Gothamist: Rutgers Women's Basketball Team Reacts to Imus

squidfly

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 14:53:17 -0500

#67. wipe the drool from your lips with the hood in your granddaddy's closet.

Cleavon Little

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 13:13:53 -0500

Fire a man for doing his job? Yup. That'll solve all your self-inflicted problems. Stop making Imus a scapegoat for your own shortcomings. Stop giving the narrow minded whites (don't label all of us as racists, because not ALL of us are racist anymore than not ALL blacks are either) a reason to be 'racist' by perpetuating your own stereotypes. And, yes, there is a DIRECT parallel to the quoted "comments" made by Jackson and Sharpton over the years. Two of the biggest self serving egotistical media hounds EVER.

Jesse Califano

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 10:29:37 -0500

Poor ol'Imus simply confused Rutgers with Rikers!

r

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 22:59:49 -0500

What Imus should have said Rutgers was lucky to get as far as they did. They are not that good of a team and Stringer is a horrible coach. No racial overture and tells the truth

dan

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 22:42:19 -0500

Hey, one of those nappyheaded hoes is a white biatch.

Rfive

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 21:52:28 -0500

Can we start to use the word "imus" as an way to describe a boneheaded move? "Man, he pulled an imus at the meeting today. What a dumbass move. Google santorum. As in Rick.

Rfive

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 21:44:17 -0500

Can we start to use the word "imus" as an way to describe a boneheaded move? "Man, he pulled an imus at the meeting today. What a dumbass move. Google santorum. As in Rick.

oh if only the lonely

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 19:57:58 -0500

If only you practice what you preach. Have you tried walking in the shoes of a black man?

anta

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 19:39:21 -0500

no 'moore fallout', i know this country's history. but i live in the reality of today. i deal with racism in my face EVERY DAY. that is the reality of TODAY. you only create deeper problems by treating people as nothing but black or white. you see, i'm an individual, not a group and presumptuous folks such as yourself can't seem to realize that hate is equal and experience is different for everyone regardless of what race has more governmental power or who designed this country.

bait and switcheroo

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 19:24:37 -0500

race baiter? moi? oh say can you see? tell me where was I race baiting? unless you fall for it, then you're the real racist. You had your way for hundreds of years. You had the law in your pocket and yet you still whine and spin the victim excuse. And, what's this about your story on WV? I didn't see it on the news and that's what you're going to bitch about. Why did you even seek that story out? well, how about all the black children missing that gets no press? not only no press but no action. Ugh, indeed. indeed. I say with all my heart, which you don't have as it's black, dead and cold, I hope in my lifetime we will see REAL change. Buddha be with you.

fish piss

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 19:23:20 -0500

i'm listening. what's that message, squidfly? apparently you think i need to do more to help victims such as yourself. what are your demands? i mean, besides blaming the white race for all the hate and violence in the hip hop community, what's the ransom for that civilization? again with the president's cabinet?! they are elected by everyone and, around here, equally despised by all races. but every time an argument gets difficult for you, you resort to distractions. "forget the violence in front of you, look what those evil white guys are doing!" and you don't see condi right there with them? she represents you just as much as cheney represents me. and vice versa.

solidago

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 19:05:04 -0500

Ugh, shut up already Moore Fallout and the other race baiters. Imus is an a**hole, strait-up, and he made an a**hole comment. I'm sure if the girls of Wheeling West Virginia Community College were playing a group of white girls he found more attractive, he would have called them "bucked-tooth cracker hookers" or something like that. In either case, the guy's a total jerk and should get fired. The race-baiters casting this as a race thing (rather than an a**hole thing) need to get together with their white counterparts (currently up in arms over Atlantic Yards - they'll be back to "The Man" soon) and create a super-race of victims.

squidfly

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 18:45:17 -0500

[51] Posted by: gladfly | April 11, 2007 4:53 PM Get the chip off your shoulder, it'll help with the "LIMP" in your character. [50] Posted by: Michael Hunt | April 11, 2007 4:48 PM Errrr....touchy touchy. Ethnic white folks, bitter and angry that the American Dream didn't come true for them, so your live a life of misdirected rage...so sad, and it's all Hip Hop's fault. Yes the Hip Hop community sent the troops to Iraq, my you guy's are so paper thin. Look get off your asses and take some responsibility instead of Blaming young, talented Black artists, from the Hip Hop and Rap comunity, who are showing you how to become more civilized, I mean they're just giving you a relfection of your own short comings as White Euro Ethnics. Listen to the "MESSAGE" Michael you obviously have some deep issues with Black people maybe you feel threatened? I wish you well.

moore fallout

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 18:38:58 -0500

MSNBC decides not to carry his show. More advertisers pulling out. Hopefully this will be the last time We as Americans will ever hurt another American again. The Thousands Years is Over. anta, the U.S. is black and white, look at it's laws, it's inception. it's people. The government pandered to ONE RACE for Centuries and centuries since it's inception and one civil war. We still have a LONG LONG way to go. Learn your history.

anonymous

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 18:11:04 -0500

These poor girls. They're teenagers, and in their moment of totally unexpected triumph, one which they worked so hard for, then some jerkweed on a radio show makes it about him. He should be fired. And, you know, Imus was the one who went on Sharpton's show. This whole Sharpton thing is a red herring because Imus would rather people talk about Sharpton than him. Sorry, but Imus doesn't get to make HIS racist outburst all about Al Sharpton. Al Sharpton didn't make Imus do it--Imus made Imus do it. And Gwen Ifill and a thousand people show us it's not the first time Imus has done it. Seriously, if I called someone that at work, I would NOT be able to say "oh, but the murderers in Darfur are so much worse! Until we fix that, you can't fire me!" I'd be fired. As Imus should be.

anta

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 17:00:23 -0500

#32 "Ummmm maybe because it's insane to try to compare the institutionalized racism blacks face every single day from the "comments about a white person" you refer to. I'm sorry, but no one in America feels bad because you're white, and whatever sort of prejudice you may deal with is NOTHING compared to what minorities face regularly ALL THE TIME." you are racist for trivializng the individual struggles of others based purely on skin color. try walking in the shoes of a white man in a predominantly black neighborhood. taunts, threats, humiliation and a few assaults and muggings thrown in for good measure. the world is not black and white, we are individuals and our govt and media should not be pandering to anyone based on race.

Steven

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 16:58:24 -0500

Sharpton is a complete idiot. rap music on so many levels is pure garbage. Kids listen to it because they want to be "tough" "gangsta"

gladfly

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 16:53:05 -0500

yo, sqidfly: "Hip-Hop is just entertainment"? So is Imus in the Morning. And nobody is "jealous" about a culture of unoriginal, zombies who live like slaves to a tired ass culture that glorifies ignorance, misogyny, homophobia, and materialism. Tired, tired, tired....

Michael Hunt

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 16:48:14 -0500

Squidfly 4:31PM— I guess you are one of the uneducated people out there keeping it real; obviously you have no reading comprehension skills. Whitlock is saying that Sharpton & Jackson never address/turn the other cheek to the real problems in the black community. In this situation, like always, Sharpton & Jackson are complete idiots & hypocrites. You are right about one thing, hip hop IS entertainment. Unfortunately, too many stupid people out there use it as a guide as how to live their lives.

Michael Hunt

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 16:33:36 -0500

Full text of Jason Whitlock column: Imus isn’t the real bad guy Instead of wasting time on irrelevant shock jock, black leaders need to be fighting a growing gangster culture. By JASON WHITLOCK Columnist Thank you, Don Imus. You’ve given us (black people) an excuse to avoid our real problem. You’ve given Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson another opportunity to pretend that the old fight, which is now the safe and lucrative fight, is still the most important fight in our push for true economic and social equality. You’ve given Vivian Stringer and Rutgers the chance to hold a nationally televised recruiting celebration expertly disguised as a news conference to respond to your poor attempt at humor. Thank you, Don Imus. You extended Black History Month to April, and we can once again wallow in victimhood, protest like it’s 1965 and delude ourselves into believing that fixing your hatred is more necessary than eradicating our self-hatred. The bigots win again. While we’re fixated on a bad joke cracked by an irrelevant, bad shock jock, I’m sure at least one of the marvelous young women on the Rutgers basketball team is somewhere snapping her fingers to the beat of 50 Cent’s or Snoop Dogg’s or Young Jeezy’s latest ode glorifying nappy-headed pimps and hos. I ain’t saying Jesse, Al and Vivian are gold-diggas, but they don’t have the heart to mount a legitimate campaign against the real black-folk killas. It is us. At this time, we are our own worst enemies. We have allowed our youths to buy into a culture (hip hop) that has been perverted, corrupted and overtaken by prison culture. The music, attitude and behavior expressed in this culture is anti-black, anti-education, demeaning, self-destructive, pro-drug dealing and violent. Rather than confront this heinous enemy from within, we sit back and wait for someone like Imus to have a slip of the tongue and make the mistake of repeating the things we say about ourselves. It’s embarrassing. Dave Chappelle was offered $50 million to make racially insensitive jokes about black and white people on TV. He was hailed as a genius. Black comedians routinely crack jokes about white and black people, and we all laugh out loud. I’m no Don Imus apologist. He and his tiny companion Mike Lupica blasted me after I fell out with ESPN. Imus is a hack. But, in my view, he didn’t do anything outside the norm for shock jocks and comedians. He also offered an apology. That should’ve been the end of this whole affair. Instead, it’s only the beginning. It’s an opportunity for Stringer, Jackson and Sharpton to step on victim platforms and elevate themselves and their agenda$. I watched the Rutgers news conference and was ashamed. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke for eight minutes in 1963 at the March on Washington. At the time, black people could be lynched and denied fundamental rights with little thought. With the comments of a talk-show host most of her players had never heard of before last week serving as her excuse, Vivian Stringer rambled on for 30 minutes about the amazing season her team had. Somehow, we’re supposed to believe that the comments of a man with virtually no connection to the sports world ruined Rutgers’ wonderful season. Had a broadcaster with credibility and a platform in the sports world uttered the words Imus did, I could understand a level of outrage. But an hourlong press conference over a man who has already apologized, already been suspended and is already insignificant is just plain intellectually dishonest. This is opportunism. This is a distraction. In the grand scheme, Don Imus is no threat to us in general and no threat to black women in particular. If his words are so powerful and so destructive and must be rebuked so forcefully, then what should we do about the idiot rappers on BET, MTV and every black-owned radio station in the country who use words much more powerful and much more destructive? I don’t listen or watch Imus’ show regularly. Has he at any point glorified selling crack cocaine to black women? Has he celebrated black men shooting each other randomly? Has he suggested in any way that it’s cool to be a baby-daddy rather than a husband and a parent? Does he tell his listeners that they’re suckers for pursuing education and that they’re selling out their race if they do? When Imus does any of that, call me and I’ll get upset. Until then, he is what he is — a washed-up shock jock who is very easy to ignore when you’re not looking to be made a victim. No. We all know where the real battleground is. We know that the gangsta rappers and their followers in the athletic world have far bigger platforms to negatively define us than some old white man with a bad radio show. There’s no money and lots of danger in that battle, so Jesse and Al are going to sit it out.

squidfly

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 16:31:20 -0500

[46] Posted by: Michael Hunt | April 11, 2007 4:19 PM She's a what is known as a dumb ass-Hip Hop's not the problem, after all 60 years ago Bebop was the problem. Reagnomics, Bushanomics and the prison Industrail complex are the problems. Hip Hop is just entertainment. I mean is Lawerence Welk the reason that white Ethnic America can't step to the beat? God get over the whole Hip Hop thing, you people are jealous that a group of young Black people have more money than you and that they really scare you...White ethnics get that chip of your shoulder.

squidfly

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 16:25:23 -0500

Actually God protested and punished the blacks for the Tsunami Song cause one year later they Had Katrina. [43] Posted by: Jeebus Christ | April 11, 2007 3:38 PM... and white Ethnics were punished with spiritual bankruptcy

Michael Hunt

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 16:19:54 -0500

Jason Whitlock, one of the top black sports columnists in the country calls out the so called black leadership on their ridiculous behavor... Imus isn’t the real bad guy Instead of wasting time on irrelevant shock jock, black leaders need to be fighting a growing gangster culture. Thank you, Don Imus. You’ve given us (black people) an excuse to avoid our real problem. You’ve given Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson another opportunity to pretend that the old fight, which is now the safe and lucrative fight, is still the most important fight in our push for true economic and social equality. You’ve given Vivian Stringer and Rutgers the chance to hold a nationally televised recruiting celebration expertly disguised as a news conference to respond to your poor attempt at humor. Thank you, Don Imus. You extended Black History Month to April, and we can once again wallow in victimhood, protest like it’s 1965 and delude ourselves into believing that fixing your hatred is more necessary than eradicating our self-hatred. The bigots win again. While we’re fixated on a bad joke cracked by an irrelevant, bad shock jock, I’m sure at least one of the marvelous young women on the Rutgers basketball team is somewhere snapping her fingers to the beat of 50 Cent’s or Snoop Dogg’s or Young Jeezy’s latest ode glorifying nappy-headed pimps and hos. I ain’t saying Jesse, Al and Vivian are gold-diggas, but they don’t have the heart to mount a legitimate campaign against the real black-folk killas. It is us. At this time, we are our own worst enemies. We have allowed our youths to buy into a culture (hip hop) that has been perverted, corrupted and overtaken by prison culture. The music, attitude and behavior expressed in this culture is anti-black, anti-education, demeaning, self-destructive, pro-drug dealing and violent. Rather than confront this heinous enemy from within, we sit back and wait for someone like Imus to have a slip of the tongue and make the mistake of repeating the things we say about ourselves. Full column here: www.kansascity.com/182/story/66339.html

Sue

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 16:01:47 -0500

He should be canned. Picking on people for their looks...? They are basketball players, not models, and Imus, who has the classic "face for radio" looks never should have said it. Shock talk is one thing, being a bully is another. C'mon, these girls are in college, they are young and don't deserve this. They will never make the millions that a radio jock like Imus will...this was their payoff for all their hard work?? He is a bully and he deserves the same as he gives out. No sympathy at all for him. String him up.

bob

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 15:39:25 -0500

It did take away from their moment - they brought their school to the NCAA national championship, and instead of being able to celebrate, they are insulted nationally and they are still constantly being hounded by the press. "Get over it", indeed.

Jeebus Christ

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 15:38:55 -0500

Actually God protested and punished the blacks for the Tsunami Song cause one year later they Had Katrina.

akrnyc

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 15:32:20 -0500

why can shock jocks, talk show hosts and "pundits" get away with making fun of a person's looks (Imus), disease (rush limbaugh with reference to Michael J Fox) and supposed sexual orientation (Ann Coulter with her Edwards gaffe)? Is it used to overcompensate for something??

squidfly

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 15:20:59 -0500

when White America stops fetishizing everything Black people do, then we may have some peace but until then...

queen of the airwaves

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:56:17 -0500

I believe they were fined and suspended for a few weeks. The fine went to a Tsunami charity. They were definately raked over the coals by the Asian community. I know that means nothing to you. carry on with your dog walking.

Schadenfreudian Mensch

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:46:09 -0500

Lauren, I'm just shocked, shocked that morning shock jocks are making derogatory comments about a particular group of people whose only crime was being born looking a particular way for no other reason than they think they were being funny and clever. Did you also mean what was sung to the following lyrics on Hot 97 by it's black morning jocks: There was a time When the sun was shining bright So I went down to the beach to catch me a tan Then the next thing I knew A wave 20 feet high came and washed your whole country away And all at once you could hear all the screaming Chinks And no one was safe from the wave There were Africans drowning Little Chinamen swept way You could hear God laughing "Swim You bitches, swim" [Chorus] So now you're screwed, it's a tsunami You better run and better kiss your ass away Go find your mommy I just saw her float by, a tree right through her head, and now your children will be sold child slavery [Repeat chorus] And where was the condemnation then? hrmmmmm Were those individuals fired? Suspended? Taken over the rake?

Susan

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:37:12 -0500

Of course Sharpton's and Jackson's earlier transgressions do not in any way provide an excuse for Imus' behavior. And yes, Jackson apologized (though I fail to see when Sharpton did). But why do their mea culpas mean something while Imus' do not? I just don't get why he's not being given a chance to redeem himself while Jackson and Sharpton both were.

CommitedToToleranceButCantTolerateYou

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:36:09 -0500

"we must make an increased commitment to tolerance" And the first we must do is not tolerate Imus.

barron von baron

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:33:27 -0500

again with the Why didn't so and so said this.... why didn't mayor bloomberg condemned jefferey dahmer when he killed all those people? why didn't giuliani condemn tim Mcvey? Why didn't sen. McCaine condemn the watergate break-ins? and, by the way, councilman Barron protested the "tsunami" song and called for an apology and firing. Sounds like you're crying there, waaaah

Evorgleb

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:26:08 -0500

The whole thing with Imus is crazy. I honestly have very mixed feelings on the whole thing. One of the guys over at Highbrid Nation who actually worked with Imus at WFAN for years wrote a good article talking about Imus' views on race from the perspective of a minority that was around him every day. You should check it out if you get a chance.

whaaa

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:18:38 -0500

Why didn't Sharpton call for the immediate resignation/firing of Miss Jones after she played the "tsunami song"?

ds

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:15:08 -0500

Of course blacks experience a level of bigotry and racism that whites cannot comprehend. My contention is that this double standard of accountability is doing nothing to remedy the situation and is in fact a symptom of this institutionalized racism. Until you see either A) Blacks held to the same standard of accountability or B) Whites treated with the same level of deference the media is sending the message that Blacks are in essence "weaker" and in need of "coddling."

anna

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:00:44 -0500

"Why have we NEVER seen a public figure punished for "crossing the line" with comments about a white person? Talk about a double standard. I submit that this double standard is in itself racist. It is sending a message that while white males have a thick skin and should just brush it off, minorities are lesser people and need to be coddled." ds -- Ummmm maybe because it's insane to try to compare the institutionalized racism blacks face every single day from the "comments about a white person" you refer to. I'm sorry, but no one in America feels bad because you're white, and whatever sort of prejudice you may deal with is NOTHING compared to what minorities face regularly ALL THE TIME. http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/prem/199311/reverse-racism

mihow

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:49:43 -0500

I agree, his comments were out of line, but he did not strip them of their moment; the media did that.

Lauren

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:42:30 -0500

to me, what makes what Imus said so much worse than what you hear out of rappers like Snoop Dogg is that his comments were made specifically about a particular group of young women: the Rutgers women's basketball team. I suppose it would be easier for me to ignore what he said if he hadn't been specifically knocking a group of young kids whose crime was being born looking a particular way and playing basketball well enough to beat the likes of Duke, UConn and LSU to earn a spot in the national championship game in the NCAA women's basketball tournament. he basically ignored all of their accomplishments and chose to knock them simply based on his ass-backward feelings and beliefs about African-American women. he wasn't being a general racist or sexist pig, he pointedly singled out a particular group of women and chose to make derogatory comments about them for no other reason than he thought he was funny and clever. being hurtful like he was is never funny, and that's why I, for one, am so upset about this whole mess. but I ramble...

Irritated

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:30:49 -0500

'Another player, Heather Zurich, said, "All of our accomplishments were lost. Our moment was taken away. We were stripped of this moment by the degrading comments made by Mr. Imus."' You got called a name, hon. Get over it.

retitled guppie

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:14:35 -0500

White folks is craz, sho'nuff.

jmchez

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 12:49:47 -0500

In the meantime the View and Odonnel's hateful views are still being sponsored by advertisers.

LR

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 12:40:59 -0500

The Rev Al has not merely "stated" offensive comments during the past twenty-five years - he has lied, falsely accussed and used the very people he professes to defend in the name of racial equality and justice - but he held no office or official position from which to be removed. He just got quiet. Not apologetic much less embarassed. I agree that at some point a line must be drawn - but also the appropriate punishment in the context for the offense.

Murray Hillster

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 12:18:19 -0500

Every Gothamist comment thread about this topic has the same tired old comments that boil down to, "why doesn't Al Sharpton/Jesse Jackson/etc. apologize for [X, Y, Z]." Check out www.google.com. There, you will find the answer to such things as Jesse Jackson's apology for his "hymietown" comment: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/frenzy/jackson.htm "Finally, Jackson doused the fires in late February with an emotional speech admitting guilt and seeking atonement before national Jewish leaders in a Manchester, New Hampshire synagogue." Or, you might be able to find the enormous number of times that Sharpton has attacked violence in rap music. Try this query, and go nuts: "sharpton rap music violence" In any case, the prerequisite for condemning racist remarks is not to eradicate racism. Lowering the bar and saying nobody should be punished until we all jump in our time machines and go after every instance of offensive language is idiotic. At some point, you have to draw the line and say, enough is enough. Moreover, just because Al Sharpton is no saint, doesn't mean Imus gets off. Because Sharpton said offensive shit, does that mean that it is now impossible to be offensive? Of course not. Regarding Angry Asian's comment on who listens to Imus: "Mr. Imus is one of the most popular radio hosts in the country, with millions of daily listeners on more than 70 stations around the country. The television simulcast of his show on MSNBC is surging in the ratings — “Imus in the Morning,” which the network simulcasts with the New York radio station WFAN, gained 100,000 viewers in the last year, for an average daily total of 358,000, according to Nielsen estimates." www.nytimes.com/2007/04/07/arts/television/07imus.html

ds

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 12:15:45 -0500

>All people (not just comedians or talk show hosts) >lose their "license" (i.e. credibility) to say >things when enough people decide that they have >crossed the line of what they are free to consider >acceptable behavior. Why have we NEVER seen a public figure punished for "crossing the line" with comments about a white person? Talk about a double standard. I submit that this double standard is in itself racist. It is sending a message that while white males have a thick skin and should just brush it off, minorities are lesser people and need to be coddled.

ds

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 12:13:02 -0500

ian

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 12:06:29 -0500

DS: the question is whether anyone should be free to say whatever they want with impunity. I'm not talking about government regulation, but societal norms. Granted, the punishment does not come down equally on everyone, but that is not an excuse to punish no one. All people (not just comedians or talk show hosts) lose their "license" (i.e. credibility) to say things when enough people decide that they have crossed the line of what they are free to consider acceptable behavior. Imus is facing the music because his comments are being heard outside the echo chamber of his audience; his comeuppance is long overdue.

Trinity

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 12:03:27 -0500

I have a dream that one day I will never see or hear the names 'Al Sharpton' or 'Jesse Jackson' again. These two do not hold a magic wand over black people. They don't even hold jobs. The media keeps them alive. Black people know hustlers when they see one. What bothers me the most about Imus' statement is that I've had to look at those two sprout crap all week. My remote finger is worn out from switching so much when they appear! They are not leaders and black people do not share a single brain. I'm torn between Obama and Guiliani, but I know the election is a long way away and in the end I might end up voting for Ross Perot. Hehe!

ian

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 12:00:05 -0500

DS: the question is whether they should be free to say these things with impunity. Granted, the punishment does not come down equally on everyone, but that is not an excuse to punish no one. All people (not just comedians or talk show hosts) lose their "license" (i.e. credibility) to say things when enough people decide that they have crossed the line of what they are free to consider acceptable behavior. Imus is facing the music because his comments are being heard outside the echo chamber of his audience; his comeuppance is long overdue

just last week

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:52:14 -0500

Al Sharpton did comment on the behavior of Rap artists, as recently as last week. And, Chappelle had no new shows on Comedy Central for over a year or more. Unless you're one of the lucky few to see him in a stand up show. Mooney and Mencia, I would love to see them go. by the way, sarah silverman's show is cancelled.

LR

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:52:14 -0500

Not to condone per se what Imus has said - but in the context of this ilk of morning talk radio that has been going on for decades, what does anyone really expect from that arena? However, from political figures such as Reverend Sharpton and Jesse Jackson I do not recall apologies or equivalent "firings" for their "mistakes" like Tawana Brawley or "Hymietown" - except that they had their embarrassing moment, and eventually everyone moved on.

Tim N.

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:50:44 -0500

Jen is on to something here... As with Michael Richards, the biggest sin Imus committed was that he wasn't funny. Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, Dave Chapelle, George Carlin, Chris Rock... what they did/do was take an uncomfortable but universal truth and make a laugh out of it... one that we can all laugh along with because we recognize something of our own in what they are saying. And then the kicker is that the comedy makes it okay to laugh about it and takes the sting out. This was just stupid name-calling that served no other purpose. Having said that, I've been listening to Imus since I was in sixth grade (1975, for those of you keeping score at home) and I can tell you two things... at a time when I knew maybe five people who were of a race other than mine, I heard Imus say that New York City was more segregated than Selma, Alabama. And while I was outraged, it also made me think and look further and realize that segregation didn't just live below the Mason-Dixon line. I also don't think I would ever have known that Eldridge Cleaver ever wrote a book (and a good one) if I relied on just the people around me. Now both of those were a long time ago, and they don't balance out what happened. No argument. But Imus isn't Rush Limbaugh or Michael Savage or any of their ilk. In fact, it's because his audience is a little more literate than the right-wingnut rabble that he found himself (rightly) in trouble. The suspension was appropriate. Let's see what happens from there.

Trinity

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:47:52 -0500

As a black female viewer of the Don Imus show, I've heard him (especially Bernard) say deplorable things about different groups, religions, and certain public figures. I was taken aback at the viciousness of the exchange between him and Bernard, but I wasn't really surprised. What hurt most is that a small group of thugs who make a lot of money for record corporations by slinging s*** in the guise of 'music' has penetrated our society to the point where 67 year old men feel free to use words that shouldn't even be spoken in Hell. Please don't assume all black men refer to black women in that manner, and don't assume all black people support rap music. We don't and there are many organizations and movements against this musical assault. The truth is, white people buy more rap than black folks. Instead of boycotting Imus, lets boycott the record labels that bankroll these idiots. And please let Snoop do some jail time.

ds

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:43:50 -0500

Dave Chapelle and Chris Rock don't use politics in their act? Opie and Anthony, Stern and essentially every other morning "shock jock" show aren't completely comprised of comedians? At what point does a comedian (or any other performer) have enough political content and "influence" that they no longer have license to use "racial" content?

matukonyc

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:42:17 -0500

Take the ethnic insult out of the equation for the moment. These are children, practically, and Imus called them whores. How would any 19 year-old or any grown woman at all react to being called a whore by some asshole with a national platform? How would any man react to hearing Imus call his 19 year-old daughter a "whore?"

sarah_silverman

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:40:51 -0500

when sharpton steps up and criticizes every rapper and their lyrics, he can shout all he wants about imus' stupidity. this has become a ridiculous story, and it's getting worse.

akrnyc

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:38:52 -0500

Good point, Jen. And Don Imus has a history of making horrible statements on the radio (though not nearly as toxic as Ann Coulter or Rush Limbaugh). And agreed, these girls showed lots of grace and class yesterday. And what's with the disgusting racist/misogynist comments here???

Angry Asian

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:38:23 -0500

Who really listens to Imus? The douchebag needs to get fired.

Jen Chung

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:29:03 -0500

After seeing Imus's appearance on the Today show, I really can't believe his suspension is only two weeks. These young women did nothing to deserve his bilious comments, and I applaud them for coming forward and expressing themselves so eloquently. These aren't women of privilege, they're hardworking scholars and athletes. And I think there's a difference between Imus and comedians who use race in their acts. People tend to pay money to see comics at clubs and theaters or buy their albums; Imus was hired by a corporation and his program is used as a platform to shill products and opinions. Imus's opinion on politics seems to count because he has airtime and captive listeners/viewers, whereas others comedians' opinions aren't broadcast on a daily basis.

ds

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:25:20 -0500

>ian We need to hold comedians on talk radio accountable for "racist" comments? Jesus, I guess Paul Mooney, Dave Chapelle, Carlos Mencia will be out of work shortly.

Peter

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:25:15 -0500

There is so much to this story that is bad, but it was nice to see the actual victims handle things so gracefully. And, while Imus has to bear the brunt of responsibility for what happens on his show, how come we haven't heard an apology from his producer, McGurik? He And, how does Rosenberg still have a job after all the things he has said?

mg

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:19:15 -0500

I love the comments here. Reading them, it's clear that the main audience for this site is yuppy wannabes with a piggy sense of entitlement. These retro racist comments are just a garnish on the steaming pile of self promoting consumerist goo this demographic wallows in.

ts

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:16:23 -0500

Oy vey. What's all the hubbub, Bub? This is all a wacky misunderstanding. From Dictionary.com: Nappy Headed Hose - a flexible tube for conveying a liquid, as water, to a desired point, with "Nappy" (tm) technology which fashions the head of the hose to a device enabling it to shut off periodically, or "nap."

whatever

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:07:12 -0500

more like weave headed ho's. or horse-hair headed ho's. or just plain mannish. look at that one in the middle, i wish she was looking up so i could see her adams apple.

ian

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:02:24 -0500

the coverage of this one incident might be overblown, because this kind of thing happens on morning radio (and not just talk radio) on a daily basis... however, it's about time that someone be held accountable, that an example be made, so that the next guy might think twice...

all was well and quiet

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:00:23 -0500

I thought all was going well until the player intros. I believe one actually said "I be Epiphany.." That and can I see pics of the coach when she was a cheerleader?

hr

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 10:51:35 -0500

this is getting tired, it's so over. Anybody with a soapbox has spoken, everyone is getting their turn. Nothing to see here, move along.

me

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 10:51:00 -0500

"At first we thought to let it slide, but when we read the transcript, we decided it was unacceptable." or "At first we thought to let it slide, but when we saw all the attention the story was getting, we decided that we needed to get on the front page of the ny times and cnn.com."