, thanks a lot.
The bottom line is that Imus does not respect Black people. He is only sorry because he wants to keep his job.(That's why it took him 2 days to apologize.)
And he will keep his job because in America nothing is ever a problem unitl it effects the right people. Blacks don't matter.
Al Czervic et al,
The reason Imus is in this whole controversy right now is not because he’s a supposed right-wing conservative (I don’t know if he is) and that the mainstream media is out to get him, it’s because he went over the line in making a racist, derogatory remark about some black girls on a college sports team.
And on a side not: if the “horrible, America-hating, liberal media” has Don Imus on their “hit list”, why is the “extreme right-wing evangelical FOX News” covering the situation just as much, if not more, than all the other networks? The answer to that will answer two questions: that FOX News is not a bias right-wing new corporation and that the mainstream media is not as biased as you think it is. Most of the news media and their journalists are completely fair and balanced, there are just a few who choose to ruin the reputation of the most honorable and respectable.
Now back to my point….
Don Imus isn’t a racist, he just insensitive towards ALL kinds of people and can be very offensive; He says what he thinks. It’s what he does and it’s what he has always done. Of course he’s never serious about the things he jokes about, but he needs to understand that in the “arena” he’s put himself into now, he can’t say those things. You can’t, and it’s just not realistically possible, to have a show where you talk about a solution to winning the Iraq War in one segment, and after a commercial break, you’re talking about women’s basketball players being nappy-head hoes. You just CAN’T do that. It’s not ethical. It’s not right. And if MSNBC, NBC, or CBS want to maintain their moral standards as highly respectable news organizations, they are going to have to terminate Mr. Imus. If they don’t, they will lose all credibility.
CORRECTION:
In my post above, I said:
"...Don Imus will never fire Don Imus..."
I meant:
"...MSNBC and CBS, or their respective owners, will never fire Don Imus..."
I guess that if you like listening to that type of trash then it doesn't matter what they say. I never have listened to him, or others like him, and never intent to.
That said, I agree that he should not be fired. IMUS was just being IMUS and that is what you expect from him!!
Tried as I might, thinking yesterday evening about the Imus remarks, I could not find anything funny about his choice of words regarding the Rutgers ladies basketball team. I tried and tried to envision what could be funny about saying "nappy headed hos". I tried. I really did. And, the truth is, it wasn't funny. In no way was that comment funny. Personally, I believe that to even have that choice of words "pop" into my mind, would be racist. Those words are trash and as far as I'm concerned people who choose to resort to that kind of vile rhetoric are trash, also. He should go.
While I find Imus' remarks out of bounds, the black community had better start getting used to it as we are raising entire generations on rap music, comedy shows and movies where this type of language is the norm. How is a young child or young adults who have heard this for years supposed to know this is bad if it is presented to them as entertainment again and again. Until the black community themselves stop this language children will grow up thinking this is acceptable. Should Imus have known better, absolutly he was raised in a time when it was bad. Will the next generation of shock jock know it is bad. How could they.
I say they should fire him. Not because of his “insensitive” (good grief) remarks, but because he’s boring, old as dirt, and hard to look at. I’ve tried to watch his show on MSNBC and the longest I could stomach is 10 minutes. I only lasted that long because I was amazed that it actually made TV. His viewership is minimal and nobody would even miss him.
Just curious, who coined the term “Hos”? Was it an insensitive white bigot or an African American? By the way Patrick, you go easy on Imus but are ashamed of Ann Coulter and call her a bigot. Isn’t calling someone a bigot a form of bigotry? Ann made an indirect reference about Edwards (a politician) and you condemn her, while praising Imus and asking for his forgiveness.
Here’s what you wrote about Imus: “Anybody who watches Imus in the Morning knows that the show is known for its often-over-the-edge brand of humor. His willingness to satirize, criticize and offend people is the key to his success in the past three decades”.
Couldn’t you switch Coulter for Imus in this statement and still be relatively accurate? You may call yourself an independent, but you might want to fine tune that to a “liberal independent”. By the way, if you declare yourself an independent, which primary do you get to vote in? Could I become an Independent and vote twice or vote in the Democratic Primary with an anti-Hillary vote? Just curious.
Imus, like so many of the shock jock genre, has lost the ability to differentiate between satire and insult. There is a lack of civility that permeates our culture...from the talking head political pundits to the entertainment industry. As for substance ad decorum in our national level political campaigns...please, pass the sick sack.
I'd like to see Imus, the gangsta rappers, the screamers who masquerade as debaters, and all the other rude, profane and self-aggrandizing spouters go to subscription radio.
Well this is to ANYONE who thinks that what Imus said "really wasn't that bad or that it was bad but.....". This was one of the most horrible, racist, out of line and unprofessional things that I have ever heard. I can care less about the "shock jock" thing that many of you have been "holding on to". It is not only stupid but is a "slick and cowardly" way to "try" and excuse this man's behavior, which makes your on "beliefs and thoughts about blacks and possibly other minorities suspect. It amazes me that "some" white people after all of these years are upset that they are not allowed to use negative, racist comments toward blacks. ARE YOU KIDDING ME! GET OVER IT and GROW UP NOW!!! If you are not black you should NEVER say these words or want to for that matter. I hear people griping about how the RAPPERS use these comments....they are black and are allowed...end of story. If you don't want white kids listening to rap music or want them to copy what they do then simply "PARENT YOUR KIDS BETTER"!!!! Now the other side of this is that I do not necessarily "personally" agree with blacks making negative comments about other blacks BUT this is not and should never be the issue for white people, it is not your business...period. Maybe had white people NOT started using these terms many, many years ago, NONE of us would be using them. This man should be fired and whatever cost.
This is just one black man's opinion.
BigTexas43 said: I hear people griping about how the RAPPERS use these comments....they are black and are allowed...end of story.
It sounds like you don’t believe in equality. Why do you think its okay for one group of people to say this, but not another. What you’re saying is racist. You’re saying blacks should have rights that white people shouldn’t have.
Equality works both ways. If its okay for one group of people to say these things than it should be okay for all to say them. It sounds to me like you’re a racist. End of story.
Wasn't it funny what Imus said about the Rutgers women's basketball team! And all the other racist, offensive stuff he said in the past was funny too.
And it was really funny when MSNBC and CBS told him he was fired. That is so funny I'm still laughing. It was nothing personal--it was just a joke. Can't Imus take a joke?
What's really funny is that the part about him being fired wasn't a joke. Now that's FUNNY!
Thanks for the laughs Imus!
In Ancient Greece from the 6th to 7th Century B.C., AESOP was a brilliant storyteller who was welcome everywhere for the wisdom and understanding that he delivered. As AESOP said, "They who complain most suffer least.", and, "Give assistance not advice in a crisis." Wisdom does not change, regardless of who may try to modified it. I suggest that all forgive and forget and move on with improving their own life, not criticizing whomever they can.
I dont like Imus but he should'nt be fired for these comments. I am sure that he did'nt come up with those words on his own, they were repeats of what he heard on the rap stations and dont tell me you or he dont listen to rap. Anyone who is on the street in this town (FWB) and elsewhere, can't help but hear some of this every where you go! Disgracefull
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