Don Imus is a stringy-haired hack
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- April
- 10
I don’t listen to Don Imus. I don’t watch his show. If I wanted to hear the opinions of a has-been grasping for relevance I’d prefer to watch one who’s appearance doesn’t scare small children.
Let’s forget what he said for a momentâ€â€calling the Rutgers girls basketball team a group of “nappy-headed hosâ€?â€â€as objectionable and humorless as that was, it’s only the latest in a long string of objectionable material the man has put out (in fairness, he’s done a lot for charity, especially his work with sick children, which is noble).
For years, the going wisdom at NBC and CBS radio was “just let Imus be.â€? I worked for a while at MSNBC when Imus was making the move to the studio in Secaucus. The joke around the office at the time wasâ€â€if you were young and female, and didn’t want to be verbally harassed, stay away from him. Even the head of the network, Rick Kaplan (who’s since gone on to produce the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric), joked in an all-staff meeting to stay away from Imus, since he couldn’t be controlled. But, “that’s Imus,â€? he added. What can you say about a network that accepts the fact that its star is offensive and unwaveringly brutish, but just doesn’t want to deal with shaking the boat when it comes to a ratings winner?
I personally find it sad that such naked racism and sexism is punished by only a two-week suspensionâ€â€as Al Roker called it, “a vacation.â€? I also find it sad that Don Imus can’t learn when to just stop talkingâ€â€such as when he told a caller yesterday on Al Sharpton’s radio show, “I just can’t win with you people.â€? Come on, Imus! I think the real problem is not that “those peopleâ€? won’t cut you some slack, but that you keep using the slack to hang yourself.
I don’t support censorship, but a corporation firing someone who so egregiously crosses the lineâ€â€and has a history of crossing it over and over againâ€â€seems more than fair.
(AP Photo/Richard Drew)
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on Tuesday, April 10th, 2007 at 12:55 pm by Suburbarazzi.
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Wow, the Imus thing is just crazy. I personally have mixed feelings about it. If any of you care to read it, one of our writers over at Highbrid Nation worked with Imus over at WFAN for several years and recently chimed in on the whole situation. He also reveals some details that the media is failing to report on in regards to the suspension
I agree that a two-week suspension isn’t much of a rebuke. I’ve never listened to the guy myself, except to overhear snippets here and there. Like Robert, I don’t, particularly as a journalist, condone censorship, but is free speech about the freedom to insult/degrade/villify others? If that’s the case, the level of vitriol filling the airwaves would, sadly, probably take over a lot of public discourse. There are no easy answers in the bigger picture, though in the smaller picture seems like the cost to Imus should be his job, if MSNBC is serious about making him feel the consequences of his racist, sexist hate speech.
if these comments Imus made were about a group of white women’s hoops players this would not be a big deal.. people like sharpton are just WAITING for these things to happen so they can jump all over it like he just did… this whole story is a waste of time,
Jason, if these comments Imus made were about a group of white women’s hoops players, it too would be a big deal. But what comment about white women is the equivalent of “nappy headed”—a real 19th century mind came up with that one! Time for Imus…to go. If he has no brain to intercede between his thoughts and his mouth, then he does not deserve a public forum.
Wait a minute. How come there’s no hue and cry over 50cent, p-diddy, and snoop dogg calling black women ho’s and bitches, fu*k toys, and big booty whores. Is it because this is supposed “art.?” But Imus makes a stupid and thoughtless remark and everybody wants his head. I agree that Sharpton and others are just waiting for things like this so they can grap more headlines.
He should get another job!! If a grown man doesn’t know that if everyone is not laughing…then it is not a joke,something is wrong. If anyone has “nappy hair” and has no room to talk about someone’s appearance,that would be Imus.
Imus, u “mus” be stupid!!! Anyone that would sit around critizing young women (or men) who are trying to better their life should be polishing their gym floor.
maybe blacks and prs should take a look at the overcrouding of prisons with them and stop with the poor me racial c rap!!i never owned a slave and what others did have nothing to do with us now!if a white man gets beat by police its news but a black man omg its racial ???gimme a break they can say the white man and gringo and call each other nigger but if we say it we are racist…....grow up the paople who did that are long gone!!!they wont be happy till we (white people ) are slaves!!!!!!!
I am an African American male who, before this morning, was an ardent fan of the “Imus in the Morning� television program on MSNBC. Funny enough in fact, my usual routine was to flip back and forth between Imus and “The Today Show� while readying myself for work. I have just a few points to offer about the brewing controversy over Don Imus’ use of the phrase “nappy-headed hos� to describe the Rutgers women’s basketball team, and some of the comments I have read here in response to Mr. Roker’s courageous stance.
First, I am put off by the media instinctively going to Reverend Jackson and Reverend Sharpton for the pulse of black America. While I respect much of what both have done over the years to turn the spotlight on issues of race and civil rights issues in general, the Black community is not a monolith. These men don’t speak for all of “us.� No one does. It is absurd (and offensive) that whenever someone utters a racially insensitive statement about black people, the knee jerk reaction of TV program directors and producers alike is to immediately cut to Jackson or Sharpton for comment. (Why? Did I miss a meeting or something?) Were, say, offensive comments about Asian people or Jewish people (recall the Mel Gibson comment) to get similar mainstream traction to the Imus comment, imagine how silly it would be for the mass media to keep cutting to shots of the SAME TWO Asian or Jewish guys to “speak� for their respective races/groups. And beyond absurdity, there is the “kill the messenger� syndrome that naturally follows when we leave it up to Jackson and Sharpton to speak for black America. We must never make the messenger larger than the message. It obscures the real issue by leaving open Reverend Jackson and Reverend Sharpton to ridicule and criticism for their own past statements and actions. (With Jackson, people talk about his 1984 reference to Jews as “Hymies� and to New York City as “Hymietown�; with Sharpton, people talk about the racially charged incident in 1987 where he defended Tawana Brawley, a 15 year old black teenage girl who accused a number of white police officers of raping her. That incident was later revealed to have probably been a hoax.) Here’s a thought. Why not talk to more black people to get varying perspectives? (Al Roker, for one, has shown himself willing and capable of expressing a point of view. And he’s as American as apple pie!)
Second, as a number of posters have stated, there certainly is freedom of speech/expression in America. Don Imus is free to speak his mind, just as the market place is free to express itself. If he survives this, because of the core demographic makeup of the “Imus in the Morning� television program, I am assuming (and I could be wrong) that his audience will largely stick by him – resoundingly “speaking� or “expressing� their support for Imus and his message through sustained ratings. But this is not an issue of freedom of speech. Having a nationally syndicated television and radio program, broadcast over federally funded airwaves, is not a constitutional right. It is a privilege. And it is for this very reason that the snide comments directing Mr. Roker to simply “turn the channel� or “not listen� to Imus instead of calling for him to step aside are misplaced. (I note that when Howard Stern was finally fed up with the FCC censoring what he could broadcast over public airwaves, he went to satellite radio; were Imus to have done the same and made this comment, I’d condemn his statement BUT defend his right to remain on the air.)
Third, regarding the comment made by Don Imus himself this morning (and others here in response to Mr. Roker) to the effect that African American popular culture tacitly condones racist images and terms in rap music et al., the comment doesn’t appear to be motivated to change the negative aspects of African American popular culture. Instead, it seems designed to provide cover for bigotry in mainstream media. Sure, blacks are as guilty or more guilty than others in creating, propagating and consuming wholesale racism aimed at blacks. But that is not an excuse under which Imus or anyone else can hide. Lets be crystal clear on this point. Wrong is wrong. It is as wrong if an African American media personality refers to a black woman as a “nappy-headed ho� as it is for Imus to have used this term to describe the Rutgers women. Similarly, other racist images and terms should be railed against and purged from the public airwaves. But I offer an analogy that I think will make my point here: pointing out racist images and terms in African American popular culture as a cover for Imus’ offense is no different than pointing to everyone else who is whizzing by and defying the speed limit when a cop pulls you over for speeding. It doesn’t undercut the substantive point, which is that YOU committed an offense for which YOU should be punished.
This brings me to my fourth and final point, which explains why I think that the I-man should either voluntarily leave his post, or be forcibly removed. I started watching the “Imus in the Morning� program regularly last year, mostly for the political personalities that go on daily to sell books. From my admittedly limited perspective, it has been a mixed bag on issues of race. For example, while Don Imus (and Chris Matthews, also of MSNBC) was one of the few mainstream faces to attribute a racial component to the Hurricane Katrina fiasco, Imus and his crew think nothing of routinely referring to, say, black athletes as animals. While Imus campaigned for Harold Ford to be the first black Senator from the south since reconstruction, I flinch every time he has one of his regular “comics� parody Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who is Harvard educated and speaks the “Kings’ English� without a hint of an accent, as a heavily-accented buffoon. However, one incident in particular happened a while back which really turned me off to the Imus show (although I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t turn him off completely until this recent incident). During this particular sketch, Imus had his producer, Bernie Kerik, go to Harlem, New York to get a “Man on the Street� perspective on the war in Iraq. Bernie approached an African American man, late twenties, who had just gotten off of the subway and asked him what his take was on the war and the impending Iraqi elections. The man responded with insight and eloquence, even when pressed with follow-up questions from Bernie. From the studio, Imus let Bernie know that he was not pleased and that this was not the point of the sketch, to which Bernie then approached a tragically intoxicated black man who looked to be homeless and in his late sixties, and asked him the same questions. When the man gave his answers – the ones which were coherent, Imus and his cohorts erupted in laughter and applause. They had succeeded in making a black man in Harlem appear foolish.
I suppose that my detractors will say that “Imus in the Morning� is a comedy program and that it is intended to make everyone look like fools, including Don Imus. And I guess that’s true to a certain extent. But here’s my beef with Imus and race. Whenever he makes a joke at the expense of a person of color, it always has to deal with the target’s race – like saying that Serena Williams should pose for National Geographic Magazine and calling both Williams sisters “apes�; like constantly referring to Arabs as “rag heads�; like referring to Senator Barack Obama as “that colored fellow�; like calling PBS journalist Gwen Ifill, who famously moderated a vice presidential debate in 2004, a “cleaning lady.� And because it deals with the target’s race, and race is shared by millions of innocent bystanders, by extension these comments are almost universally hurtful. In other words, calling a black athlete an animal because he or she is black is tantamount to calling ALL black athletes animals; calling the Attorney General a gardener because he is Hispanic is tantamount to calling ALL Hispanics gardeners or other sorts of menial workers. It reeks of racial superiority and it has no place on the public airwaves.
I’ll end with this. In 2000, on the air, Don Imus promised Clearance Page, a black journalist who works at the Chicago Tribune and often serves as a media pundit, that he would stop with the racially offensive statements. (Ironically, that was the last time that Imus had Mr. Page on his show!) Imus clearly broke his promise time and time again. For the foregoing reasons, I think its obvious that a two week paid “suspension�, to be served after he has finished fund-raising for his ranch and promoting his wife’s new book, is less than insufficient. It is insulting.
Thank you, Mr. Roker, for having the courage to stand up against this garbage. Now, in the mornings, I’ll be exclusively watching you and the gang over at “The Today Show.�
Don Imus should not have made this comment, neither should these piece of crap rappers. Someone please tell me this…What justifies Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson breathing the air on this planet? They always open up their big mouths every time they can spew their liberal views and try to make everything that happens help the liberal agenda. Who do they think they are? the are just 3rd rate big mouths with delusions of having a value in this world. They are nothing but mouthpieces. They do not help black Americans at all…
This is a crock. What about the BET videos that are so demeaning to women? Who can call a ho a ho?
there are truly horrible things happening to people all over the world RIGHT NOW AS I WRITE THIS!.. the fact that this imus crap takes up the frontpages of the news broadcasting world in america makes it evident that we truly live in a eutopia compared to most of the world. racist comments are made everyday..most of them from comedians: mind of mencia, chappel show, south park, and a number of any others that you can think of. comedy is commentary.. if i say F’ your momma enough its no longer a joke.
God bless America..? we are blessed.. it would be nice if God would see fit to bless the 3rd world nations.. maybe we should ask God to do that more often.
peace
WE TEACH OUR CHILDREN RIGHT FROM WRONG AND MSNBC AND CBS HAVE DONE THE (RIGHT THING) AND THAT IS TO FIRED IMUS. AND THERE SHOULDN’T BE MUCH MORE TALK ABOUT IT AS IF THEY DIDN’T DO THE RIGHT THING. WHY ALL OF THIS TALK FOR DAYS AND DAYS IT SHOULD OF HAPPEN IMMEDIATELY.. AND WE ALL KNOW THAT WHAT’S INSIDE OF YOU WILL SOON COME OUT YOU CAN ONLY HOLD THIS RACIST MESS IN FOR SO LONG.. SO IN CHARACTER OF WHAT IS SAID ON A DAY TO DAY BASICS IN SO MANY WHITE FAMILIES AND PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD BEHIND CLOSE DOORS. EVERYONE THAT TRYING TO MAKE AL SHARPTON AND JESSIE JACKSON BE THE REASON STOP IT. WHY WHY SHOULDN’T THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY THEY ARE BLACK AND HAVE BLACK CHILDREN AND FAMILIES THAT HAS DEALT WITH LOW LIFE MESS FOR YEARS YOU UNDERSTAND WHY THEY SPEAK OUT DON’T CONTINUE TO SHOW SUCH HATE FOR THEM, BECAUSE WE AS BLACKS SEE THE HATE AND IT’S STILL TO PIT BLACKS AGAINST BLACKS TALKING HATE ON ONE ANOTHER THE THINGS SHARPTON AND JACKSON SAID WAS OUT OF PAIN AND HURT AND FEAR TO MAKE A STAND FOR SOMEBODY TO LISTEN TO THE UNJUSTICE IN THE USA STILL HAPPENING SINCE SLAVERY AND STILL FIGHTING THIS RACIST SYSTEM WHICH HATE BLACK MEN FIRST AND DON’T THINK THEY SHOULD EVEN SPEAK.. BUT IMUS SPOKE THIS AS A JOKE IT’S NOT SUPPOSE TO HURT BLACKS OR FAMILIES OF YOUNG COLLEGE KIDS WHO MAY I ADD HAVE N’T DRANK THEMSELVES OUT OF COLLEGE OR SMOKED COCAINE.. SOUND LIKE IMUS HAS AN STRONG OPINION ABOUT BLACK YOUTH AND THEY DON’T HAVE A SOUL.. I DON’T CARE WHAT HE DOES FOR CHARITY..WE ALL KNOW HE NEEDS WRITE-OFF FOR HIS TAXES..EVERYONE WHO MAKES MILLIONS NEEDS WRITE-OFFS EVEN BILL GATES AND WARREN BUFFET.. I WISH I HAD A FORUM TO REALLY BE A FREE BLACK WOMEN AND NOT BE AFRAID STAND FOR SOMETHING OR FALL FOR ANYTHING..I REALIZE WHEN WHITES PAY YOUR SALARY YOU ARE LIMITED TO SPEAK A CERTAIN WAY LIKE O.W BUT ROSIE CAN SAY ANYTHING SHE WANTS SHE WHITE AND GAY.. STOP MIXING WHAT RAPPERS SING..SING.. AND WHAT WHITES SAY TOGETHER..IT’S LIKE APPLES AND ORANGES..WE AS BLACKS DON’T AGREE WITH ALL HIP-HOP..AND I DO PRAY THAT WHAT’S SPIRUTAL INSIDE THE HIP-HOP RAPPERS WILL ONE DAY SOON LISTEN AND PAY ATTENTION TO HOW THEY ARE PUT SIDE BY SIDE WITH IMUS.. THAT SHOULD WAKE THEM UP REAL SOON…NOT SHARPTON OR JACKSON THEM ALL WHITES AND RACIST PEOPLE WON’T HAVE TO MENTION THEIR NAMES WHEN THEY ARE BEING THEMSELVES.
THANKS ALL MY BLACK PEOPLE WHO STOOD FOR THESE CHILDREN..AL ROKER THE COACH AND SMALL VOICES THAT WAS NOT ON TV….
THANK FOR LISTENING
LKK
SOME OF MY WORDS ARE WRONG BUT IF YOU WANT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT I’M SAYING TAKE A MINUTE AND READ.. THANKS
LKK
This is so unfair!
BRING IMUS BACK !You f****** nigs bring it on yourself, make some more songs calling your ladies ho’s and you pimps, you call one another nigs. now when a white man calls you a nig you get offended. Has anyone listened to Al Sharpton talk? That bastard is the most prejudice S.O.B that ever walked the earth.And about as educated as a piss ant. If 90% of you weren’t home selling crack you would of never seen it on t.v., because you would of been at work like the white man. You see the town of new orleans under water, and people running in the store carrying out t.v’s were black. You want to know why there were not any white people doing it? Because the town was under water and they were smart enough to know if the towns under water, there’s no electricity. You dumb f****. YOU BRING IT ON YOURSELFS!
Don Imus contributes so much money to kids and charities ( no matter what color). Does Jackson or Sharpton do this? No, they use there money to go from state to state, to free which ever nig that is in trouble this week, or standing on the steps of every building in the U.S.A. crying prejudicism. Would they contribute to a white child? No damn way. I am one pissed off white man. If anyone should be kicked off television it should be them to dumb f******
Racism sucks. there are lots of comedians who take shots at one group of people or another. It makes us laugh at ourselves sometimes. But with all racism aside…..Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton are worthless pieces of shit. I bet Dr King is rolling over in his grave looking at this kind of crap that is going on today. Black men are giving up rights that many people (black and white)have died for and marched for in the 60’s. They have traded their rights in so they can smoke crack and lazy around on street corners selling dope and grabbing their balls. Why dont those two send the message to the punks that maybe if they worked they might get ahead
Also, take a look at the Maury or Springer shows where the black women have to take so many dna tests to find the fathers of their many illegitimate children. Is this what Dr King had in mind? I doubt it. Im sick of all this crap. I hope someday people will get it together so it would be over with….but i doubt it. Live long and prosper… and to hell with Sharpton and Jackson.
Wow!!! Really strong language. Imus-wrong,no doubt. So what. Jackson and Sharpton-shame the black man. These men keep the black man down.
Imus-hey man it was time to go anyway should have done it better.
Imus has children and anybody who else reads this has a sister or aunt grandmother or a female just think if one of your loveed ones have been called ho, how would you feel or for that matter how whould imus feel if someone abused his wife or child, its not about race well maybe for imus, its about how we as people of the usa see ourselves. I bet people in other nations see us as a joke, we still base everythig on race applying for a job , takeing a survey all most any kind of information we are grouped in race. I wonder how many other nations require race ? and what our government and company’s are up to but as allways we will play the blame game racecard but need to check ourselves.
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU DONALD, AND ALSO BLACKS ARE JUST A BURDEN TO AMERICAN SOCIETY, AND REGARDING AL SHARPTON THAT NIGGA SHOULD STILL BE A SLAVE CHAINED TO THE FIELDS.
I’ve listened to Imus for 10yrs. The man doesn’t have a racial bone in his body. He shouldn’t of said it, but it was not said with malice towards the Rutgers women, trust me on that. The man is an equal opportunist when it comes to insults. He’s tempermental, moody, ascerbic, and loyal. But, people don’t show your prejudice with vile remarks like being chained in the fields, and being burdens on society, don’t lower yourselves. Peace!