Imus controversy

[ccecill 52]

I'm sure all of you've heard about this.

the video.

So, think it was racist? Should he be fired?

[Title edited] Marc

[hamsterTK 93]

That guy is a lawsuit magnet

[Duke87 1,070]

Racist? How? I think you meant sexist.

Now, whether or not he keeps his job is up to his employers. They can fire him for that if they so wish. That's not the issue. The issue is the whole "is he allowed to say that on the air" thing.

Frankly, I think it's stupid for the FCC or any other entity to decide what someone can and can't say. Freedom of speech, anyone? 1st amendment? I fail to see how the fact that your voice and/or image is being broadcast changes that.

Now, I'm not at all offended by what he said... you just can't offend me by anything you can say. I always take the "sticks and stones" attitude. Say what you want, no matter how vulgar, racist, sexist, etc. it never bothers me because it's just words. Words are harmless.

[Micah 16]

It's digusting that someone would say this on television. And what makes it worse is that I hear this word everyday. I love freedom of speech, but I also love capitalism... and that's why I think he won't be on the air much longer (boycott? Not sure).

[hawkpride147 1]

it was a dumb joke. a stupid move. he needs to apologize to the girls and everyone needs to get over it. jokes in bad taste are made every day at people's expense. so just apologize (sincerely mind you. there is nothing worse than an insincere apology) and lets all just get over it.

[Joesocwork 4]

It came across to me as racist, sexist, and ignorant. Locally we have a "shock jock" named The Greaseman who has a history of making racist wisecracks. He'd get fired, do the "repentance circuit" and come back in a different venue but he still kept an audience (not me). Yeah, say "I'm sorry" in front of Al Sharpton and take a few phone calls fr angry callers and cleanse your soul. What- evvvver.

[Poetic 0]

I don't think Imus is a racist, or sexist. I simply think he is a jerk. A shockjock. I have seen his show on and off and can say those comments aren't really anything new. It's obvious he's joking when he says them - he is always saying stupid crap like that, this time it was just seen by the wrong people.

I remember clearly that, almost every day, he calls (or called... haven't seen his show in about 4 months) his sports anouncer "fat ass." Because his sports announcer is overweight... Imus is like a child. He always spends a good 10% of the show giving news and the other 90% with him and two other guys (sometimes more) talking crap about people. It reminds me of my high school cafeteria table... just a couple of guys sitting there ragging about everyone (while I sit there pretending to listen).

If he is fired then it should be because of that fact - he's a jerk and acts like a kid. He'll make fun of you because of your height, skin, weight, face, job, you name it. He isn't racist, but an ass.

[crazyyaya 4]

I personally don't think he should be fired, if he was fired his long carrer would end ubruptly, however he defintely needs to be punished, more than a 2 week suspnesion, maybe a cut in pay, one two or three months supsension.

Alot of carrers are killed by bad comments like this

[ccecill 52]

Originally posted by: hawkpride147 it was a dumb joke. a stupid move. he needs to apologize to the girls and everyone needs to get over it. jokes in bad taste are made every day at people's expense. so just apologize (sincerely mind you. there is nothing worse than an insincere apology) and lets all just get over it.quote>

I'm with ya. If Mo'nique or Chappelle had a said that, we'd be laughing.

[Frankie_Grove 32]

sticks & stones...

[Dark_Jedi06 13]

The man is a shock jock and a comedian. While I did not find the joke particularly funny, I still believe it was just that; a joke. Imus has apologized and even agreed to meet with the players, which I believe is happening next week. I don't see this as a racial comment, and if anything it is a sexist one. Regardless, it annoys me that Al Sharpton and Reggie Jackson are using this to push the race issue, considering they have made many racial slurs in the past; usually aimed at Jews. They remain on the public stage while Imus will be losing his job; who are they to judge? Why don't they go after problems that actually plague the black community in America, instead of the poor jokes of a radio shock jock...

[Mikeaut1 261]

I think in all honesty, this story is erupting to be something it shouldn't. Imus said something that was vulgar, and disgusting over the air. And it really hurt a large group of people. But he has apologized and he promised it would never happen again. But these Rutgers girls and others involved aren't giving up, and now they want to fire the guy over one comment. I'm not sympathizing with Imus, I'm just saying that he already said sorry, yet the people hurt seem not to be getting over it as easily as we thought. I think its a little extreme to go to Rockefeller Center and demand Imus be fired. I don't think the thing he said was so extreme that his job should cost him. But that's just my opinion. I think this whole thing could've been avoided or at least erupted into a large-scale problem if Imus didn't say what he did, and the Rutgers girls didn't make it what it is now.

[Micah 16]

Well, well, well. Looks like a boycott wasn't needed after all: 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17999196/?GT1=9246

[MsD 0]

What I don't understand is this - I have heard colored comedians, as well a people on the street, use the same term along with other types of remarks which would be considered racist remarks. If it is not a proper thing to be said then no one should say it, no matter what color you are.

[hawkpride147 1]

the rutgers girls aren't even the ones making a big deal of this...it's a sharpton and jesse jackson. a local radio guy from my area (he has a national show from 10am-noon CDT) named mark davis said this: it was a joke. clearly in bad taste, very inappropriate, and very stupid. but we all say stupid things. the girls are just sitting there. they aren't the ones making this a big deal. they are dealing with it in a mature way. they know it was stupid. they know imus is an idiot and a shock jock. they are choosing not to do anything.

he is right. have the girls said anything? no. who has? everyone else. let's learn from the girls.

[Barbarossa 51]

I think this is just another worthless story that shouldn't have even made it to the news. Who really cares? Only people who are too insensitive to get on well in the real world. I don't think his comments were racist in the least. Nappy hair is a description of some hair types. Since when was nappy not legal over radio? And we all know what H* means. Hardly racist. Sexist, yes, racist, no. I hear more sexist comments watching television all the time (both male and female). Where is the FCC for those? You won't find it, because it is popular programming.

On a side note, like Duke87 said, whatever happened to Free Speech? If you don't like it, don't listen. Protest, grumble, single them out, but people really need to stop these idiotic, retaliatory attitudes of trying to get people fired for expressing (even deep-seated) beliefs. At least 90% of popular commentator comments could be construed as nasty in one way or another.

Anyway, bunk, bunk, bunk.

Barbarossa

[Joesocwork 4]

Wow, did the media ever latch on to this all week!    Even though I'm highly annoyed by the air play it's been getting I'm also finding it fascinating that it has enough twists and turns and nuances that it's sort of become a mirror that reflects whatever the individuals and groups see out of it.  

As for me I'm really appalled by what I'm hearing that Don Imus and Al Sharpton and other parties have actually done and said over their careers.  I hope this incident raises the public discourse about what is publicly appropriate and respectful in language.

[schooner2 2]

Well, it turns out this is a political witch hunt. Newsmax and a few other blog sites are reporting that Hillary Clinton went after Imus because he refused to have her appear on his show and called her "satan incarnate". So, this is an example of what happens to anyone who has the guts to stand up to Hillary and say "no" to her political aspirations.

[haropro 0]

I hate to say it, but the blacks have to just get over themselves and realize that if one of them would say something like this about a white person there would be no problem. I'm sick of them trying to use the racist excuse every time a dumb thing is said about them. So what, something stupid was said now get over it. I love how freedom of speech just went down the tubes.

[sedimenjerry 1]

I think it was just a bad joke, he meant no harm by it but still he shouldn't of said it. Theres a saying, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything." Imus could have used that advice. Racist comment? Maybe. Sexist? More than racist. A lot of people have nappy hair. But the ho's part is bad. I just wish that every politician who wants some form of office to hold wouldn't join in the scandal for the coverage.

[hawkpride147 1]

according to al sharpton and jesse jackson, we would all prolly be declared racist and sexist for thinking that this whole thing i stupid. like ccecill said, what if chapelle had said this? carlos mencia? mo'nique? thats what i thought...nothing. white males in this country have fewer rights than anyone...sad that sharpton and jackson fight for "equality" and to get rid of racism but what they really want is for some other group to have no rights.

this is the reason i hate political correctness. i dont mean to offend you with anything i say...im not trying to offend you...if you get offended, you're too sensitive, i'll apologize for hurting your feelings, but not for saying what i said. i never apologize for my words for this reason: no matter what you say, (especially if your words have the ability to go worldwide, which isnt hard in this age) someone, somewhere will be offended. harsh but true. someone will prolly get offended by this post. im sorry i offended you but im not sorry for speaking my mind.

all that said i would never say crap like imus said...thats just dumb.

[Simfan34 11]

This is just rediculous. If it had been directed at at white male, no one would have cared. As an African American, if we want to be seen as equals, we must act like equals. Why do we let rappers do much worse things, and get away with it? THEY infulence people, they will make people do drugs and crime. No one is going to start calling people nappy-headed hoes after this. If a black person had said the same of a white, no one would have CARED. The media is spending too much attention, how many people know that there is a diplomatic team in N. Korea right now? I had to go to BBC World to see that.

[Meg 368]

Originally posted by: Simfan34 

Why do we let rappers do much worse things, and get away with it? quote>

 

An excellent question.

There is a difference between a rapper saying those things and a whatever-role-Imus-was-playing-during-the-game saying it.  

but why do some people consider it okay for rappers to say it?

[Simfan34 11]

dunno. The comparison was relatvive.

[Goldfish4209 9]

So why was he fired? As people have already said, what happened to free speech? And get over it. People insult you, ok. Go to sleep, wake up, and think about breakfast, not yesterday's insult from the radio. Firing him is going way overboard.

[baystatebill 2]

Let me start off by saying that I have always understood and respected an employers rights to hire who they want and to end an employment as they see fit. With that said I don't believe that Don Imus should of been fired. The management at CBS Radio, NBC-Universal and the sponsors who pulled their advertisment are the biggest hippocrits in the world. Don Imus was the original shock jock. Howard Stern, Opie and Anthony, all the controversal radio hosts have followed in Imus' footsteps. For the last 40 years Imus has followed the same schtick, attracting millions of listeners, that attracted the likes of CBS and NBC and major corporations like Proctor and Gamble, Staples, GM. The networks easily made hundreds of millions of dollars over the years, it's impossible to say how much money the corporations made from advertisments over the years based on the same shocking comedy that was displayed last week. I find it repulsive how they took advantage of Imus' popularity and as soon as he gets in trouble, for saying an absolutely stupid thing, they dump him for the same behavior that they encouraged for years. I also would like to call out all of his regular guests who used Imus and his mass of listeners to promote political campaigns, sell books, promote their news broadcasts and other show who then dropped him like a sack of potatoes. Everyone knows what Imus is all about, whether you think is good or bad, and people like ABC's Jeff Greenfield, who after appearing on Imus' show regularly for over 10 years and had the stones to go on TV and say he didn't realize what Imus really was.

[hamsterTK 93]

Well, since he was basically an employee they had the right to fire him

As long the government does not step in and do anything than things are normal.

[baystatebill 2]

This type of thing is not something the FCC has an interest in. The government has and will not get involved.

[Joesocwork 4]

The issue isn't freedom of speech since the government wasn't involved in censuring him.  Don Imus said something horrible in a public venue.  People had the right to say it was horrible and the providers of the venue had right to no longer offer him their medium.    

Meanwhile I would also hope that people don't consider themselves to be in the authority to tell other people that can't  be allowed to be offended by what they are offended by.   If there is a positive to this (again fr my perspective in this mirror) it would be that it is giving society an open chance to see and openly debate about what is considered to be publicly offensive, perhaps if we're fortunate, by anybody.

[purpledaddy 6]

So help me out (I've been playing the Sims instead of paying attention the news, especially the fun gossipy kind), was the Don Imus ruled to be or not ruled be the father to Nicole Simpson's, I mean Anna Nicole's baby?