Here Today... Gone To Hell!

well what do you guys think?

The guy is a first rate douche bag.

I'll co sign on that .

Besides that couldn't really give a shit..

Right: The guy is a douche, and it's PC gone postal on top of that. Assholes all over the place and I simply don't care.

Imus fucked up, but the last person on Earth he should be apologizing too is Al Sharpton. But who cares?  Imus blows.  Babba Booey all the way.

Thats about it.  Its been blown way out of proportion.  I think his company should show a backbone and stick by him.

I am a Stern fan, so I will also say Imus is a Douche Bag!!! However he fucked up and said something that should of not been said. He apologized and that should be the end of it. Why are the African Americans of this country taken so much offense to some words now. They should be worrying about so many other things, like black on black crime, gangs, drugs, and more than worrying what a Cowboy hat wearing man on his death bed mumbles.

Sharpton n' Jackson need to get outta every black persons business. Just 'cause they're black, doesn't mean they've gotta get involved.

crime is crime, gangs are gangs, drugs are drugs ... no matter what color... so i dont get your point.

Like South Park said they think they're the princes of black people.

Those are problems that proportionally affect the black community to a greater extent.

Most everyone here knows my perspective on politics.  I lean to the left, I'm draconian when it comes to crime and punishment (everything short of the death penalty), and I'm not religious but respectful of people's beliefs...

but in this case, this circus is the most ridiculous thing I've seen in a while.  Were his words, "Nappy-headed hoes," worse than the N-word flying out of Michael Richards (Kramer from Seinfeld) mouth?  Hell no.  This is so friggin ridiculous.  He's being suspended.  If folks don't think that's enough, boycott the companies he works for. 

He's an old guy who didn't have his Ebonics dictionary on hand for that segment of his show. 

I'm really pissed about the Rutgers coach continuing the circus.  She's also at fault for not protecting her players.  Allowing them to go out and make statements on tv did not help the teams' or anybody else's cause.  Their public speaking abilities, or lack thereof, only help bolster the racist views of the real bigots in this world.

Speaking of bigots, what the hell are folks of "Hymie-Town" fame doing throwing around judgment?  Jesse and Al (in my opinion) are embarrassments to the Democratic Party.

Suspend Imus for a couple weeks, make him do community work, fine him, make him mow the grass on the campus of Rutgers University, give him sensitivity training, etc.  What a farce. 

Just my 2 cents.

BTW  Ageless Stranger is correct:  Jesse and Al should be addressing the real problems in the black community.  The destruction of the family unit, the poor family planning, the drugs, the crime, etc.

You only hear from these guys when an issue like this comes up.

They have some influence, so why dont they try to tackle issues in the African-American community that are more important?

Things like the Don Imus situation is like a cottage industry.

Too bad Al & Jessie are racists in their own right. Seems kind of hypocritical to me.

Don Imus is still an idiot.

does any one know why this is news ::) seriously

i'm surprised any one listens to this poser. He is the poser version of Howard stern :yes:

i wish i had sirus radio :(

Crime is crime, sure, but the point is that there are a LOT of things doing a LOT more damage to the black community than one crotchety old man who made a racist/sexist statement in the name of comedy.  Get rid of all the comments like this in America, and it won't truly help the black community one bit.  They'll still be disproportionately poor, have a lower life expectancy, and and higher rates of imprisonment than do whites.  In other words, Imus may stand out, but his words matter little in the big scheme of things. 

Looks like he got shit canned.... :o

Imus fucked up bad. I think he was a victim of his own ignorance - he stepped in the middle of someone's Cinderella Story and shit on a bunch of kids who came from tough backgrounds who were doing well, without realizing he was getting in the middle of a sports story that was inspirational to a lot of people. It struck a raw cord with a lot of people, because it was in essence a remark of great cruelty against a defenseless target, which in American media culture means you are going to get slammed bigtime. The "nappy head" phrase is as loaded as the word "nigger" is with racist baggage, and finishing it off by calling them whores was a really bad move.

These girls were making it to the top by following the rules and the path of success that is legitimate in our society, and Imus just stepped in a big pile of his own poo-poo by denigrating them for the sake of a good laugh from his audience of cynical old white bastards. He is welcome to his free speech, but he is also a player in the marketplace, and that is where the price was paid. Sponsors are pulling out from him left and right. MSNBC probably had no choice - boycotts are coming next. He pissed people off that bad. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy, he's been a racist fuck for years.

Holy shit..I agree with both of you guys on something...im printing this out and putting it on my wall....

Well hells bells man........even a broken clock is right twice a day........

exactly...so whens the next time you guys are going to be right?  :rofl: jk

2008.

good comeback  :peace:

Haha, I almost thought you had me on that one too......... :hihi:

i love it how "african americans" can be as racist as they want with there bullshit rap noise and get away with it

His producer is the one who first called them "hoes." Imus just elaborated and made a really stupid comment on top what his producer said. For some reason, that producer isn't catching any crap for his use of similar language. As for the actual words themselves, huge mistake by Imus regardless of whether it was meant as a comedy routine. 

IMUS CANNED BY CBS RADIO!!!!
http://fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=386000

This is a very sad day for radio, I dont understand why these big radio corps are not standing up for their personalties. This is another reason why Sat radio will be the future of radio. I am not a Imus fan (Ba Ba Booey) but this is very sad for Imus, his fans, and anyone that works in the industry. Someone who has been in the industry for so many years was royally fucked out of his job.

One word: Money.

It's official: CBS canned him.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/04/12/imus.rutgers/index.html


Can't say that I'll miss the racist bastard!  : ok:

If you knew the context of it, you wouldn't call him racist so easily. It was a comedy routine, but besides that, his show had great content compared with the garbage on TV. Russert and many other respected journalists and politicians always appeared on his show. I love how everyone is so quick to call him a racist. There are far bigger problems for African Americans. I would say Sharpton and Jackson are bigger racists than him. They caused public opinion to convict the Duke LaCrosse players in a scandal that turned out to be completely fabricated by the accuser. And they REFUSE to apologize for their role in humiliating and ruining the lives of those young men. Bill Cosby is a man I have a ton of respect for. Instead of blaming the likes of Imus, African American leaders should blame music corporations for allowing the lyrics in 99% of the rap out there. The rap "culture" is a cancer for America, particularly for African Americans.

Speaking of racists, Axl Rose's lyrics in "One In A Million" were SERIOUS, unlike Imus' routine. If you want to lump the generic "racist" stereotype on him, then perhaps you should do the same for Axl. I assume now you are going to attempt to defend Axl when there is no defense for his lyrics. But I will say in Axl's defense, like Imus, he got blamed for something that really isn't much of a problem compared to the rap culture. Sharpton said today that no one should be allowed to use PUBLIC airwaves for racist or sexist degradation. What, then, has been going on the last 15 years with most rap? Our culture has dictated that words like "bitch" are okay on TV and on the radio. So even with editing of the "f" or "n" words on the radio, you still have the "bitch" and "hoe" language thrown around way too casually. Hopefully the country uses the Imus situation to finally wake up and realize what the real issue is.

Imus should head for satellite. Id love to see Stern and Imus go at it!

what I want to know is why this story got airplay on ESPN. WTF? I don't get the relevance.

A radio DJ got fired in Northeast PA recently for making "nappy headed hoes" the "Phrase that Pays." Callers had to repeat the phrase as many times as possible in one minute in order to recieve a cash prize.

What a douche.

(700th post)

I agree with this to an extent. 

Then part of me realizes what this was: a white guy using racist insults - not jokes - alongside his white co-hosts.  There was no point or punchline to what he said, no joke.  It was said without wit.  Thats the risk of racial humor, but Imus didnt use racial humor, he used racist "humor." 

With that said, I personally dont think it was worthy of firing.  His apology seemed genuine, he was humiliated, and he was effectively put on watch.  I think thats sufficient.  Others didnt, and they have the freedom to pressure advertisers to drop his show.  Thats when his company should have stood their ground, just as numerous papers and stations did with Ann Coulter and Bill O'Reilly.  In fairness, my dislike for those two figures is much stronger than my dislike for Imus, so I wouldnt have felt bad if they were dropped, but theyve shown that the storm can be weathered and his company should have taken notice.   

My other issue is the line - where does it end?  If a broadcaster insults a different basketball team by calling them ugly or something similar, will he be forced to apologize or resign?  Are diseases off-limits?  Handicaps?  Ive always been very wary of forcing standards of taste and I still am.  I certainly dont like the idea of corporations dedicating their airwaves to racism, but I think theres degrees.  I think theres far more seriously racist things being said by the likes of Glenn Beck in the guise of political points.  Theyre subtler than what Imus said, but worse, in my opinion. 

Then theres a lot of seperate issues involving the priorities and hypocrisies of some of the protestors that I wont even bother discussing.   

Calling someone a douche is a sexist remark against women with odor issues.

Ok, let's discuss this one is exquisite detail, to the delight  of many and shame to even more...

That's right, D's vagina is extremely offended.

Imus insulted blacks and women with his comment. But I don't think he deserved to be fired over it. The guy said a really stupid thing. Apparently the guy does a lot of charity work and raises money for good causes.  I think its a bit absurd to overshadow that and potentially end the career of a man who is almost a legend in radio over some comments he definitely should not have made. Bottom line is that Imus' firing came down to money. Pressure was on the sponsors and they were leaving. 

We all have gotten so sensitive and politically correct that Imus is the major crisis of the week.
 

Different subcultures in America express things that are quite different with the same words. "Nappy headed ho" coming from a white person towards a black girl is loaded with Jim Crow looking down his nose at black women, defining the entire black female sex as prostitutes. The same type of remarks directed amongst black people is supposed to be expressions of solidarity among a suffering class. One must remember, for centuries white people claimed a legal right to rape, torture and murder these people based upon the idea they are an inferior race. Any type of public move to define them as inferior is frightening for them in a way white people either do not understand or that they discount. Mr. Imus crossed the line into that area of our national experience that is still an open sore.

I agree that it's a sad state of affairs when a guy gets run out of town like this by the PC police.  Funny thing is, every time I turn on the news, there's a black man or woman talking about how it's way too PC, and a white guy talking about how it's the right move to fire him.  Yeah, it comes down to money.  But it also comes down to the larger issue of white people being fearful of the racist tag.  MSNBC and CBS didn't want that tag.  White people everywhere calling for his ouster were afraid of the tag if they supported him. 

It's too bad, because they guy actually did something pretty rare these days.  He made a sincere apology.  Not through his agent (Terrell Owens, I'm lookin' at you!), and not a half-assed apology (every other celebrity apology for the last decade).  He said he fucked up, and that it was stupid.  This is how it's SUPPOSED to work!  You fuck up, you say (and MEAN) you're sorry, you get some punishment, and life goes on.  But he got canned.  Pretty soon, we won't be able to say our assholes are brown, without someone thinking it's racist.  ::)

At the same time, black culture wouldn't make the big bucks in America if it weren't for white people buying into it, too!  Rap isn't big money because 15% of the US population likes it...it's big money because it's popular among the white majority.  We shouldn't be at all surprised that white people adopt language associated with black culture.  Whites know that certain phrases are taboo ("nigger" being the most obvious example), but other phrases don't have that same taboo status to whites.  Of course, it's an insulting thing to say about someone, but the fact that these things eventually blend across cultures shouldn't be a surprise.

Give a guy ONE yeast infection and u never hear the end of it. :hihi:

I don't really agree with him being fired.

Our Freedom of Speech is slowly being taken away from us little by little.

I don't agree with what he said but it is still his right to say it. He was tryin to be funny and fell flat.

Look at the Dixie Chicks on the flip side. They expressed their opinion on Bush and their career still hasn't recovered from a sales and touring standpoint.

Freedom of speech protects all speech regardless. People have the right to turn off the radio if they don't like something.

It has nothing to do with freedom of speech, but rather big corporate money, which is the bottom line. These corporations don't give a shit what these guys say, as long as it does not upset their sponsors.

Not exactly.  He has the right to say it without any legal consequences, but he is not guaranteed the right to broadcast for a company.  He can say "nappy-headed hoes" all he wants, but CBS has no obligation to carry his show.  This really isnt a freedom of speech issue.  Its a corporate issue.  Protestors were free to pressure advertisers to drop his show, supporters were free to pressure them to keep it.  The corporation made its decision.  Like I said, I dont necessarily agree with it, but lets not muddy the issue. 

In a way, its good to know that individuals do have the power to affect whats being broadcast; corporations are ultimately accountable for what they broadcast.  I think most would agree that its sometimes justified to take that course of action, so the real issue is when, and the danger is in abusing it. 

I think some are buying into this "poor Imus" angle, that he made a simple mistake, but lets remember that this isnt an isolated incident:

From an NPR broadcast:

            MIKE WALLACE: You told Tom ANDERSON, the producer, in your car coming home that Bernard McGuirk is there to do "nigger" jokes.

            DON IMUS: Well I've n-- I never use that word.

            MIKE WALLACE: Tom?

            TOM ANDERSON: I'm right here.

            DON IMUS: Did I use that word?

            TOM ANDERSON: I recall you using that word.

            DON IMUS: Oh, okay, well then I used that word, but I mean-- of course that was an off the record conversation-- [LAUGHTER]

            MIKE WALLACE: The hell it was!

 
The media has perhaps the biggest role in this.   Al Sharpton wasnt responsible for the round-the-clock "Imus scandal" coverage.  Almost every network superimposed his face at the bottom corner of the screen, a practice usually reserved for major tragedies and the biggest of scandals.  They were as crucial in blowing this out of proportion as the protestors themselves.  They made it the story.

I think its typical 21st century PC overreaction.


If Axl released "One In A Million" today, He'd be boycotted and wouldn't have a career.

I know racism is a bad thing but racism has become so taboo, the issue will never be solved cause everyone walks on egg shells around the topic cause they are so scared to make any comment for fear of being perceived as a racist.


He made a dumb joke. I don't think it was said with any malice or bigotry. If a black comedian makes the same joke, everyone laughs their asses off.

This is a pretty pathetic day for our country...there is no such thing as freedom of speech in this country....The only thing radio stations care about is money, which is understandable because they are in business to make money.  Was Imus right with his statements? of course not...but he SHOULD have every right to say whatever racist bullshit he wants..you are not free to say whatever you think...that is not the way our country works, no matter how much it claims to...The whole Political correctness bullshit in this country is WAY out of control....and even the most left liberals must be able to see it...if you are a white christian male in this country..you are fair game......but if you are a female or any type of race other than white you are off limits..and GOD FORBID we offend MUSLIMS!!..its bullshit...and its only a matter of time before there is a backlash..and you can see it starting now....Ive been reading alot of online polls...MOST people are on Imus's side with this....most people dont believe he deserved to get fired and just about everyone thinks that this situation was blown WAY out of porportion....was it an ignorant comment made by Imus? yes...but it would have been forgotten 10 seconds after he made it if the media didnt turn it into the circus that they did.....

Talking about racism isnt taboo; indulging in it is.  Is this wrong?


How is this pertinent to those saying "nigger" and "nappy-headed hoes?"


No bigotry? 

Imus isnt a black comedian.  If a black comedian makes the "joke," its not construed as racist for obvious reasons, so the racist component thats defined this controversey isnt there and its not the same. 


I dont think youre getting it: He does have that right.  He can rally with the Ku Klux Klan if he likes.  And he could have easily gotten away with what he said this time, as hes gotten away with similar comments in the past, without any government interference.  This isnt a government issue, therefore its not a First Amendment/freedom of speech issue.  The point is that people have the freedom to boycott and protest Imus's show and thats what happened.

Read Booker and SLC's posts....you'll have a better understanding of what just actually occurred.

Imus can say anything he wants, without legal repurcussion...just not on CBS or MSNBC owned (well, "rented" in the case of CBS radio) airwaves.

Let me ask you this:  If you walked into your place of business, and started doing things that reflected very badly on that business, do you think you'd remain an employee for very long? No, because your antics would likely cost the company money.

That's what just happened.  Imus was fired because he said something that reflects very badly on the companies, and they recognize that to continue their BUSINESS relationship would cost them money. Cost them money by reducing their audience (which is already pretty low), cost them money by losing sponsers (which pay top dollar because of the demo Imus brought in), and cost them money is lost resources put forth to try to clean up his mess.

As for taking issue with the public outcry....Freedom of speech works both ways.  Imus can say it, and those that wish to can express their displeasure at his statement.

Totally agree with Pilferk, on an abstract level the market has won - it's capitalism at work, nothing to do with free speech. The rightwhingers should be happy about that.

On a real level, just about every (white) person I've talked to or read at messageboards, has pointed out the dual standards (rappers, black comedians etc). It's still free speech at work, but it seems to me to be creating a bigger racism problem than the one it's 'solving'.

I can only imagine (pun intended) what John Lennon would have to go through if he released "Women is the nigger of the world" today.


Society needs to grow a pair of balls. What Imus said really isn't a big deal compared to the shit black people say in their rap music.

The the dual standards? ?Well black people didn't make black people sit at the back of the bus in the '60s. That's the difference. Being treated as lesser people in the past is not something that can be brushed off when the inhumanities continue today, as trivial as they may seem.

As for rappers using that word, I like what Ice Cube said about it, "we?ve taken this word that?s been a burden to us, we?ve been able to digest it and spit it back out as a badge of honor, as defiance."

And the John Lennon song was conceived from a quote by Yoko Ono. The song was about the role of woman's subservience to men.

How's the saying go? When it's happening to you, you can joke about it, make art out of it, etc...

^
The thing is, When black people,gay people, just whomever glorify a certain word or phrase, it makes the word seem less? harmful and young kids of different races don't know the true horrible meaning of certain words and they think its
"cool" to use the word Nigga or Fag etc.


I know young teenage white kids today that go around calling each other Nigga and 'Hey my nigger" u know why they do this?

rappers have made it cool and they don't know any better.


Racism is VERY VERY TABOO. White people are so afraid for the most part to say anything about race.


Air Force's football coach was asked on ESPN what he needed to do to make his team better. He said "We need to recruit more blacks cause our team speed and athleticism aren't at the same level as other programs"


This guy got crucified for something that everyone knows and believes to be true. This statement has been proven over and over on stop watches, combine workouts but yet the guy answers a question, openly, honestly and with no intent to hurt anybody, but yet he was treated like Hitler.

Jason Whitlock is dead on the money in that article of sterlings.

The same people who call for Imus' firing are the same people who help these rappers glorify the exact same thing by buying and supporting them.

The point u guys are missing is:

CBS were only gonna SUSPEND IMUS. They didn't want to fire him but all these people overreacted, Jesse Photo Op Jackson and Al send me a check Sharpton and people like that who desecrate what a true Civil Rights activist is go around causing such an uproar that the big corporation folds.


I hate hearing the bullshit how racism isn't taboo. Most white kids would never have the nerve to discuss anything racial with black people and if they did I guarantee they'd sit around the whole conversation and agree out of fear of looking like a racist.

D, the issue really, I promise you, wasn't about Jesse and Al overreacting. At least not in relation to Imus being fired.  It was about sponsers not wanting to be associated with a public shit storm.   I SUPPOSE you could make the argument that Al and Jesse helped fan that shit storm, but it would be just as correct to say Imus fanned it himself...by deciding to go on the publicity trail and, even more importantly, appearing on Sharpton's radio show (which is when Imus sunk his ship, permanently, I think).  He should have issued a press release saying something to the effect of "I'm sorry, it was a stupid callous offhanded comment.  I'll abide by whetever punishment CBS and MSNBC decide to mete out", removed himself from the studio to await his "sentence" and layed low on his ranch until the "sentence" was over.

But he didn't.  And the sponsers were not happy with what was said, how it was said ("I just can't win with 'you people'".  YOU PEOPLE? C'mon! That's the most un-media savy answer anyone on the planet could have given..talk about fanning the flames!), and even how long it took CBS and MSNBC to formulate a response (which looked too calculated in their eyes to stem the shit storm).  So they left in droves.

At that point, the writing was on the wall.  Because the sponsers write the checks, and without the checks.....CBS and MSNBC have no reason to keep Imus on a mic.

Yes the dual standards of what is acceptable for white people and black people to say about each other. It's not a question of history or moral right, but the reality of the effect which this is having - and that is that Al Sharpton is creating more of a racial divide with the reaction than Don Imus did with his dumbass comment in the first place.


How about the word "ho". Do you like what Snoop said about it:

"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 shit,
that's trying to get a nigga for his money. These are two separate things. First
of all, we ain't no old-ass white men that sit up on MSNBC 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 muthafuckas say we in the
same league as him," - Snoop Dogg, on the Imus affair.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1556803/20070410/id_0.jhtml

The Rutgers team met with Imus today and accepted his apology.  He'll be on satellite radio in about 6 months.

Live by the sword, die by the sword. It was the desire for profit that led to his hiring in the first place, it was the desire for profit that kept him on the air, and it was the desire for profit that contributed mightily to his demise. It's called capitalism -- get over it.

i am in the broadcast business...I don't need it explained to me...I understand that it is a business...and I wasnt even shocked..some co-workers and I were expecting this for about a ?week...I am arguing that it DOES in fact impose on his free speech...Is he going to get thrown in prison? no(but with the way this country is headed I dont think that is too far off at this point)..The bottom line is that while he might not be prosecuted..his livelihood has been taken from him...doesnt anyone see something wrong with that? ?The bottom line is this..whites are treated completely different in this business than blacks...Al Sharpton can say whatever ignorant racist bullshit he wants, and NOTHING happens.... ?If ALL people were treated like Imus was I would have NO problem whatesover with what happened to him..But they arent, there is a double standard..This isnt so much about the broadcast business as it is a reflection on where are society is ...and it is pretty sad.....

I agree with you on your first 2 points...but it was not the desire for profit that caused his demise...Just about every poll taken was in FAVOR of Imus KEEPING his job...His ratings if anything were going to go up for a little bit after he came back...and the sponsors would be there....he doenst have a large audience anyway..and the only people who were pissed about this whole thing probably never even heard of him.....you'll see him on the radio again in a few months.....I hate his show by the way, and Im not too fond of him..so I can care less that he is off the air....its the principle of the whole thing

Were polls taken from the sponsors or the general public?

general public...and trust me when I tell you, as soon as his ratings went up which they definitely would have when he came back, you would be amazed at how forgiving and forgetful the sponsors are.....

Our long national nightmare is over!

Thank God.  Now that racism has been soundly defeated, we can go back to fixing social security!

Apparently you do, or else you wouldnt have declared "there is no such thing as freedom of speech in this country."

You seem to not understand what free speech is, then. ?Because all the constitutional provision of free speech mean is that the govt will not make a law preventing you from saying (within reason....in other words, excepting dangerous speech, slander, etc) whatever you want.

It does not promise you the right to, in your place of business, to say things that employer finds objectionable or thinks will damage it's business. ?Period. end of story.

It doesn't take away his ability to earn a living.....it simply means he can't work for that company any more. ?It doesn't prevent him from selling cattle, working at Walmart, whatever. ?Now, other businesses may decide THEY don't want Imus on their air, either.....for exactly the same reasons CBS or MSNBC wouldn't. ?And, FYI, if that's the case it's IMUS's fault.

On the double standard, I just don't see much evidence of it. ?I can see the "black people can say it about themselves but whites can't" claim of a double standard, but fall on the same side of the argument other have brought up: If it's happening TO you, you can say whatever you want. ?If not, be respectful. ?But I don't see evidence of a difference in the broadcast industry. ?I think if Sharpton got on CBS or MSNBC and called Imus a honkey, he'd quickly be fired, too.

And it absolutely, 100% is about the broadcast business. ?That's why he ultimately got fired....business.

If you think the decision from CBS and MSNBC was not completely driven by the financial impact, you're wildly mistaken.

It doesn't matter what the polls said, it matters how the sponsers felt.  When Ford, Procter and Gamble, etc all tell you they're bolting, and you're paying a guy around 10 million a year.....how many companies, given the current climate, do you think are going to fill those rather large holes?

He doesn't have a large audience, but his audience is a "big spender" demo...that's why he gets the sponsers, and the $$ per ad, that he gets.

IF Imus doesn't just retire, it'll be a year or so before we see him on any airwaves.  And you can probably forget satellite.  Karmezan hates him, and with the Sirius/XM merger going on, it's not likely you'll see much in the way of high profile talent signings until after that.

It would be a long wait, because the media, and the black community, would make sure it was.  People much better informed than you and I came to the conclusion that the sponsers would NOT come back, and this would NOT blow over with a quick 2 week suspension.  I think, all things considered, they might have more info coming directly from the sponsers than anyone else.

I agree with all of your comments except your assertion that Sharpton would be fired for calling Imus a honkey.  Rightly or wrongly, comments to different groups are not all treated the same.  You can criticize white and christians with, in my opinion, little repercussion.  It happens all of the time.  As you rightly indicated in one of your other posts, money drives everything.  I don't think whites are likely to collectively protest to get someone fired for making a comment derrogatory comment to whites in a manner similar as to what happened to Imus.

Although certainly not as bad as Imus' comments - although Imus seemed to be joking where Gumble was not - does anyone recall Brian Gumble's comments regarding the winter Olympics?  If white person made those comments about black people and the NBA, there would have been absolute outrage.  Of course, I am cognizant of the fact that whites have not suffered the discrimination that blacks have endured in this country.

thats true you are right...Al Sharpton does have freedom of speech in this country...so I guess it does exist...My point is that Imus was not fired for financial reasons....CBS gave in to the outcry from the black community...who doesnt even listen to his show and up to a week ago didnt know he existed...A world where certain groups can dictate who gets fired is a scary one....my point is you guys are hiding behind the business aspect of this...and so is CBS..thats not what it was about....if thats what it was about I would have no problem with it....they are hiding behind it...

Then I'll respectfully disagree. ?I don't think any black broadcaster (note: not stand up comedian, etc) would get away with calling a white person or group of white people honkeys, crackers, etc and not face some pretty severe penalties.

Of course, I haven't seen examples of either scenario (getting away with it vs getting punished)....meaning I've never heard of a black broadcaster hurling those kinds of racial epithets around, so I have nothing concrete to provide as example. ?Does anyone else? ?I'm not talking about stuff like Sharpton's racially charged show full of percieved injustices committed against the black community. ?I'm talking about actual racial insults being hurled by anyone other than a white broadcaster against some minority.

You have proof of that?? Because every "inside source" being quoted by eveyone reporting on this is saying that, in the meetings where Moonves was present, the primary point of discussion was.....loss of revenue.? I've heard it on Mike and Mike, Mike and the Mad Dog, and ESPN Radio.? I've not heard a single person, other than you, suggest otherwise.

You'll excuse everyone if they take the word of the journalists over yours....

As for CBS hiding, that's patently untrue.? They're actually saying they fired Imus because they were "reprehensed at his comments".? They're actually expressing moral outrage in their Press Relase.? So to say their "hiding behind the money issue" isn't accurate.? But it's what was, reportedly, mostly discussed in the meetings on the subject.

Not thinking money was the primary focus is naive'.? Moonves, and more importantly Sumner Redstone, stood up for Stern MANY time, because the sponsers didn't run away from Stern's show no matter what outrageous comment he made.? If not money, why would Imus be different?? And why would MSNBC and CBS FIRST suspend Imus and THEN, after the sponsers notified them they were going to pull out, fire Imus?? Why wait so long (the outcry hasn't gotten a whole lot louder since the suspension was handed down). You think the timing is purely coincidence?? I think that would be shortsighted.

It's all about the Benjamins, baby.

It all depends, of course.  While people are declaring that freedom of speech is dead, its worth noting that plenty of broadcasters have gotten away with racist humor.  I listen to Opie & Anthony (a lot less than I used to as their racial attitudes, among other things, have become too much to bear) and theyve gone way beyond anything Imus has said.  Theres no counting the number of times theyve likened black people to apes/gorillas/monkeys.  Its always done more cleverly than Imus, and often said for pure shock value, so the effect was usually softened; but its at least as offensive and theyve always gotten away with it because theyre so-called shock jocks and its expected.  Imus walked  the line between serious political commentator and "light" shock jock, which made him an easier target.  Whether his firing changes the landscape remains to be seen.

As for a black broadcaster saying racist things, Im not sure.  First of all, theres not a great deal of high-profile black broadcasters.  Second, I cant recall any such instances taking place in recent memory.  White racism toward blacks and black racism toward whites arent viewed equally in America, for obvious reasons, so Im not sure the penalties would be equal. 

A black head coach from the CBA "Continental basketball association" also recently got fired for remarks he made about Jewish people.

He said something of the effect of how Jews run and own everything.

So its not just Imus making Black slurs, its guys making jewish remarks etc and I just think its totally overblown and everyone overreacts way too much over every little thing.


On a side note:

I was in a family restaurant last night picking up some pizza and 5 black teenagers were behind me in line.

Every other word out of their mouth was Nigga this Nigger that and I was like WOW these kids have no idea.

So to me black people are their own worst enemy in a lot of ways.

U use the word and make it seem "cool" u really have no right to criticize or blame anyone else for using it.

How can black people expect white people to stop being racist when they do everything to hold their race down themselves?

Wow, that's funny. How come I've never heard of that on the news?

Because Don Imus is famous, and the CBA is relatively unknown.

Oh well, Political Correctness is a sham that makes me sick, to quote Duff.

http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/89728-0

In a clear sign of its intent to reign in dissident American media personalities, and their growing influence in American culture, US War Leaders this past week launched an unprecedented attack upon one of their most politically 'connected', and legendary, radio hosts named Don Imus after his threats to release information relating to the September 11, 2001 attacks upon that country.

What a load of drivel that was.  Are these really the sorts of conspiracy theories floated about America?   ::) 

This reads like an article from an alternate reality.

It was a joke, which I thought was actually pretty funny when I saw the vid on youtube.  I think Imus fucked up by apologizing in the first place.  He makes fun of lots of people...black, white...everyone; its what shock jocks do.  The whole thing was blown out of proportion.

1. What was the joke?

2. Why was it funny?

I was disgusted to see that Jesse Jackson was in attendance for Jackie Robinson day celebrations at Dodger Stadium.  It's sad that no other true civil rights leaders have risen into the spotlight, so that attention whores and money grubbers like Jackson and Sharpton can be pushed out of the limelight.

Just a couple of points:

1) His sponsers already HAD left.  They notified CBS after CBS handed down the suspension, but before the decision to fire Imus.

2) Stern was an entirely different animal.  He attracted more sponsers because his ratings were always high.  Imus has LOW ratings, but commands the premium on ad time because his demo is "affluent".  There is only a certain number of advertisers who want to "cater" to that group, so "wooing" new sponsers isn't as easy as it was with Stern.

3) They're NOT losing the ad revenue, actually. Or rather, they're not losing the profit on the ad revenue. Because there is something filling his time slot now that is less objectionable to the sponsers.  There will be something more permanent filling his time slot at some point, and I'd assume that, too, will be less objectionable to the sponsers.  And likely, as you point out, they will not be paying as much in "costs" for that programming.  So they can take less revenue, but make MORE money, than they could if Imus stayed and they lost the premium paying sponsers.

4) Again, this has nothing to do with free speech.  This is not an FCC ruling (and, likely, there won't be one.  It's a companies decision.  So it's not about censorship, per se.  If Imus owned CBS, he'd likely still be broadcasting with no repurcussions, other than possible ratings and financial ones.  If the FCC had levied some sort of fine against Imus, I'd be right there with those publically decrying the fact that the govt was abridging his free speech.  But I think many people are much less likely to say that a company MUST employ someone they, for a justifiable reason, have decided they don't want to employ.

Imus got screwed, plain and simple.  Everyone in talk radio will now have to walk on egg-shells, which makes it boring as hell.

Thanks Mr. Sharpton, Mr. Jackson.

Most of talk radio sucks anyway...

true , hell all of radio sucks ass today anyway

Kill your radio............

Get Sirius. It doesn't suck.

Got it...

should have said all free radio sucks. Sirius is pretty damn good