Much Ado About Imus ?

[lizbud]

I don't listen to his radio show & only know what I've read so far. I think
he was grossly out of line for his comments & should definately apologize
to the women players, but........ Why hasn't Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson,
et al, spoken out as loudly against Rap music's denigration of women, black
women included? Where's the fury about that?

What do you think about it?


http://www.theindychannel.com/entertainment/11609420/detail.html

[sparks19]

Well.... from articles I have read... it seems he was making fun of what those girls had said themselves. Since when is "Nappy headed ho's" racist? i'm confused. But if it was something they had said about themselves and he was making a joke about that.... why does it have to be turned into a racial issue. To me... that sentence is NOT racist and should not be made into a race issue. Would it have been as offensive if he had been talking about a group of white women? I bet not.

Of course I am also of the frame of mind that if it is socially acceptable for rappers and comedians to call white people crackers.... it should not be brought down on the "white man" for saying things in return. Racism is NOT only committed by white people and that seems to be a very common misconception by too many. Of course... every race and religion has it's fair share of a$$hats but I think this has been blown WAAAAAAAAAAY out of proportion.

I also liked the part about possibly not accepting the apology..... what does THAT accomplish? They are just going to be angry for the rest of their lives? Accept the apology and move on with life.

[Prairie Purrs]

Well, in fact, Al Sharpton has been speaking out against sexism and violence in rap music for quite some time. Those statements just don't get the same amount of media attention.

Here's an example from 2003, when Sharpton announced that he was running for President:

"With his lightning wit, take-no-prisoners speaking style, and message that African-Americans need to distance themselves from the menacing image of rap music stars, he could become the Democrats' version of Sen John McCain of Arizona - with a stand-up comedian's touch."

* * *

"At the same time, he seemed to be telling fellow African-Americans to take a hard look at themselves, too. 'We got to correct the misnomer,' Sharpton said, 'that there is something hip and black about being down, about acting like a thug, about acting like a hood, about calling women whores.'"

Sharpton's shock waves just beginning (http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkyNjMmZmdi ZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTYzMzEzNzUmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZU VFeXk5)

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Well.... from articles I have read... it seems he was making fun of what those girls had said themselves. Since when is "Nappy headed ho's" racist? i'm confused. .
Nappy headed is a term that used to be used to refer to African Americans because of their hair. I don't know where he got the "ho's" from.

One of the reasons I stopped watching the View (even before Rosie's big mouth was on it) was because they called themselves "bi..hes" a lot!
Lots of people have no respect for themselves so, of course have none for anyone else.

This isn't the first rant Imus has done. I was channel surfing one day and he was really going off on one of the over weight men on his show.
There is just NO EXCUSE for name calling.
What are we, are country of 3 year olds? :eek: :rolleyes:

[sparks19]

Nappy headed is a term that used to be used to refer to African Americans because of their hair. I don't know where he got the "ho's" from.

One of the reasons I stopped watching the View (even before Rosie's big mouth was on it) was because they called themselves "bi..hes" a lot!
Lots of people have no respect for themselves so, of course have none for anyone else.

This isn't the first rant Imus has done. I was channel surfing one day and he was really going off on one of the over weight men on his show.
There is just NO EXCUSE for name calling.
What are we, are country of 3 year olds? :eek: :rolleyes:


I have also heard nappy headed as a term to refer to anyone with wacky hair.... or a bad hair cut.

[joycenalex]

for don imus to make fun of public figures is one thing. for him to make cruel jokes at the expense of 18, 19, 20 ,21 year olds who have done an extraordinary thing is just wrong. these women are college students, and private citizens not politicans or newsmakers. their evident toughness, skills and grace under intense pressure was an amazing thing, and for him to damage their moment in the sun for a tacky joke is shameful. these women are doing what society asks, achieving academic and athletic skills to a very high degree, and yet, for don imus, that isn't enough. they look scary to him, so he needs to cut down their sucess. he did wrong and it's a shameful thing in my opinion

[lizbud]

Well.... from articles I have read... it seems he was making fun of what those girls had said themselves. Since when is "Nappy headed ho's" racist? i'm confused. But if it was something they had said about themselves and he was making a joke about that.... why does it have to be turned into a racial issue.

I would sure want to see that aritcle you mentioned about making a joke
about themselves. Please provide a link to support that.

Also, I've never heard or read the words "nappy headed" used in any context
except for a black people's hair in it's natural state. (not processed or relaxed at all).


Thanks CatsinDenver for pointing out Sharpton's comments. You are
probably right about these comments not making big news with the Media.

[sparks19]

I would sure want to see that aritcle you mentioned about making a joke
about themselves. Please provide a link to support that.

Also, I've never heard or read the words "nappy headed" used in any context
except for a black people's hair in it's natural state. (not processed or relaxed at all).


Thanks CatsinDenver for pointing out Sharpton's comments. You are
probably right about these comments not making big news with the Media.


well.... if you have never heard nappy headed used in any other way then i must be wrong right?

I have heard the word nappy used in many different ways by many different people.... although I don't hear many white people use that term because... well we just sound silly when we try to talk like that lol but I have heard it used in reference to white people... black people.... oriental people... whatever.... anytime they had a bad hair do... or just frizzy hair in general. I often have "nappy" hair and have been told so in the past by a friend in high school lol and I am the whitest woman on earth but I have frizzy hair at times. It also means diaper :D

As for links.... I don't feel like searching.... I don't even know where to look and I am not sifting through pages and pages to find news from days ago. This is only what I saw the first day this came out a few days ago. I just don't have the energy or determination to do the searching.... so we will just say I am wrong. I don't care enough about this story to do the leg work lol to be perfectly honest. I just think this is a story blown way out of proportion and getting more press than it really deserves. He said he would apologize.... they don't want to accept his apology... end of story. Not newsworthy for an entire week :D

[Karen]

Their issue, Sparks, was not that they didn't want to accept his apology, but that initailly, he DIDN'T apologize, or explain, or say anything other than he shouldn't have said it on air.

Not that he shouldn't have called them prostitutes (ho being "short" for whore) because they were women, or black women, or scary because they are black women ... and commenting that 'they have tattoos" as being scary - has he checked with any other college students of any race and gender lately to see how common tattoos are these days?

Lizbud didn't say you were "wrong" - don't be so quick to take offense. She said "I've never heard or read the words "nappy headed" used in any context except for a black people's hair in it's natural state. (not processed or relaxed at all). " You and she live in different areas and are of different ages and backgrounds - so have likely heard different things than each other, right?

It's not a term I ever heard growing up, but I have heard it more in the years I've lived close to a big city, Boston.

[Marigold2]

He said nothing worst then rappers say in their songs. It's not what he said I believe it's where he said it. Black rappers call woman ho's all the time, talk about how they want to rape, murder, strangle, beat, gang bang their ho's. You can't have it both ways. If black rap singers would show respect for their wives, girlfriends etc... Other people would as well. Young black woman deserve respect and kindness. They need to stop buying records from artists who depict them as nothing but a sexual tool. Respect comes from within. I would never refer to a black woman as a ho and I would certainly not take it from one either.
What Don Imus did was wrong, but it he said it to a beat with a heavy base he would probably have a hit single on his hands now.

[Daisy and Delilah]

He said nothing worst then rappers say in their songs. It's not what he said I believe it's where he said it. Black rappers call woman ho's all the time, talk about how they want to rape, murder, strangle, beat, gang bang their ho's. You can't have it both ways. If black rap singers would show respect for their wives, girlfriends etc... Other people would as well. Young black woman deserve respect and kindness. They need to stop buying records from artists who depict them as nothing but a sexual tool. Respect comes from within. I would never refer to a black woman as a ho and I would certainly not take it from one either.
What Don Imus did was wrong, but it he said it to a beat with a heavy base he would probably have a hit single on his hands now.

Well said. I don't agree with what Imus did and don't support it. However, there is such a double standard going on here, as stated above. Is it okay for black people to refer to each other this way but white people are strongly criticized for it?

I think we need to ask Bill Cosby what he thinks about it.

[Marigold2]

I used to have so much respect for Bill but the last couple of years he has been accused of drugging woman and then having sex with them. A sad finish to a brillant career and a great man in other ways.

[Lobodeb]

He said nothing worst then rappers say in their songs. It's not what he said I believe it's where he said it. Black rappers call woman ho's all the time, talk about how they want to rape, murder, strangle, beat, gang bang their ho's. You can't have it both ways. If black rap singers would show respect for their wives, girlfriends etc... Other people would as well. Young black woman deserve respect and kindness. They need to stop buying records from artists who depict them as nothing but a sexual tool. Respect comes from within. I would never refer to a black woman as a ho and I would certainly not take it from one either.
What Don Imus did was wrong, but it he said it to a beat with a heavy base he would probably have a hit single on his hands now.
Unfortunately, that is one of the this country's double standards. It's ok for rappers to say nigga, bitch, ho, etc., but if someone who isn't Black says it, it's considered racial slurs. Thank God I was brought up to never use those words.

Using the "N" word doesn't have the same connotation as if someone of non White decent were to call a White person a "cracker." The "N" word just has so much more negative association with it. There's just no comparison. And I don't speak of the "N" word as rappers use it. I mean the full out "N" bomb.

I personally think his comments were way out of line. And not just this time. He has that shock jock, Howard Sternish air about him and he's said stuff like this in the past. It just goes to show that there is still so much racism in this country. It makes me sick.

What bugs me the most is that MSNBC has just now announced that they are pulling his show. Not because of the things he has said in the past, but because major companies are threatening to pull their endorsements of his show. Sounds like they're doing it for the wrong reason if you ask me.

Edited for spelling.

[Daisy and Delilah]

Deb, several major companies have already pulled their endorsements. I was reading it on CNN earlier.

Marigold: I was remembering the profound statements Bill Cosby made to the black youth of America a few years ago. Telling them to stop making excuses and get out and make something of themselves. It is true that accusations have come across about him since then :( I can't remember the exact stories and the outcome.

[Pam]

I have never watched or heard Imus before. One night years ago I tuned in Larry King and he was filling in for him. I changed the channel. I find so many people on TV, and on the radio, insulting that to me it seemed like just another jerk shooting off his mouth. I personally just don't watch or listen to them. (Side note: I have no idea why people find Howard Stern appealing. :rolleyes: )

I am more offended by the fact that he called them *Ho's* (sp?) That reflects on someone's character. Whether or not they were nappyheaded, though it was a statement meant to inflame, doesn't bother me at all. I think it is a women's issue more than a racial issue. JMHO How about Big Mouth Rosie O'Donnell making comments about The Donald's hair? That all quickly went by the wayside. I feel that if a big thing is made out of something it extends the life of the event. This event with Imus is getting way too much attention. People like him and others who just want to inflame and incite will always have their listeners. We all have a button we can use to turn them off. That's what I would do. Though my hubby thought it a nasty thing to say, his first comment was "what happened to free speech?"

[Puckstop31]

Isn't "Political Correctness" fun?

Yes, Imus is a doofus for saying what he said, he should certainly know better than that. Further, he was REALLY dumb for going on Sharpton's show. Talk about going into the Lion's den. I wonder what he hoped to accomplish there?

But, (there always is one, eh?) come on people.... Is this really that big a deal? I can only imagine the smile that went across Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson's face when they heard this. Another opportunity to get their face's in front of a camera and scream bloody murder. People of color, can't you see that people like them only keep you "down"? They KEEP the color of our skin a issue because it benefits them. Can anybody else see the insanity of that?

As for the term "Nappy" and/or "Nappy Headed"... In the Army, in the field, you hear those terms 50 times a day, across races. Why? Because after a week of fun in the sun with no showers you were, well, NAPPY. LOL (Short, but unshaven heads...sweat, dirt, wearing a helmet 20 hours a day....)

Does anybody else find it strange that a group of people can claim ownership of the use of certain words?

[sparks19]

I have never watched or heard Imus before. One night years ago I tuned in Larry King and he was filling in for him. I changed the channel. I find so many people on TV, and on the radio, insulting that to me it seemed like just another jerk shooting off his mouth. I personally just don't watch or listen to them. (Side note: I have no idea why people find Howard Stern appealing. :rolleyes: )

I am more offended by the fact that he called them *Ho's* (sp?) That reflects on someone's character. Whether or not they were nappyheaded, though it was a statement meant to inflame, doesn't bother me at all. I think it is a women's issue more than a racial issue. JMHO How about Big Mouth Rosie O'Donnell making comments about The Donald's hair? That all quickly went by the wayside. I feel that if a big thing is made out of something it extends the life of the event. This event with Imus is getting way too much attention. People like him and others who just want to inflame and incite will always have their listeners. We all have a button we can use to turn them off. That's what I would do. Though my hubby thought it a nasty thing to say, his first comment was "what happened to free speech?"

Are you reading my mind? gEt out of there.... you never know what you might find lol. Seriously though I was just going to say the same thing.... the only thing that gave his words any power was the publicity it got. If they ahd just ignored it and let it fall by the wayside it wouldn't have been a big deal. people just want to complain these days and that is what this story is really all about. Sure he said some things that maybe he shouldn't have..... but I think we have all said some things that we later thought "DOH I shouldn't have said that" but it didn't become the top news story for a week. The press gave his words power.... otherwise it would have amounted to nothing.

[Freedom]

I have never liked Imus. I think the standards for the air waves need to be higher, and that he is one of many who push the standard lower and lower.

As for this particular event? To me, it is just more Imus. Glad this one finally did get him off TV.

[lvpets2002]

:) Thank you Freedom.. Took the words out of my mouth.. I never liked him & didnt even know his name until now..
I have never liked Imus. I think the standards for the air waves need to be higher, and that he is one of many who push the standard lower and lower.

As for this particular event? To me, it is just more Imus. Glad this one finally did get him off TV.

[Puckstop31]

:) Thank you Freedom.. Took the words out of my mouth.. I never liked him & didnt even know his name until now..

Not to nitpick... But how can you dislike somebody you admittedly don't even know?

[Puckstop31]

Here come the thought police... You had to know this was coming.

Al Sharpton.. "'It is our feeling that this is only the beginning. We must have a broad discussion on what is permitted and not permitted in terms the airwaves..."

R.I.P Freedom of Speech.

[lvpets2002]

:o Because I have tried to watch his show & listen to him many of times.. He made me puck of his comments then & now.. However I never knew his name..
Not to nitpick... But how can you dislike somebody you admittedly don't even know?

[Puckstop31]

:o Because I have tried to watch his show & listen to him many of times.. He made me puck of his comments then & now.. However I never knew his name..

Good Answer... Thank you! LOL

[lvpets2002]

:) At Least Howard Stern would do something weird or way out in left field to keep your attention.. This guy was just like uukk.. :rolleyes:
Good Answer... Thank you! LOL

[sparks19]

:) At Least Howard Stern would do something weird or way out in left field to keep your attention.. This guy was just like uukk.. :rolleyes:


LOL I never really understood the hate on Howard Stern has for American Idol lol. he is DETERMINED to bring that show down hahaha.... isn't it kind of sad that he has such a hate on for a show that is basically mostly geared towards teenagers..... BTW< I do watch AI but I will always be young at heart hahahaha and that is my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Edwina's Secretary]

I I find so many people on TV, and on the radio, insulting that to me it seemed like just another jerk shooting off his mouth. I personally just don't watch or listen to them.



Bill O'Reilly is another of those....insulting, inaccurate...but I agree with you Pam...just turn him off. ;) :D

But...just to clarify "free speech"...that means the government cannot take action against you. It does not mean your employer...or the public (as in not listening) cannot take action. An employee who says bad things about his/her employer or things the employer does not find acceptable...can be fired....just not go to jail.

[Puckstop31]

But...just to clarify "free speech"...that means the government cannot take action against you. It does not mean your employer...or the public (as in not listening) cannot take action. An employee who says bad things about his/her employer or things the employer does not find acceptable...can be fired....just not go to jail.

100% Agree.

My fear with what the Rev. Sharpton said is, well, what exactly does he mean by "...what should be allowed to be said...". How exactly does he propose to regulate such things?

Scary stuff if you ask me. We all should want MORE voices on the airwaves, not less. If what a person says is offensive to you, turn it off OR offer a countering view point.

[lizbud]

What Don Imus did was wrong, but it he said it to a beat with a heavy base he would probably have a hit single on his hands now.


I think this is not only funny, but it's true. It's the double standard that
seems to apply here is upsetting & puzzling.

[Pam]

But...just to clarify "free speech"...that means the government cannot take action against you. It does not mean your employer...or the public (as in not listening) cannot take action. An employee who says bad things about his/her employer or things the employer does not find acceptable...can be fired....just not go to jail.

Agree Sara. (Gosh I am agreeing with you much too often these days. What happened? :p ) In this case, though, I believe that the employer may just be caving into pressure to appear politically correct and to do *the right thing.* Too much of a firestorm has erupted around this hot potato. It is amazing what some can get away with while others cannot. I guess it all depends on just who one is offending.

[Prairie Purrs]

The "double standard" argument doesn't make much sense to me. It seems to come down to "other people behave badly, so it's OK for Imus to behave badly."

The claim that Sharpton and other black leaders don't speak out against rap lyrics that denigrate women and promote violence is a strawman. They have certainly done so.

The fact that other people--whether black, white, or purple--use racist and sexist language does not make what Imus did excusable. If a defendant is accused of murder, he (or she) won't be able to win acquittal by arguing that other people have gotten away with murder, so what's the big deal?

This is someone who attempts to play a role in national political discourse by interviewing political figures on his show. And it's hardly the first time that he's indulged in racist and sexist commentary--in fact, it's his stock in trade. He's free to speak his mind--and his bosses are free to speak theirs by firing him, and I hope they do so.

[joycenalex]

[QUOTE=Puckstop31]
.... Is this really that big a deal?
yes puckstop it is a big deal. for an "entertainer" to insult young women who are doing what society asks of them...to excel at academics and athletics and to call them hos, is a big deal. those young women did nothing to deserve his verbal abuse. he took what was a great week for them and tried to make it a dirty shameful joke by calling up old names. he would have been as wrong as if he had called a group of white, asian or indian women who excel at academics and athletics 'stringy haired whores.' it is just plain wrong. they are not public figures, just ivy league college students who play superior basketball.

[sparks19]

[QUOTE=Puckstop31]
.... Is this really that big a deal?
yes puckstop it is a big deal. for an "entertainer" to insult young women who are doing what society asks of them...to excel at academics and athletics and to call them hos, is a big deal. those young women did nothing to deserve his verbal abuse. he took what was a great week for them and tried to make it a dirty shameful joke by calling up old names. he would have been as wrong as if he had called a group of white, asian or indian women who excel at academics and athletics 'stringy haired whores.' it is just plain wrong. they are not public figures, just ivy league college students who play superior basketball.


and he is really no one special either. Why do people put so much stock into what "celebrities" say? They are paid to entertain... if they want to give out their thoughts on life... they can do so but it sure isn't going to effect my thinking one bit. They are paid to entertain me... they are nothing but circus monkeys they don't get to tell me what to think.

The only thing that made this a big deal and gave his words power was the reaction it got. If no one had paid attention he would have been on his own. Instead it was blown out of proportion and made into a huge deal. The media and the people listening were the ones that gave his words power. If they had just blown it off as "well he is just angry let him have his temper tantrum and dont' pay any attention" it would have been just that... a temper tantrum. He was out to get attention and he got it. No one's words can have power unless you ALLOW them to have power over you. I say he should have just been ignored.... he should have been left alone to stomp off to his room and pout.... but now he is getting tons of publicity because of it....and you know what they say in show business.... bad publicity is still good publicity. If he gets fired.... big deal... he will probably just get rehired somewhere else. after this... he is worth big ratings and companies will eat that up. It's like a trainwreck... you don't want to watch but you just can't help it. that is all this media circus has accomplished.

his words meant nothing until it was MADE into something.

Of course they didn't ask for it or deserve it... and in no way am I saying it is right or OK.... but it should have been ignored. If the school wanted to deal with it they can deal with it.... but giving him this publicity is likely not going to hurt him one bit in the long run. the only thing accomplished is telling the public what they already know about him. I doubt it makes the girls feel any better that this has been made into a huge story... they are now probably being hounded everyday by the press.... if it had just been ignored they could have just moved on and lived their lives without the press trying to contact them at all hours of everyday.

[joycenalex]

Why do people put so much stock into what "celebrities" say? They are paid to entertain... They are paid to entertain me... that made this a big deal and gave his words power was the reaction it got. His words meant nothing until it was MADE into something.
what his words were was a verbal slap at several high achieving young women, who are private citizens. he, as you rightly point out is an entertainer, and his words were 'entertainment' for a hopefully small subset; he chose and used not so subtle code words in describing highly gifted and achieving young women that he found scary. he's still in the wrong, and his last apology should be to those private citizens and their parents

[sparks19]

what his words were was a verbal slap at several high achieving young women, who are private citizens. he, as you rightly point out is an entertainer, and his words were 'entertainment' for a hopefully small subset; he chose and used not so subtle code words in describing highly gifted and achieving young women that he found scary. he's still in the wrong, and his last apology should be to those private citizens and their parents

No argument there. The only thing I am saying is that this whole media circus this has resulted in has probably only made life for those girls even MORE miserable. it's hard to move on and live your life when this is being rubbed in your face everyday and everyone wants a sound bite or an interview from you. I imagine school work gets hard with a contant stream of people who just saw your face on the news and want the scoop. if he is scared or threatened.... let him be threatened. If someone was that intimidated by my accomplishments I would feel good about that to be honest.... sure his words were hurtful but in a case such as this... you have to consider the source ;)

[joycenalex]

sparks! high five! we agree! and i'd really like to be there and invisible when he meets the parents, the b-ball players and vivian stringer (a very capable woman)

[sparks19]

sparks! high five! we agree! and i'd really like to be there and invisible when he meets the parents, the b-ball players and vivian stringer (a very capable woman)


LOL High five indeed. We may have gotten to the same conclusion different ways lol but we both made it to the same point :D

yes it would be interesting to be a fly on the wall. I just hope that it can be a private apology and not turned into a publicity stunt. it won't mean anything if that happens.

[LilacDragon]

Well, this will probably get me kicked out of here but here is my opinion on the whole thing.

Imus has a show on one radio station and had a show on a t.v. station. If you don't like him or what he has to say - change the channel. It worked for me.

And how many radio stations are there that play rap music 24 hours a day with lyrics much more denegrating to women in general and African American women in particular. Then there are the comedians like Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Steve Harvey, Martin Lawrence and others who's names I can't remember. I sure don't see the "Rev" Sharpton standing on his soap box and denouncing them.

So, why is it then when a white man sticks his foot in his mouth, the African American community is "outraged" and calls for him to be fired. I sure haven't heard that kind of "outrage" when some "gangster" rap song sells a million copies.

Sorry - but until the AA community steps up and takes responsiblity for what comes out of their mouth and stops using the whole - "we were brought here against our will as slaves" excuse for everything - then I find it hard to be angry at a white man for speaking before he thinks.

As for the companies that pulled their advertising dollars from Imus's show - I will be taking their double standard approach to things into consideration next time I go looking to buy big ticket items.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Breaking news on CNN - Imus' radio show is cancelled!

After over 40 years on the radio, saying bad and good things, he's through.

I don't agree with what he said, but I'm not sure he should have been fired for it...... :confused:

Anyway, he'll probably just go to satellite radio like Howard Stern. Those who like him will continue to listen, those who don't like him won't. Amazing how much Howard Stern has dropped off the radars of the politically correct sign going satellite......

[sparks19]

Breaking news on CNN - Imus' radio show is cancelled!

After over 40 years on the radio, saying bad and good things, he's through.

I don't agree with what he said, but I'm not sure he should have been fired for it...... :confused:

Anyway, he'll probably just go to satellite radio like Howard Stern. Those who like him will continue to listen, those who don't like him won't. Amazing how much Howard Stern has dropped off the radars of the politically correct sign going satellite......

I kind of agree.... I mean... people have said and done far worse and haven't been fired over it. Like Rosie O' Donnell :D lol she always has something stupid to say and that fued with the Donald was nothing but childish and stupid (on both parts). but her big mouth brings in the ratings so they aren't gonna can her.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Like Rosie O' Donnell :D lol she always has something stupid to say
Not to get change the subject from Imus to Rosie, but since we have time on our hands lately, I've been watching her show in the mornings when we're around and most of what she says is not stupid, but well thought out and right on the mark.....in my opinion of course. ;)

[Karen]

There have been African-American pastors and other leaders protesting the content, violence and misogyny of rap music for a long time. It just doesn't get mainstream press play, sadly.

[Pam]

There have been African-American pastors and other leaders protesting the content, violence and misogyny of rap music for a long time. It just doesn't get mainstream press play, sadly.

Exactly. The media presents what is expedient for their agenda at the time. I am not crying for Imus or anyone else who is intolerant and loses their job. That being the case, though, I could, however, add a few names to those I'd like to see booted off the mainstream airwaves.

Kooks will always have their followers unfortunately, and his followers will follow him.

[lvpets2002]

:) On the Internet just noted CBS has officialy fired him all together with the Radio show too.. You know MSNBC fired him on TV show last night..

[cassiesmom]

[QUOTE=joycenalex]


The only thing that made this a big deal and gave his words power was the reaction it got. If no one had paid attention he would have been on his own. Instead it was blown out of proportion and made into a huge deal. The media and the people listening were the ones that gave his words power.

But, how did that originally get started, how did it come out that people were offended by what he said? He said something inappropriate and it very quickly became huge.

[lizbud]

I happened to read another very interesting opinion on Imus's firing. It's
a little long but makes a good point.


http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/BothSidesAllSides/story?id=3030080&page=1

[finn's mom]

By Jason Whitlock

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.

[lvpets2002]

:o I too was very impressed & agreealbe with Jason Whitlock's interview.. I think he put in the right order.. I totaly agree with what he said & the wording.. Thank you Jason Whitlock..

[wombat2u2004]

By Jason Whitlock

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.

Hmmmmmm....that about says it all...eh ????
Wom

[lizbud]

:o I too was very impressed & agreealbe with Jason Whitlock's interview.. I think he put in the right order.. I totaly agree with what he said & the wording.. Thank you Jason Whitlock..


I saw him express these views last night on CNN. I wrote his name down
to search for more from him. I too, was very impressed by what he had to
say. I was a little irritated that the CNN host didn't give him more air time
but they were playing up the "waiting for news" from the meeting of the
women players & Imus. CNN was camped out with the camera's outside the
building where the meeting took place.

[moosmom]

Don Imus was fired yesterday for his actions by the radio station. Let's see where he pops up next.

[Edwina's Secretary]

I can say, if I had a business and one of my employees, while representing my business, called a group of women "whores" I would fire that person. I would not care if other business allowed employees to call women whores.

And every day employees are fired for using inappropriate language.

Why is this one incident important? Because it has been determined which of the men who were having sex with Anna Nicole Smith were successful in impregnating her. The 24 hour news stations have nothing to talk about....:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[sparks19]

Finn's mom.... Thanks for posting that article. A very interesting read. It brings to mind one of the "teachings" from when I was a kid.... "You can't expect anyone to respect you when you can't even respect yourself" and that is so true. Not saying these girls don't respect themselves... it is more these rappers and comedians and such that complain about racism and not getting the respect they think they deserve. People say that if the words come from your own race it is not racism.... I disagree. Those words are just as damaging if not more so than if it came from someone outside your race. Not saying that racism from anyone is appropriate.... but you can't expect others to turn a blind eye when comedians are constantly making cracks about drug dealing, pimpin out ho's and gang violence.... they are only perpetuating their own stereotype that they claim they are trying to change.

As for Sharpton wanting to regulate what people can say on the radio.... that shouldn't just apply to talk radio.... they need to address ALL of it. LOL when I was younger the radio station I listened to in the car often had "mild" swear words that were not bleeped out.... my mom told me about when she was younger the song "wake up little Susie" was banned from radio play because it inferred that these two people were having premarital relationships and disobedience. Amazing how times change.

Not to change the subject but look at kids movies from when you were a kid and then look at movies like Shrek or Ice Age 2... they say D*mn.... H*ll and have quite a bit of adult humor.... you never would have seen that 20 years ago in a childs movie, now it is the norm.

[sparks19]

Why is this one incident important? Because it has been determined which of the men who were having sex with Anna Nicole Smith were successful in impregnating her. The 24 hour news stations have nothing to talk about....:rolleyes: :rolleyes:


AND.... the father wasn't even the controversial one...

[lvpets2002]

:o Oh you know Donna he will show up on Satilite & prob underground.. :rolleyes:
Don Imus was fired yesterday for his actions by the radio station. Let's see where he pops up next.

[Rachel]

Believe me, I find the kind of attitude and verbage deplorable; however, as periodic but somewhat regular watcher of the IMUS show, I'm disappointed that this resulted in his now being off the air. Why? Because I feel there was in this instance, with this person, an opportunity for redemption and change. This could have been a catalyst for thought provoking dialogue. Don Imus has done a immeasurable amount of good in his advocacy for the veterans and their families and a huge number of charitable causes. We have *thrown out the baby with the bath water*.

Don had a way of interviewing and drawing out politicians and reporters, newmakers and entertainers to get a unique perspective on their thoughts and opinions. His show was more than crass, acerbic and biting wit, it was educational as well. It brought politics *to the masses* so to speak. The prominance and variety of people Don brought to the show time and again speaks to the fact that this show addressed issues worthy of debate and contemplation. Don wasn't afraid to challenge those in high places. Yes, he was cruel at times but he left me with the impression that he *didn't really mean it*. Maybe I was duped, but I don't think so.

Did Don cross the line. Yes. Was that deplorable and worthy of condemnation. Yes. I just believe that a greater good could have come from addressing this issue and the issue of racial/misogynistic attitudes that prevail on many levels by giving him the opportunity to reflect on the gravity and come back with a different perspective and be a conduit for the change this country needs. I really feel Don is redeemable.