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MSNBC announced that they will be dropping the simulcast of Imus’ radio show following the disparaging and racist remarks Imus said about the Rutgers Women’s basketball team. Now before everyone gets their panties in a bunch from the title of this post, let me make a couple of things clear. First off, I am NOT an Imus fan. I have always thought Imus to be a crotchety old boring broadcaster who never brought anything to radio and I have never been a listener. More importantly, I believe what Imus said was racist, sexist and if that was not enough, it wasn’t even funny.
Though I do believe Imus is absolutely getting railroaded and even though I am absolutely against what he said, I like even less the people who are leading the charge for his head on a platter. This country has many prejudices and biases that we have to deal with and it is a sad state of affairs when in the 21st century we still have prehistoric scumbags like Imus getting on the public airwaves and spewing his racists rants. Though I hate even more the vultures who come out when something like this happens and immediately jump up onto their soapboxes when their ethics and reputations are highly questionable to say the least.
This evening when I got home from work, I watched several hours of news coverage jumping between CNN and MSNBC and what I watched made me nauseas. I am sorry, but there is not a chance in hell that I am going to actually listen to people like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson tell me what is right and wrong when both of these men have pasts littered with much larger indiscretions.
While I was watching the news and listening to Sharpton spew his venom tongue as he talked about the next protest he was going to put on. I began to think back to the Tawana Brawley case where Sharpton led another charge that caused a huge amount of racial strife in New York in the late 80’s and ended when the accuser was deemed to be lying and made the entire thing up. And there’s Jesse Jackson with his 2001 announcement that he fathered a child out of wedlock.
These men are no better than Imus. What Imus said was wrong and he has come out several times and admitted his mistake and asked for forgiveness. Should he lose his job over this? I don’t know and to be honest, I really don’t care. What I do care about is the self-proclaimed punishers who crawl out out of the woodwork when something like this happens.
Sharpton/Jackson just go away. You’re not wanted and you’re needed even less. You’ve gotten your 15 minutes of fame once again, it’s now time to crawl back from where you came and wait for the next unfortunate incident that you can take advantage of.
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Technorati Tags: MSNBC, Imus, Rutgers Women’s basketball, CNN, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Tawana Brawley
Well said! There is so much judgment of Imus out there, but so little kindness. Sadly there are sick kids who are going to die for want of money that Imus will not be able to raise, thanks to MSNBC.
Don
Don - I know Imus does some great charitable works, but the only person to blame if sick kids will not get the support they need is Don Imus. He was the one who said what he said and he absolutely needs to be held accountable. I just hate the guys who are leading the firing squad even more than Imus. Thank you for your comment!
If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, then it must be a duck. People who “claim” not to be racist do not use the term “nappy-headed” hoes. I think they did the right thing, for once.
Imus has been saying outrageous things for years. He suggested that Bush and Cheney should be hanged and there wasn’t a peep from the MSM.
I don’t like Imus, but I think I’m going to have to stand by him on this. I get comedy. I understand that when you’re engaged in something like radio, you say things to be funny. And if you’re going to call him a racist then I guess 90% of hip hop artists are racist too.
I think we’re far too sensitive in this country where everything offends us and we want to either sue or have someone fired.
Lighten up. There are bigger things in the world to worry about.
(I can’t believe I actually took the side of a liberal. I need a shower now)
Yeah,this ranks right up there with the Bushshit,Not. Look at what Dubua and the other Self serving government liars that say they are trying to run OUR country have DONE to US as a nation,not to mention the rest of the world. And this shit is getting the Headline? Perfect!
Claire - I agree with you and my post was in no way defending Imus. MY point was that the people who bang the drums the loudest in my opinion are usually worse than the accuser and they should be taken to task on that.
MIke - I agree with you that it does seem to be a double standard when it comes to what Imus said compared to some of the things that hip hop artists make. I think the difference is that politicians and journalists do not go hang out and interview with Hip hop artists like they did everyday on the Imus show. I think that is why people are so much more upset over Imus’ comment compared to lyrics in some songs. I am not saying that is right, but that is where I believe the difference is. But I do agree with you that our whole society is way too uptight and needs to take a breath.
Ramair - I hear what you are saying and don’t even get me started when it comes to our lovely president, but I do think these are two different animals. And to be honest why I think this has gotten so much media attention is if there is a positive thing that came out of this, I believe this has sparked a larger and greater discussion and maybe we can learn something from it. As long as we don’t allow people like Sharpton and Jackson to control the debate.
Thank you all for your great points and comments.
Well said, Cord. I share your sentiment. I have no use for instigators. People who stand back and point fingers and cry foul just for the sake of seeing their names in the press make me nuts.
Thanks Paul, I could not of said it better myself.
I am not a big Imus fan, but this is wrong. Howard Stern says a lot worse things and gets away with it.
Now I am not saying Imus was right for his statements, but how far does a human have to go and apologize as well as accept the humiliation of his actions before he gets to move on with his life?
Where does it end? I am quite sure Imus is not a racist, but does this have to ruin a man who has stood up for his mistakes?
Has anyone who set up camp in front of the Duke Lacrosse house after the indictments were handed down and preached Racial and Class discrimination and chastized these 3 boys come forward and apologized? has the so called victim come forward and apologized? of course not. She is still convinced she was raped. Problem is she doesnt remember that night very well and had sex with other men that night. But of course the wealthy anglo saxons got the worst of this lie and of course this will be swept under the rug in no time by the community who supported her.
double standard is all I have to say.
David - I agree with you, but I think what the difference is today is that Howard is on satellite and not on the “public” airwaves like Imus is. I also think Imus has been caught up into this perfect storm kind of thing and the news coverage and publicity this is garnering is unbelievable.
Cord, even with all your prefacing disclaimers, the argument is about Imus, but more so MSNBC with its worldwide audience supporting and allowing an Imus to perpetuate stereotypes, insults, and apparently their hidden philosophical agenda to the world.
Anyone who ‘bangs’ a drum against an injustice, ignorance or whatever should not be negated for their positive actions.
EVERYONE has things in their past (or present). Does that mean they or you or me cannot speak out?! And no, I do not condone the past actions of Jackson or Sharpton.
THIS argument is about Imus, not rap stars, not Howard Stern (on satellite radio), not T.Brawley, not the Duke LaCrosse players, nor Sharpton or Jackson.
Imus and his producer are wrong. MSNBC is wrong for having provided a pulpit for his (their?) philosophy and comments.
If the other distractions, or arugments if you will ( i.e. Brawley, Duke LaCrosse, etc. and so forth) need public debate and social action, let’s do them one at a time as they deserve.
Adrienne Zurub
Adrienne,
In a perfect world you would be right, but we do not live in a perfect world. In this world everyone has ulterior motives and when making decisions and opinions you must take that into account. I totally agree that Imus said what he said and he absolutely needs to be held accountable, but I absolutely have every right to bring the other players up because they are making themselves players in this incident.
No-one asked Sharpton to get involved, he did cause this is what he does. If he is going to put himself in the middle of this issue than he is going to be a part of the conversation.
You are absolutely right everyone has a past and everyone makes mistakes. I would ask then since Imus has apologized, been suspended and lost one of his jobs, why isn’t that enough for Jackson and Sharpton? Why because to these men it has nothing to do with Imus, it has to do with them getting their face on every news and talk show they can so they can gain publicity and then hopefully a big pile of cash.
Your ideas are fabulous Adrienne, but I believe they are naive. You can’t separate this out because life is not simple, it is complicated with multiple layers.
I welcome any further thoughts you might have and appreciate your well written and thought out comment. Thanks!
Cord,
thanks for your response.
I do not believe my ‘ideas’, which I would not define as ideas (thoughts, thinking, moral imperatives) are naive. Neither would I regard my thinking or my posting here as simplistic.
Again, you are making this argument ‘about’ Sharpton and Jackson, which you have every right to do needless to say. Jackson and Sharpton may be ‘players’ (they are NOT the team) as you state, but they too are distractions from the ‘issue at hand.’
This is strikingly true as I argue the fact again…in this posting.
My argument and one that I have stated in other postings (other blogs, including my own) has to do with the situation with Imus.
As a thinking, concerned and reflective person, I maintain that Imus should be fired!
Actually, I do not care what Sharpton and Jackson do. I make my own moral decisions. The fact remains that they made headlines to bring more attention to the matter. They are essentially irrevelent, except to….
The perfect world statement is moot. It is actually ludicrious to state “…in a perfect world…”because it is transparently obvious that we do not and never will live in a perfect world. Another distraction.
Cord, you will learn no doubt that as you state, “..life is not simple, it is complicated with layers” when it is applicable to the argument.
Respectfully,
Adrienne Zurub
Well Adrienne, I guess I would say that you just made my point and moreover I would say that when you tell someone that something they said was “ludicrious to state” , you kind of throw that whole respect issue out the window. Oh by the way, it is spelled ludicrous.
I see you are on your high horse looking for vengeance against Imus and I say go to town. The issue is that Imus was not what my original post was about!! It was about the players involved and not Imus. But you chose to jump in here and push your agenda and your thoughts. Hmm, kind of sounds exactly like what Jackson and Sharpton does, huh?
You don’t care what Jackson and Sharpton does why not? Their voices are representing you aren’t they? They are throwing gasoline on an already blazing fire for what? Imus gets fired, ok, fine. Now what? What did you accomplish? He will get a job in satellite radio in about 5 seconds.
My point was how about instead of looking for someone’s head on a platter, everyone uses this time to push the loud mouth chest thumpers out of the way and open up a real discussion that could actually make a difference. And that discussion would have to not involve calling people you don’t know ludicrous.
Respect. Calling people you don’t know naive and simplistic.
I intentionally spelled ludicrous wrong, so that you would have something else to distract yourself with. Just kidding, I made a mistake! Ohhh!
Again, Jackson and Sharpton never have ‘represented’ me?! Why would they?
My post is/was about NOT to be distracted by the likes of a Jackson or a Sharpton. Stay on course!
My Gawd (intentionally spelled wrong) how easy it is to argue in cyberspace.
Okay Cord, party’s over. I go to work now! (intentionally stated grammatically incorrect, like cool, but maybe not).
I think I love you!
Adrienne
Adrienne - I am going to say this one more time. I am the one on course you are not. See this is my blog and I wrote the article. You can write anything you want on your blog, but don’t tell me to stay on course just because I am not willing to talk about what you want to talk about.
Imus is a non-starter; fire him, deport him, do whatever, he is responsible for what he says and now he needs to take what’s coming to him.
I have been trying to communicate to you that this will not be the last time this happens, far from it. So I am just thinking maybe we can take something positive out of this whole mess and LEARN…. And screaming at moon for Imus’ head does not do that.
I love you too…
I don’t like Don Imus, but I thought he was a comedian. Why is it that he should be crucified for something that Eddie Murphy or Jay Z could say with impunity, even if he is a ‘cracker’?
I had never heard of Imus until today. I don’t care to hear of him after today. But I will say this - people in positions of responsibility, nay authority even, are held to a higher standard. They don’t go around on air calling a team, part of their audience - “nappy headed hos” or something equally racist, and think that “sorry, I’m not a racist, I just sound like one,please let me keep my great job” cuts it.
Firing him would be a message from his employers that they don’t/won’t tolerate that kind of behaviour on their station. Might send a message to others that, if they work for them it’s not ok to be racist.
That would be a positive.
Maybe if he’d been given his marching orders “stat”. Sharpton and Jackson would have had no opportunity to even get involved at all. Instead, they’ve been allowed an opening, and they’ve taken it.
As for Jackson and Sharpton - of course they are going to get involved. This is blood in the water for them, this is an issue to do with African Americans, and anyone who thought they wouldn’t get involved, given their track record, does not understand how they operate. They feel they represent African Americans even if some don’t believe they do. Should the thought come up that “well they represent you don’t they?” No, they do not.
Many people African Americans dislike Sharpton, (I dislike him) and many like him, but he isn’t going away.
And, I’m sorry but if Jesse Jackson fathered a child out of wedlock does it mean he can’t speak on Imus? What has one to do with the other?
Britgirl,
I guess my point is that no-one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. Jesse Jackson lied to his wife and family, cheated on them and fathered a child, he then apologized for his misgivings and guess what, he was forgiven and allowed to continue his work. My question is why isn’t Imus given that same chance?
I totally disagree with Imus’ racist and sexist rant, but the man came out and apologized profusely. He acted like a man and went today and apologized to the Rutgers women in person. What makes Imus’ crime worse than what Jackson has done? Why must he suffer more for mistakes he has made compared to his accusers Jackson and Sharpton?
My issue is the holy than thou attitude these men have and for all there chest thumping what has been accomplished? Ok, Imus is fired. I will bet you that after a little time to let this settle down we read an announcement that Imus has been signed to satellite radio where he will be able to say anything he wants.
So again, what has been accomplished?
Does seem kind of unfair doesn’t it? I hear what you’re saying, but it’s a different thing entirely. Chalk and cheese.
What Jackson did, he did to himself. If he fathers a whole batch of kids, it’s his immediate family that is affected - as well as people losing trust in him of course. Other than that who cares if Jackson or anyone else had kids elsewhere? It’s an issue for him, his God, his family and his conscience.
Unfortuneately when Imus made those comments he made them to a public audience, on the public airways. Not in his backyard. In the UK, politicians have been sacked for less. This is race you are talking about. Especially in America.
To say what he did he probably thinks what he does. I don’t know. And regardless of his apology (which of course he’d make if he felt he might lose his job) there are some things that an apology simply doesn’t fix. Even if accepted, some mistakes still have a penalty.
FYI - before he signed up he must have known what the code of conduct was. He broke it. It’s no different from any worker in an organization. My organization has fairly strict rules about racist or perceived racist behaviour.. dismissal isn’t an impossibility.
I find it odd that simply because Sharpton and Jackson had indiscretions that it makes it taboo for them to call Imus out. Well, Sharpton, maybe.
At the end of the day, his employers had to make a decision.. him - public opinion and/or ratings. They could have kept him If he gets a job somewhere else, so be it. if he says the same thing and they tolerate it, well it says something about them both doesn’t it.
Well, he’s been fired. Case closed. Until the next time. There will be a next time…
Okay…
Let’s see here, To whom were his comment offensive to… Women? White women? Black women? I see women of all shapes, size and color in representation of this basketball teamand school. Now for argument sake… Let’s say..? It was someone like, Gloria Allred, that jumped up and went off on Imus okay. Well that would have rolled around the news for a good afternoon or so right..? C’mon now, be honest and think about things. So, not ducking reality here. Let’s look at low and behold who is it that leads this charge, Sharpton..? C’mon now, He shouldn’t have been allowed the airtime, Or should’ve he? Well, Let’s see now… He, Sharpton, is protected by our great nations Constitution. Why he can stand up and spew anything he wants to right..? Yes sir and Yes maam! That folks is all of our rights as American citizens. These rights have been fought for, they are protected by law and by all means are held in the highest regard by all Americans. Let another country try to get in the middle of that one and folks it’s on and I mean it’s on! Yet, this situation as abrasive and foul as it were and all of the sudden we’ve got a modern day witch hunt on our hands. Would it have been less a situation were it in print rather than vocalized? Our right to Freedom of Speech is not limited to any one type of medium folks. Bottom line… We as American citizens have a right to express ourselves any way we care to. Was and is it an moral and ethical issue? Sure it is! But, the spewing by one individual is no reflection on or by anyone else. Did his dog tell him to say it? Who knows, Who cares..? He stood up like a man, An American man and apologized. I think he was sincere and seemed to be cosciencious about it. Who’s gonna stand here and judge that? Look, I’m no Imus fan, I’m no racist and I don’t have a problem with women. Take a deep breath, step back and look at what has transpired here. The right of an American citizens freedom of speech has been demolished, Plain and simple. You can agree with the dude or you can disagree with the dude. That’s your business. But, for crying out loud, Don’t run from the issue! No matter what, they can’t take your birthday away from you… What is going on? Is white America trying to right a wrong with one man? Is corporate America trying to make an example of one man? Yeah, yeah… Rap music refers to this and Rap music refers to that… Who freakin’ cares. Do you honestly think two people are going to chase each other around the yard with sticks because one of them listens to and enjoys, Oh the Eagles and the other one listens to and enjoys, Oh Public Enemy. Nah, It’s not going to happen and you know it. Wait a minute, Let something come out of somebodys mouth and uh-oh… Don’t give any thought to the fact that it developed in their brain long befor it’s heard. So do we develop a helmet for all of us to wear? You know the helmet… The uh-oh helmet…
Take care all and do yourselves a big favor… Drop it!
Imus has a long history of saying nasty things. He found his tipping point and now he has to live with it.
I don’t trust Al or Jesse but they don’t have a history of racist, sexist, etc. public speech. Imus does and now he has to pay the price.
I hate all those shock jocks, black, white, hip hop, corny ass music, they all suck and I’m ready to see the next one go down.
In other news, congrats on your top 25 marketing blog status!
Clyde
Mike - Some stream consciousness writing you did there. I agree it is time to drop ir.
Clyde - Thank you! The only way I got there is the great community of people who has been coming to the site and commenting and driving great discussions.
Thanks