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We have had some lengthy discussions and comments from my previous post on the soap opera that has been playing out on the Imus-Rutgers Women’s basketball team. Well, the final straw broke when CBS announced yesterday that he will be fired from his radio show. This was announced shortly before Imus went to visit the Rutgers Women basketball team in person to apologize for his remarks.
So Jackson/Sharpton and others won their battle and Imus is now unemployed. I guess my question is did anyone do anything to actually help win the war? Imus has been canned, now what? Is anyone naive enough to think that this incident and it’s aftermath will stop something like this from happening again? I would say that is a big resounding no. What is that old saying, “People who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it”? What have we learned from this incident that will make us smarter for the next time?
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CBS’ annoucement is the most bogus, fake, politically correct piece of junk press release I’ve ever seen. They didn’t fire him because of his remarks, they fired him because advertisers pulled out of the show. It wouldn’t have taken 8 days to fire him because of his comments were offensive, its spinless that they did it now. Look at the NBA, when Tim Hardaway made the gay comments, he was fired by David Stern in less than an hour.
I don’t care about Imus, or the Rutgers basketball team, its just ridiculous the way CBS is trying to pull the wool over everyones eyes. Its all about the money and advertisers. CBS is spinless.
Evan - Thanks for the comment. I guess what I don’t understand is why it is CBS’ fault? If all the major advertisers pulled out from Imus’ show than there is no show. It seems to me that it’s a fairly simple equation. The media jumped all over this story in a sort of “perfect storm” moment which then caused the advertisers to run for the hills because they do not want their brand associated with this news story which in turn caused CBS to fire Imus.
It sure seems like the natural progression of business where the crap rolls down hill. What do you expect CBS to come out with a press release that says, “Yea since there is no more advertising, we are gonna can Imus.”?
This has amazing implications though for Election 08. I know Obama has already spoken up and Hillary heads to Rutgers next week for a speech. We have not heard the end of this. How many candidates will use Imus as their stepping stone to the Oval office?
Matt - I really hope you are wrong about that. If something like what comes out of Imus’ mouth has presidential implications, our society is worse off than I thought.
Yeah, but it could actually be used in a postive way. Could we see a bipartisan ticket? Could we see an Obama and Hillary ticket? Despite your views, I feel that something positive has to come out of this.
Matt - I think a bipartisan ticket would be great, I just don’t see this Imus issue as being the deciding factor of that. I think the major issue when it comes to race relations is for everyone to stop seeing people’s outside colors and start recognizing what is on the inside no matter what color they are.
I would love a bipartisan ticket if the two people were good people and not for what color they are.
I know I drilled down deeper than you were going and I apologize for that.
Ha ha ha ha - no worries. I love it actually. We need to have these debates to continue to grow as a society. That is what some people have failed to see about the blogosphere.
I do agree with you that if we do get a bipartisan ticket it should be because both parties are the best for the job.
I guess I just hope that we use what he has said to help better ourselves and get the right person for the job.
Imus to XM before 3rd quarter ‘07. I don’t see him coming to Sirius because of the pure distaste Stern has for the I-man.
Wow - Stern and Imus Cage Match. Maybe he could be Stern’s Intern.
We can only hope the story doesn’t die -
This whole story got way out of hand.
I can’t agree with what Imus said but far worse has been publicly uttered and recorded on platinum albums.
The guy is a trash mouth shock jock. Big guns called for his head and got it. The way they choose to throw their weight around seems a bit arbitrary, which makes them bullies and not much better than the witches they oust.
Matt & Jud - I agree with you, I can’t see Howard allowing Imus on his airwaves. I think the interesting thing will be to see if Imus wants back on the radio, any radio. He is like 134 years old.
Alex - You’re right, as I said, this story was a perfect storm and Imus had no chance of surviving.
Bob - To be honest, I hope the Imus story does die, but that we learn something from it.
I want to hear what he learns from it, Cord - but we won’t. What happens to this story - which is part of the same old, same old - is that it dies, we forget about it and it’s down the merry “we took care of that” path. Pretty much how we deal with color in culture - shock or not.
Bob - I hear ya and it’s real unfortunate. Thanks for the comment.
This, from Kinky Friedman:
“There’s no excusing Imus’ recent ridiculous remark, but there’s something not kosher in America when one guy gets a Grammy and one gets fired for the same line.”
Outstanding essay. Link here: http://www.nypost.com/seven/04152007/news/columnists/cowards_kick_away_another_piece_of_americas_soul_columnists_kinky_friedman.htm.
From the lips of Snoop:
“It’s a completely different scenario, rappers are not talking about no collegiate basketball girls who have made it to the next level in education and sports. We’re talking about ho’s that’s in the ‘hood that ain’t doing sh–, that’s trying to get a n—a for his money. These are two separate things. First of all, we ain’t no old-ass white men that sit up on MSNBC [which announced Wednesday it would drop its simulcast of Imus’ radio show] going hard on black girls. We are rappers that have these songs coming from our minds and our souls that are relevant to what we feel. I will not let them mutha—-as say we in the same league as him.”
No, Snoop isn’t in Imus’s league. That’s certain. I’ll take it as a sign of the coming apocalypse if we look to the likes of this guy for wisdom.
I’m very curious to know how many of those so highly critical of Imus have ever actually heard his radio show. He isn’t Howard Stern or Michael Savage. He’s smart, informed, asks excellent questions, and let’s people answer them; he’s political where Stern (and so many others) are just coarse. He also has a very caustic wit, which has gotten him in trouble in times past, too. He’ll survive this, of course.
I’m curious to see if anyone chooses to examine the likes of Snoop and his ilk to root out the source of the hate and vulgarity that is floating so many record labels. Hell will probably freeze over sooner. Obama has just found himself skewered by this problem, as he’s trying to portray himself as a forward thinker and yet is giggling with rappers on camera — he just came out with a fairly bland statement trying to straddle this fence, and he’s failing to convince anyone.
I’m not worried for Imus’s future. The hypocracy, however, drives me nuts. I guess I’m old fashioned that way.
snoop needs to get real.. what’s he is talking about is someone’s mother, daughter, sister.. someone he should be helping to uplift and not degrade… oprah’s on them, now al sharpton’s on them too.. it won’t be long before the rappers have to stop the non sense.
i appreciate this dialogue.