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Radio shock jock Don Imus was suspended for two weeks by CBS, which owns WFAN and Westwood One (the radio outlets his show is broadcast and syndicated on) and MSNBC, which broadcasts a televised simulcast of the radio show, over remarks he made towards the Rutgers women's basketball team. MSNBC announced that Imus would be suspended first, then CBS announced a similar suspension.
The suspension will begin on Monday, as Imus has a series of fund-raisers for sudden infant death syndrome at the end of the week. This morning, he said his suspension was "appropriate" and he told Matt Lauer on the Today Show, "'[the phrase "nappy-headed hos] phrase originated in the black community. ... I may be a white man, but I know that these young women and young black women all through that society are demeaned and degraded by their own black men and that they are called that name.'' And while Imus has made it clear he'd like to speak to the Rutgers women's basketball players himself, it's unclear whether they'll meet. The team will be giving a press conference this morning at 11AM.
Yesterday, Imus appeared on the Reverend Al Sharpton's radio show to discuss the matter, admitting that he did go too far. Sharpton told reporters, "If he came to convince me, he certainly didn't convince me. I think he might have made it worse." How did he make it worse? From AP/AMNY:
The radio host also lost his patience after U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-Michigan), the head of the Congressional Black Caucus, called in and criticized him for his on-air comments after the Rutgers team lost the NCAA women's championship game a week ago.You can hear the audio of the show on WNBC.com - you'll note how Imus calls Sharpton "sir.""I can't get anywhere with you people," Imus complained, as everyone in the studio froze at what seemed to be another racial slight.
"What do you mean by 'you people?' " Sharpton shot back.
"You and the woman I'm talking to," Imus explained.
Afterward, Sharpton said these two responses were examples of how the appearance may not have helped Imus' image. "I couldn't believe when he went to 'you people,' " Sharpton said.
The Post's Phil Mushnick says that Imus's behavior is nothing new - when WNBC sportscaster Len Berman quit WFAN, Imus called him "Lenny the Jew." Gwen Ifill, who Imus allegedly called a "cleaning lady," has an editorial in the NY Times: "This country will only flourish once we consistently learn to applaud and encourage the young people who have to work harder just to achieve balance on the unequal playing field." Ethicist Randy Cohen tells WCBS 2/AP that Imus should be fired
And longtime Imus hater Howard Stern told his listeners yesterday that back in the WNBC days (dubba-yuh- enn- bee-cee!) he heard Imus call a black woman the n-word. According to MarksFriggin.com, the Howard Stern rundown blog, Stern said Imus's remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team "actually nothing compared to what he said behind the scenes at WNBC when they were there." Stern said Imus should have been fired back in the day.
What do you think of the suspension? Is it an appropriate sentence, or should he have been fired? NOW is asking join its campaign to get Imus fired and here's the National Association of Black Journalist's list of Imus's racist remarks.
Update:
Rutgers is having a press conference on the Imus issue.
Some notes so far:
Rutgers AD Bob Mulcahy: The comments by Imus and his producer were despicable and the real story here is the 2006-07 Women's Basketball team. The team is the antithesis of Imus' comments and the comments were reprehensible and disgusting.
Rutgers President Richard McCormick: Imus' words were hurtful to all of the Rutgers community as they were celebrating their basketball team and their season and they did nothing to invite the comments by Imus. As a community, they are supporting players as a community and the university has "their backs."
Coach C. Vivian Stringer: The players involved in this are valedictorians, future doctors, even girl scouts and Rutgers is fortunate to have them. This isn't a story about what was said, but about the team's perseverance, hard work, and determination. The remarks were deplorable, despicable and unconscionable. These women are not political figures or professionals, but at Rutgers to get an education and to use their gifts.
Heather Zurich, sophomore forward from Montvale: Team started at 2-4, with Coach Stringer calling them her worst defensive team ever. All the teams accomplishments were lost when Imus made his comments. What hurts the most is that he doesn't know any of them personally. They were insulted and angry and they said they did nothing to deserve the "deplorable comments". Instead of celebrating Easter, they were talking about this with their families.
Essence Carson, junior, forward/guard, captain from Patterson The team is angry, disgusted, and deeply saddened at the racial characterization by the Imus remarks. She asks that people don't recognize them in this light, but in the light of their season accomplishments. The team has agreed to a private meeting with Imus in an undisclosed location to convey their deep hurt. This issue is about women across the nation and the world. They aren't attacking Imus, but something that isn't right.
Photographs of Don Imus and Reverand Al Sharpton yesterday by Richard Drew/AP
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Nice going Al Sharpton/Carolyn Cheeks, In two weeks Imus will get his best rating ever. You've been played.
this is a joke, right?
a) people need stop being so pc. you have to walk on eggshells these days
b) rap music is racist and sexist, how come sharpton and CBS dont bitch about that?
What a pussy!
He should have either apologized once if he was really sorry, or not apologized at all if he wasn't.
He's a shock jock; people are supposed to be mad at him!
if Sharpton gets to be witness for Imus' apology, i think Steven Pagones should get to witness Sharpton's apology. oh, wait, Sharpton's not apologizing ... maybe he's onto something.
Walk on eggshells? That's funny. So calling a bunch of college aged women ho's, who he doesn't know, is okay? But the point is valid. Imus language is common-place and if we are going to get funky about him we need to get mad at others.
Also it's Imus for goodness sakes. Getting mad at him for being tasteless is like me getting mad at my dog for being a dog.
ta-waaaaaaaana ........ ta-waaaaaaaana ........ ta-waaaaaaaana ........
Imus sounds like an absolute jerk. Regardless of how people feel about Sharpton, can you seriously support Imus? If it were up to me, he would be fired immediately. But, then again, if it were up to me he never would have been hired in the first place.
Imus is definitely getting too old to know what is current or not. I beg to differ -- perhaps this kind of language is commonplace among older folks, but it isn't among the people I know. Imus represents the bigoted older generation that my father belongs to. I don't listen to him because he reminds me of the bad old days. Imus seems to be a guilty pleasure for those who don't dare show their age.
I love Political Correctness, it makes the whining bigots mad.
ditto me.
Humor that breaks down racial stereotypes (i.e. Carlos Mencia, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock) -- that's funny. That's got some redeeming value.
Imus...well, Imus isn't really all that funny. I'm not one of those die-hard PC types; I just think his material's pretty old and tired. It's like, okay, enough already. It's basically ignorant, and any idiot with a microphone can be ignorant on the radio.
No redeeming value.
first off, people need to have thicker skins. everyone is so for free speech until someone uses it in a way they find offensive... it's words people. second, if the racially pc ambulance chasers didn't make this a headline story then 99.9 % of the country would not have even been aware of this and they players would not have been affected. enough is enough, so sick of this story. i guess the media is too tired of iraq and would rather focus on sharpton's ranting.
If Imus really wants to make amends, he should...
1) Pay for the tuitions and expenses for any of the current Rutgers University Women's Basketball Team who needs it.
2) Establish a women's basketball scholarship fund at Rutgers University. CBS, Westwood One and MSNBC should kick in a few bucks too.
3) Stop trying to explain, and in sense, blunt his words.
People actually listen to Imus?
When did Imus become an unfireable national treasure? Fire his tired ass and let's be done with him once and for all.
Imus is for a lot of white people a means for legitimizing racist thoughts. They get all up in arms when society tells them that it's not O.K. to be a racist asshole, and they bitch and moan, "boo hoo, you people are so P.C. Let me be a racist asshole you oppressors!" Poor things.
Imus's comments allow other racist assholes to think, "hey, it's O.K. to be a racist asshole. Imus is doing it! Har dee har!" Of course, these people don't think they're racist assholes. They think that they're being subversive and fighting the "P.C. police." Pathetic.
Just check out Newsweek's Howard Fineman on Imus yesterday:
mediamatters.org/items/200704090002
Fineman: You know, I don't know what'll happen. I think -- you know, it's a different time, Imus. You know, it's different than it was even a few years ago, politically. I mean, we may, you know -- and the environment, politically, has changed. And some of the stuff that you used to do, you probably can't do anymore.
IMUS: No, you can't. I mean --
FINEMAN: You just can't. Because the times have changed. I mean, just looking specifically at the African-American situation. I mean, hello, Barack Obama's got twice the number of contributors as anybody else in the race.
IMUS: Amen.
FINEMAN: I mean, you know, things have changed. And the kind of -- some of the kind of humor that you used to do you can't do anymore. And that's just the way it is.
Boo fuckety hoo. Bunch of white guys crying and wailing about how they can't make racist jokes any more. World's tiniest violin, coming right up.
If Imus really wants to make amends, he should...
1) Pay for the tuitions and expenses for any of the current Rutgers University Women's Basketball Team who needs it.
2) Establish a women's basketball scholarship fund at Rutgers University. CBS, Westwood One and MSNBC should kick in a few bucks too.
3) Stop trying to explain, and in sense, blunt his words.
ryan,
Carlos Mencia is NOT FUNNY! Nor does he "breakdown racial stereotypes" He is simply an idiot that panders to the stupid.
Every other Rap song says Nigger every minute, wheres Big Al then?
Double standards for people of different colors is racist.
But seriously, what the hell was Imus thinking with that comment. I'm not all uptight about "being PC", and I understand that on the radio you say a bunch of stuff you might regret because it's so fast.
But.. you have to wonder what the hell is going through somebody's head, or if anything is going through their head to say something like that. It's like he is living on a different planet.
Wait, what's that again?
It's the white man whining and crying. say it ain't so?
More power to you Reverend Sharpton. You keep on keeping on, brother.
Hey zeng, can I call you ching chong bing bong when you're 65 years old? or call you ching chong bing bong fing fong everyday TILL you're 65 years old.
I mean, they're only words, you laundry boy.
I'll call you my Laundry boy everyday till you're sixty five, again, they are only words.
Once again, Al Sharpton makes the entire world GROAN at his idiot self. What's wrong with saying "You People?" Al Sharpton is one of the most divisive people alive on the planet - consistantly pointing out how every single issue may be "racist" or "divisive." He makes it VERY clear that one side is white, one side is black - when, honestly, most of us could care less. Get over it and stop being victimized by some psycho who speaks for every black person out there.
It was also sexist, in addition to racist.
Imus has talked crap like this forever, why is he getting called on it now? he should have been hung out to dry 20 years ago, this selective enforcement seems odd. meanwhile, Sharpton has his own litany of offensive statements throughout the years, none of which he's ever apologized for. and he's done pretty well for himself. maybe Imus should run for President.
Last year when Tony Romo (a white man) became the starting QB for the Dallas Cowboys, former Dallas WR and HOFer and current broadcaster Michael Irvin (a black man), made a comment to the effect that the reason Romo's such a gifted athlete is because somebody in his family must have slept with a black man. NO ONE MADE ANY NOISE ABOIUT THIS COMMENT. Why? Because a black man said it and god forbid if someone should correct him.
Ever listen to Charles Barkley? He makes racist comments all the time but gets away with it and never catches any flak for it.
Every race of people on the planet have representatives that say insensitive and/or racist remarks. It seems more and more often only white people are the ones that have to be responsible and accountable for what they say.
Has anything good ever come out of morning radio?
what's that again, more crying?
Charles Barkley never made racist comments. He was the one who urged upon parents to take responsibility and not make him a role model.
need more kleenex?
who cares what imus says. he is not an elected official.
blacks need to stop thinking they gain anything from being a "victim". what the hell would firing imus do. god forbid sharpton tackled some real issues like black on black violence. blacks worse enemy is by far other blacks.
blacks gain absolutely nothing from this this jerk. try boycotting fox news.
right on murray hillster. white people HATE being told what they can't say.
BOOHOO FUCKING GET OVER IT
When will Sharpton apologize to Yankel Rosenbaum's family?
When will Sharpton apologize to those who were defamed during the Tawana Hoax?
When will Sharpton apologize for his racist comments calling Jewish people "diamond merchants" and "white interlopers"?
When will Sharpton apologize to the murdered people of Freddy's Fashion Mart?
When Al, When?
If Sharpton were a white male, he would be David Duke.
The double standard continues. Why doesn't Sharpton try fixing the issues in his own community before coming after whitey for every non PC remark made?
JP,
There was, in fact, a big controversy when Irvin made his comments. Maybe not as much as Imus, but you have to remember that it was Michael Irivn! The man is an idiot and everyone knows that. Tom Jackson actually had to apologize for calling Irvin "retarded" on the air.
All that being said, Irvin's contract was not renewed at the end of the year. He was, in effect, fired for his litany of asinine comments. his punishment was worse than Imus'.
I'm crying hear:
Don't need kleenex cause I'm not crying, just making an observation. Charles Barkley has, does today, and will probably in the future make racist comments. I agree that parents shouldn't use him as a role model and applauded him when he said it. Doesn't change the fact that he has made racist comments. My point is I really don't care that he make these comments. But why does it seem he doesn't get anywhere near as much flak as a white man with the same experience in the same position?
When a white man won the slam-dunk contest (I think it was one of the Barry brothers) Barkley said that the NBA was in disarray because a white man just won the slam-dunk contest. I get the joke, but it is a racist comment. If some white announcer said something similar when Tiger Woods won his first tournament would he still have a job? I don't think so.
man, imus looks like he's pulling some kinda reverse dorian grey routine.
people give sharpton and related folk like bill donohue far too much oomph. they are what they are, much like imus is what he is (outside of looking like a monster, i mean).
I feel bad for these girls, they are just college students and had an amazing season for their school and they get pushed down by some idiot.
I suppose Barkley is racist because he always names white players as the best in the league or one of the best right now.
From ginobli to nash.
Are you actually commenting on a slam dunk contest during All Star Week? That's the week where all the players joke around and have fun.
No way was it racist.
Get out your kleenex. white man.
Because remember, kids: it doesn't matter how many children dying of cancer whose tragically short lives you make better, for God's sake don't use an quasi-offensive term in New York City.
Oops, I said God. I apologize for offending atheists.
It's not really about using a "quasi-offensive" term in a general sense. He used it to attack the appearance of the basketball team, who had made it for the first time to the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship game.
The term "ho" is offensive to women and it is obviously a double-standard to call women "hos".
It is sad people are so desensitized to this kind of degrading language.
Would you want your daughter or sister to be called a ho and be thrust into the public eye, after working so incredibly hard in school and in athletics and making it to the NCAA national championships? Or even in general? I should hope not.
Imus has managed the peculiar feat of being both an offensive shock-jock... and a class act. A basic part of that genre is that sometimes the guy stumbles "over the line".
Having done so in this case, Imus admitted his mistake, and is "taking his licking" with dignity. That sense of responsibility is why Imus, unlike some DJs, keeps coming back from these incidents, instead of digging himself so deep that he becomes "untouchable".
mfib: Thanks for the update - didn't know that.
eye suppose: Right!!! So if I say good things about someone I can turn arround and say ignorant, racist remarks about them as well?!?! Of course it wasn't racist - black men never say racist things in the media.
Again, not cryin' so no thanks on the kleenex.
And is callin' me a white man supposed to be an insult? Good job.
this is really starting to get out of hand.
Sharpton should be going after his own black community with all the violence they create also he should be going after the rap community with all the thungs, gangster, degrading women etc songs they put out.
oh wait. since they are black Sharpton sees no wrong in them only the whites.
this whole thing is a joke, and people know it, and is proven so by how out of proportion it has become.
offensive? yes.
get over it.
would love to see sharpton & jackson go after their own kind in the rap community.
Al sharpton IS commenting on the rap/music industry. As recently as last week, he wants to discuss with artists and the music industry on their behavior.
by the way, your mother is a whore and your sister is a street walker. that and they pull trains nightly for $10 a person in the back of a van at Dyker heights park. We'll get to your daughter later, we don't want to rip her up too badly.
Gotta agree with the comment on selective enforcement. Seems odd he got called on the carpet for this one, since that show makes insensitive racist or sexist remarks virtually everyday. When Glen Ifill wouldn't appear on his program because of scheduling difficulities, his crew started referring to her as "the cleaning lady the NYT lets cover the White House". He has referred to sports columnist Bill Rhoden as "the NYT quota hire".
(For those unfamiliar with Ms. Ifill or Mr. Rhoden, both are African-American.)
I'm pretty sure I've never written "I agree with Al Sharpton", but he got it right when he said "This isn't about you being a good guy". Forgetting for the moment am radio is largely irrelevant, he is a good person.
He has raised millions for SIDS, built a wonderful ranch in New Mexico for kids with cancer, and personally raised $10MM for the Center for the Intrepid, a privately-built rehabilitation center for wounded veterans in San Antonio, TX.
None of which excuses his behavior. He should be fired.
Come on, even people who love to be provacative can't condone a grown man with a public voice refering to high school girls as "hos" of any kind of hairstyle. They're kids, for goodness' sakes. He's not attacking George Bush or Hillary Clinton, who are fair game for take-downs (hopefully not racist), he's demoralizing kids. For that matter, referring to any woman as a "ho" because she's aggressive and successful (I hear the team did very well), is simply a bad sign... I don't think I need to say more.
Why do people even give a shit what this washed up radio host says? He's just some old white dude saying dumbass things for old white listeners. People shouldn't care about such petty crap.
nappy headed hos.
Freedom of Speech allows Imus to say what he wants. It also allows Al, NOW, and the NABJ to call his azz out.
Our free market system allows WFAN and MSNBC to fire his worthless azz because of the likely drop in ad revenue.
As I see it, this is all just democracy and capitalism at work.
zeng (11)-
"it's words people. second, if the racially pc ambulance chasers didn't make this a headline story then 99.9 % of the country would not have even been aware of this and they players would not have been affected."
Are you truly this stupid? He only said it on his nationally syndicated radio show that is broadcast on a news network. I'm sure more than .1% of the country saw it.
Damn you are dumb!
nappy headed hos
I can't believe anyone still listens to this old hack. I'd thought he'd be in an nursing home in a diaper strapped to a wheelchair by now! They make people who are too old stop driving why can't they take this Methuselah's microphone away? I bet for a split second he thought it was the 50's and he could say whatever he likes on air, senile old cracker.
I still do not understand how Al Sharpton has become the arbiter of all things black. Why does anybody have to answer to this media-whore knucklehead? This processed-hair buffoon has no credentials other then Tawana Brawley. He must be in the pay of some secret white supremacist so that no credible Black Leader will ever get the national stage. Probably the same group murdered King and Malcolm X. We in the black community are in sad shape if Al and the Polygamist Preacher are our spokespersons.
This Don Imus is just another headline grabber like Anna Nicole Smith & Rosie/Trump melodramas. Imus is a bitter old dried up cracker in a cowboy hat who generates big AD-revenue for his station. When their advertisers pull out from his show, is wrinkled old butt will be eased out the door. Otherwise, this is just lip service to Black Consumers to show that the advertisers on his show feel your pain.
Martha Washington!
Let's all try this: No more use of cracker or white-man/boy as an insult and I'll try to be more understanding when people get out of their faces about nappy-headed ho's or nigga/nigger.
How seriously is anyone supposed to take the arguments of people discussing racism if they're acting as or truly are racist themselves?!?!
As I stated earlier, I really could care less what's said as long as the reaction is fair on both sides.
nappy headed hos == hymietown
What do the mistakes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have to do with the disgraceful behavior of Imus. Think about the five young ladies who worked hard to achieve a level of excellance in their sport. Think of their families and the pride those families had for their daughters. Imus is a pig and WFAN and MSNBC should be held responsible for giving him a forum that he does not deserve to have.
I have been an Imus fan for years... I think Craig Crawford said it best, he has a heart bigger than his mouth! I am the father of an autistic child and I can't begin to tell you how he has supported that community, not to mention kids with cancer and sudden infant death syndrome. He speaks without thinking sometimes, but he ALWAYS admits when he has made a mistake. I could go on....the good far out weighs the bad.
I dunno, I've heard otherwise regarding his "Ranch" and charitible pursuits.
Very little is his money. He browbeats people to contributing.
His charities are with other peoples money. He lives well on a ranch that costs over $3,000 a night for each child. It is easy for some white guy to say "the good outweighs the bad." Imus and his crew have been stereotyping black people for years. It is about time Jeep-Chrysler and other sponsors come to answer for their sponsorship of this old hate-filled bigot.
Imus contributed over $1MM of his own money for the ranch before he ask anyone for a dime:
www.americanprofile.com/article/4870.html
He gave $300K himself for the veterans facility:
www.fallenheroesfund.org/fallenheroes/fundraising/
The WFAN radiothon has raised over $30MM for the CJ Foundation for SIDS since 1990.
That's fine if you want to trash him over what he said, he deserves it. But get your facts straight before you throw him under the bus for his charitable work.
Imus contributed over $1MM of his own money for the ranch before he ask anyone for a dime.
He gave $300K himself for the veterans facility.
The WFAN radiothon has raised over $30MM for the CJ Foundation for SIDS since 1990.
That's fine if you want to trash him over what he said, he deserves it. But get your facts straight before you throw him under the bus for his charitable work.
Well then, maybe he can start a Scholarship fund now.
But I doubt it. My facts are straight, ma'am.
Well that's rather sexist - I'm a guy with an effiminate first name.
I found my info on his contributions by looking at the foundation websites for the Imus Ranch, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, the CJ Foundation for SIDS, Charity Navigator, and various articles. It's all in the public domain. Let the reader decide.
I never knew "white man" was a racial insult.
if so, that's the first time I heard of it. funny how you use the moniker JP Lynch.
How serious should I take your comments, JP Lynch.
the thousand years is over, sir. I hope your first born is OK. One in 166. remember.
So as many of you now know...
Don Imus called the Rutgers Girls Basketball team some mean, racist names on his radio show.
I don't listen to Imus, but that is what happened, I heard the recording as many of you did.
Imus is a dork. I guess he's a racist too.
Guess what folks?
Its not illegal to be a racist.
Now all this brouhaha.
Imus is suspended for 2 weeks, and many are calling for him to be fired from his job.
Then Imus went on Al Sharpton's radio show and demanded an apology, and Imus gave him one.
I have many problems with this.
#1, I am no fan of Imus.
What he said was offensive to some, but its his RIGHT to say what he wants.
If he wants to be, or sound racist, thats HIS RIGHT to do so.
If you don't like what he says, write a letter condemning him.
Change the channel.
Write to the FCC.
But demand he be fired?
These Politically Correct Motherfuckers, shut the fuck up already.
Wa wa wa, you big crybabies.
Get a life!
And Al Sharpton?!?!? He's one of the biggest racists alive today!!!!
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!!!
Does anyone remember the Tawana Brawley Scandal in the late 1980s?
How about Steven Pagones, the prosecutor whose life Sharpton ruined?
How about Freddy's Fashion Mart in Harlem and Sharton's "WHITE INTERLOPERS"
comment in the 1980s?
How DARE Al Sharpton accuse Don Imus of being a racist and demand he be fired,
when Sharpton himself has been doing the EXACT same thing for decades.
In my opinion, anyone who follows Sharpton is either blind to his past dealings, or is just plain ignorant.
How can ANYONE take Sharpton seriously and turn the cheek to his past?
I don't see how anyone can get behind him,
when he has all that blood on his hands from his own scandalous and sordid past!
We have American troops over in Iraq dying everyday, yet everytime some stupid celebrity
says something politically incorrect...THAT becomes the front page news.
The American media is COMPLETELY FUCKED UP, and their priorities are in the toilet.
Don Imus should NOT be fired.
He has made his bed, now he must lie in it.
If they are going to end Imus' career, then be fair and end Sharpton's too.
They are both equally racist.
(Russ steps off soapbox.)
i kind of like sharpton generally BUT he does come off looking like a crybaby here. What Imus said was certainly offensive but not illegal nor should it be illegal. His reference was crude, offensive, and racist but...my god, there is so much else going on in the world a lot worse! Al just looks like he wants to score some cheap political points...it was stupid to say yet it was said only once, it wasn't a prolonged rant (a la kramer)...get over it people.
Procter and Gamble, Staples and Bigelow Tea withdrew advertising from his show.
let me say that again, Procter and Gamble, this is not a vermont teddy bear or zone chef account. this is big.
now what are you gonna do? boycott PG? I say HA!
revolution time.
[63] Posted by: russ | April 10, 2007 11:38 PM
and your point is?
Ahhh white people, they want their skin privelege and racsim too.
Al Sharpton is just about the LAST person I would want to speak on my behalf. It just seems that some people just sit back and wait for someone else to fall so they can rub salt in the wounds and point giant fingers of blame. If Al didn't have these kind of Imus events to scream about, the man would have no exposure whatsoever. He's guilty of the same kind of racist behavoir. He gets so much news coverage whenever he opens his big mouth. What good has he ever done? He's suppose to be a minister, yet can't accept an apology and be forgiving. Well, Rev. Al, being Christian doesn't mean you're perfect. . . just forgiven. You're such a big phoney.
Let me first preface this comment by saying how sorry I feel for Rutger's Women's Basketball Team. They have been caught in the middle of a political and publicity fueled battle storm. It is a shame that their great achievements have been overshadowed with this nonsense.
Imus' comments were racist and sexist. However I commend him on his public apology and his appearance on Al Sharpton's own radio show to discuss his offensive comments.
However, I am left to wonder why these recent comments have caused this huge uproar as opposed to the countless other times that this "Shock Jock" has made some not-so-PC comments?
If these public advocates, the show sponsors, and the networks are so opposed to racism shouldn't they have dumped Imus' show long ago?
And where were these disgruntled sponsors when the highly disturbing "Tsunami Song" was played on Hot 97 countless times? Shouldn't Carlos Mencia's show on Comedy Central be banned for he's racial derogatory overtones? (Or is that categorized as "comedy?")
Apparently, as long as you are not African-American, you better have a sense of humor because a racist comment in the media should be considered "just a joke"; as you won't have political advocates like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson sticking up for you in your corner!
[68] Posted by: double standard | April 12, 2007 1:20 AM
oh shut up your so last century. Tsnumai Song waa waa, they were white people who wrote that song, white people who produced it.
Shut Up! Defending Imus...shut up.
Michael Irvin made some serious racial comments about current Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and his great great grand mother.
So did the media flinch. Was Irvin's comments brought up on national news. Was it a huuuge news story like Don Imus, Kramer from Seinfeld or Mel Gibson? No. You never heard of it and 99% of America didn't either. I happened to read it on an obscure football website.
So what is any different than what Kramer or Imus or Mel Gibson said than what Michael Irvin said? All comments would be considered racist or stereotypical. All of the comments except one made national news headlines. All comments except one resulted in a firing or public backlash (ie people boycotting Kramer or Mel Gibson's media vehicles). All except one was beat to death on "The View" by rosie and the other ladies.
So why were Michael Irvin's comments not in the spotlight? Why was he not pulled through the mud by the American media? If all the instances listed above are deemed racist or stereotypical, why was one person given a free pass and the others left to roast under the intense heat of media scrutiny?
It just so happens that Michael Irvin is black and all the other Racists I listed above are of some Caucasian lineage. Coincidence that the American media did not throw the black man under the bus with the rest of the racist crew? Absolutely not. The American media had full and aware knowledge of Michael Irvin's comments just as they did with all of the other major racism scandals in the last year or so. Why not give the black man the same treatment as anyone else in that position? THAT IS THE QUESTION.
Why is it that when a white man says something negative/racist it's in the national media but when a black man says something racist it goes on page 36 of the newspaper next to an ad for carpet cleaning service?
The American Media is "Racist About Racism" (I just coined that phrase).
To wrap up, I agree with all your points about Imus, he probably should have been fired and it really was not an intelligent thing to say even in a joking context. But in the grand scheme of things does it really matter. Did it really hurt anyone? The Rutgers Womens bball team accepted Imus' apology, and did they really care what some old fart said about them?
I don't have all the answers, but I do know that the American media focuses more on white racists than any other color racist. And if I had to say, that is Racist in and of itself.
note(Michael Irvin was not fired from his job. However, his contract was up a couple of months after his comments and was not renewed by ESPN. The fact that Irvin was caught with a marajuana pipe in his car a year earlier probably helped the case not to renew his contract as well as the comments.)
70 your white so you no authority on the subject of who is or isn't a racsit, leave it to the people with experience.
I experience racism everytime I go to the post office and the black employees go above and beyond for the black man in front of me in line and then make me wait and give me sub-standard service when it's finally my turn.
If a black man called the basketball teams names they would simpy give him a Grammy and call him an artist.
Stewart you see race in everything, they were just being professional, obviously they saw you with that look of "NIGGER!!" In your eyes, Black folks see things. You ever heard the phrase "I SEE WHITE PEOPLE?'