April 14, 2007
Imus, Sharpton, and the Thought Police
(The grandest of all race hustlers. In my view, according to Websters dictionary, he has incited more racism that many modern white people could ever muster.)
Well, I have been avoiding this story all week in my playoff excitement, but I feel it has to be addressed. Don Imus. Who is this guy. Why have I been a hardcore political follower and blogger for almost 7 years and never heard of this guy? My impressions upon research (never trust the media, you know)—he is a dimwitted, cynical old man who makes bad, race-based, orientation-based jokes.
For those of you who don’t know, my impression is that Don Imus was a primarily liberal talk show host (probably why I never heard of him) who called the girls on the Rutgers’ basketball team “some nappy-headed hoes”. That’s the bad joke. For this, however, the man lost his job. HE LOST HIS F@#$IN’ JOB!!
Let me say that again: HE LOST HIS JOB!!
HE LOST HIS JOB!!
HE LOST HIS JOB!!
Are you kidding me? The man lost his job for doing his job, which, whether you realize it or not, is to vocalized every thought that comes to his mind. Deplorable, disgusting, disheartening, yes. Grounds for termination, no. Both MSNBC and CBS caved to the pressure of race pimp grande, Al Sharpton. Further showing what an idiot Imus is, he went on Sharpton’s radio show and grovelled for forgiveness. Naturally, this wasn’t enough. He needed to be eliminated. The MTP (Morality and Thought Police) and the chief is the riot inciting, douchebag of a “black leader” that is Al Sharpton.
Everyone should be pissed about this. What says you are not next. Next time you have an intemperate thought, who says you are not next. Where will it stop? And a greater, more currently pertinent question, when the f*** did Al f****in’ Sharpton become the grand pumba of what is right and appropriate to be broadcast on the airwaves (can you sense my disgust for this pissant of a man, someone who benefits from others misery)?
Ah, I can’t even get my thoughts together on this one. Bottom line:
1) Don Imus is an idiot, senile old man — not a racist or sexist. He is a bad joke composer.
2) Al Sharpton is a scourge to African-Americans and is, in general, a complete race pimping douche.
3) We are all next. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but soon. Political correctness is sucking the soul out of society. The precedent has been set. It is not publicly acceptable to be fired for saying something that “offends” or is disagreeable to someone. WE ARE NEXT. It’s the old trickle down effect. It works in economics, and it will work socially, unfortunately.
By the way, this is education time. Next time you hear some idiot bantering around racist, sexist, etc., use 2nd grade skills and think of the definitions. These are from the source, Merriam-Webster. Don’t belive me, look at it for yourself.
Racist:
1 : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.
Sexist:
1 : prejudice or discrimination based on sex; especially : discrimination against women
2 : behavior, conditions, or attitudes that foster stereotypes of social roles based on sex
I say that in no way was Don Imus a racist based on that definition (after all the team wasn’t all black and the condition of the ladies hair certainly doesn’t presume they are inferior), but he may be sexist in this comment. Just remember that we cannot overarch and make a generalization on his character based on one intemperate thought.
What do you think?
Come on Phil, hook a man up with props for authoring this one!
Whether or not Imus is racist (and he is, based on comments throughout his career, not just “jokes”), all of the advertisers pulled out of his show. If he’s unable to bring in the money for the networks, it makes financial sense that they fire him.
Everyone has the right to free speech. NO ONE has the right to corporately underwritten speech.
If you cannot see the problem with reducing accomplished student athletes to some racial and sexual stereotypes, well, I just don’t know what to say to you. It was willfully cruel. It was also the capstone of a pattern of obnoxious, and yes, RACIST, statements. Just ask Gwen Ifill.
He wasn’t fired because CBS and NBC “caved” to some self-appointed community leaders. He was fired because his corporate sponsors said they were going to stop buying ad time. They were exercising their right to free speech and free association and indicating that they had no interest in supporting his blather anymore. Are you going to prevent THEM from exercising their rights?
My HUGE issue is what Glenn Beck put in nice terms “choice racism.” Rev. Jessie Jackson and Rev. Sharpton only seem to care when it’s a black person getting tore up on. But they fail to bring up rappers calling women hoes’ every single freakin’ day. Both people need to be eliminated from the media. Glenn Beck later said that there was no issue till Rev. Sharpton and Jackson got involved and started to stir up the anger squad.
I view Imus as an old man with his type of sense of humor. Dave Chappele put it in the best terms, when you regulate on comedy everyone loses. Sharpton and his sidekick only care to get in the media for their 15 seconds of fame.
Jeremie, come ON. Research.
First Google hit on “Al Sharpton on Rappers:”
“Al Sharpton disses rap against women”
http://www.bet.com/Music/Archives/BET.com - Al Sharpton Disses Rap Against Women 1081.htm
At any rate, “rappers did it first” is NO excuse for a white person in a position of media authority to jump on the bandwagon.
So glad people have coherent thoughts on the issue, whether you agree or not, that’s what the opine was for.
I will agree, that in the end, the pulling of sponsorship is enough to cancel this guy’s show. No doubt. That isn’t even a question.
To the first official poster (not me looking for recognition), read again. I said that this incident cannot definitively paint him as a racist, which is what media portrays it as. I don’t know Imus from a hole in the ground and I don’t care, so I go on what media portrays him as. A single incident cannot paint someone as anything.
I am asking you all to please educate me by citing some incidences in which Imus illustrates that he believes that whites are superior to any minority — after all, Webster knows all and that is the definition of racism. Seriously, not being a smartass, I really want to know!
And to HC — I absolutely do see a problem with reducing highly skilled women to race and sexual stereotypes, in fact I hate it. It sucks when anyone does it and I understand how it is especially hurtful when someone of a different race does it. Trust me, living in Atlanta, it happens to me as a white male all the time, believe it or not. It still doesn’t change the fact that Al Sharpton whipped up a media storm of massive proportions, while undoubtedly profiting under the guise of the moral highground. And never has Al Sharpton, although logging “disgust” toward rappers, ever called for the cancellation of recording contracts or pulling of major label promotion of said rappers recordings. As for Imus being a media authority, give me a break. The guy may get 2 million a week, but let’s put that into perspective. So does Kim Komando (which is a fine program btw, but hardly a heavy weight). If Rush said it, or hell Savage said it, I would give a little more credence to that approach to the argument. Also, give people a little credit. I like to think that most talk radio listeners are not so weak-minded as to submit to the near-sighted opinions of a cranky old man.
Keep the comments coming though, and seriously, I want to learn about the pattern of behavior on this guy. I totally believe that he has a history, but I don’t know, gotta plead ignorance. But that opens another question, which Glenn Beck posed this week: Why now?
Again, I agree with David. Just because Al Sharpton speaks about his dislike of rap doesn’t mean he complains about it so much that Def Jam only starts hiring rappers like Will Smith.
It just seems like he will come out of the wood work every single time someone slips up and says something they shouldn’t have. Instead of being so politically correct, I think we should love and laugh at our difference. But hey, I have the same views as most comedians in these kind of situations.
If you want a pattern, Wikipedia hits the highlights. Referring to journalist Gwen Ifill as “the cleaning lady” is one of the more notorious ones.
Also the answer to the “Why Now” question is that, since his radio show is now simulcast on TV, the conversation could be uploaded to YouTube and forwarded around easily. Video records are more immediate than simple audio records.
I can’t get too deep into this discussion without getting ugly so let me just sum up my commentary to this post with this thought: Racism is a two way street and Rap is a double edged dagger.
Cheers!