Don Imus

[meadowlandsnj]

Don Imus, a well known radio and TV show personality recently made some comments on his morning show on MSNBC.
From The Washngton Post:
As skittish advertisers began to pull out and calls for his resignation reverberated, embattled shock jock Don Imus yesterday continued a campaign of contrition over racially and sexually insensitive remarks he made, even while insisting that he shouldn't lose his national television show and syndicated radio program.

Imus, who last week called the Rutgers University women's basketball players "nappy-headed hos," said on his morning show yesterday that he will seek a meeting with the team. His on-air slur has mushroomed into widespread condemnation, fueled round-the-clock news coverage and resulted in a two-week suspension of his show, carried on MSNBC and CBS Radio. (He also called these girls jigaboos after the other remark) 

Do you you think the punishment is enough?  Is it really teaching him a lesson?  Is this a lesson for all us that racism and sexism is alive and well in 2007?

[George Jung]

In my opinion he has the right to freedom of speech.  As ignorant as it was to to say what he did, nobody is being forced to listen.  This has not been the first time he has voiced offending comments but for some reason this is getting overwhelming attention.  He IS a "shock jock" isn't he?   I agree that those comments were out of line and IF I listened to him in the first place I probably would not anymore if I were so offended.   

Should he be punished?  I think he has punished himself.  Change the channel if you don't like what you see and hear, it is your choice!
Sexism and raceism are nothing like they used to be in the U.S. and I believe that trend will continue with or without Mr. Don Imus on the airwaves.

[MyssAnne]

As much as I do not like Don Imus, I do think freedom of speech is being violated here.
I have heard black ("African-Americans") make derogatory comments about white people
with no repercussions.  If you don't like someone's speech, don't listen to them.

[vandie]

As much as I do not like Don Imus, I do think freedom of speech is being violated here.
I have heard black ("African-Americans") make derogatory comments about white people
with no repercussions.  If you don't like someone's speech, don't listen to them.

Imus can say what he pleases.  However, when you are saying it on a station that has owners who have advertizers and an audience, someone has to be responsible.



 

[George Jung]

Imus can say what he pleases. However, when you are saying it on a station that has owners who have advertizers and an audience, someone has to be responsible.

How do you figure?  Does that mean record labels are responsible for their artists?

[glitter]

Imus can say what he pleases.  However, when you are saying it on a station that has owners who have advertizers and an audience, someone has to be responsible.

I don't need the media to think for me......they try to do enough of that already.

That being said- I think he is a shameless racist. Should he be fired?  maybe.... Does he have the right to say ignorant things?  Yes he does, but he  also has the right to deal with negative repercussions.

[okarol]

If I am not mistaken, Don Imus has called everyone under the sun a ho or an empty suite or any number of other names. No shock there.
Does the apology mean anything? i don't think so. Even the suspension just creates more publicity, which he loves. Business as usual.

[Sluff]

It's just a reminder as to why I don't listen to him or the station he represents.

[Hawkeye]

Not that I condone what was said I think that far worse has been said by other people and it is just laughed at.  If you look at the Rap and Hip-Hop scene you will find those same exact kind remarks in almost each and every song.  I think this is just getting so much press because an old white guy said it.  If it wasn't for Jesse Jackson and other black rights leaders screaming bloody murder about it I think it wouldn't have been blown up as big as it has.  Should he be punished... Yes, but you should also be going after your own people that are using the same terms day in and out as terms of endearment.  I have several black friends and work in a mostly black clinic.  I hear what they call each other all day.  Even with my closest friends I wouldn't be stupid enough to use the same remarks they do with each other because I know it would blow up in my face.  There is a time, place, and audience for everything and that wasn't it in his case.

[glitter]

Hawkeye you make a very good point- if this was said by a black,(and it IS every day) no-one would be saying its racist, because the black community seems to condone saying things like that to EACH OTHER-so is going after this old white guy not in itself a form of racisim? Why is some behavior okay for one group of people but not for everyone?



Let me also say i do not condone ignorant people saying ignorant things- and Imus is an idiot, but so is Sharpton and Jackson

[meadowlandsnj]

In my opinion he has the right to freedom of speech.  As ignorant as it was to to say what he did, nobody is being forced to listen.  This has not been the first time he has voiced offending comments but for some reason this is getting overwhelming attention.  He IS a "shock jock" isn't he?   I agree that those comments were out of line and IF I listened to him in the first place I probably would not anymore if I were so offended.   

Should he be punished?  I think he has punished himself.  Change the channel if you don't like what you see and hear, it is your choice!
Sexism and raceism are nothing like they used to be in the U.S. and I believe that trend will continue with or without Mr. Don Imus on the airwaves.

Yeah, that's basically how I feel.  Imus has said some really ignorant, hateful things over the years.  He's said something about every ethnic and racial group, fat people, people with red hair, Italian people, women, Catholics, ect. That's what he is.  It is controversy and it sells advertising spots.  He picks on people like politicians, gays, public figures, stars.  Whoever hired him knew this.  HE was the original "shock jock" before even Howard Stern was in radio.  If you grew up in the NYC area you grew up listening to Imus in the 70's.  He's like a rash that won't go away but every now and then you have a bad case of it. 
I've heard him say worse.  So why all of a sudden are people up in arms about this particular remark? On a scale of 1-10 it barely rates a 4 in what he's said in the past about other groups and people.  Was it because of a slow news weekend? 

I think he was just spewing which is what he does, that's what he gets paid to do.  Why else would you want to watch a boring radio show on TV???  Who wants to watch a 60 year old man who looks like deaths door who wears a huge cowboy hat? He makes Keith Richards look good!  He has to make outrageous remarks.  Who takes him seriously?? 
And Al Sharpton just jumped on it.  And he himself has made remarks about Jews and white people.  So much hypocrisy and BS!  Very sad.  Why can't we all just get along?   

Donna

[jbeany]

I'm all for everyone's right to free speech.  But what ever happened to plain old manners?  He's a rude old man who is past his expiration date!

[goofynina]

And what happend to that guy from Grey's Anatomy, the African American actor that called the other actor a "Faggot"  He had to go to rehab.   I do not believe how anyone with any common sense or manners can say ANYTHING racist or sexual or derrogatory for that matter.  I also hate how they always use the "Freedom of Speech" to fall back on, no people, that is not what "Freedom of Speech" is for, If you have something intelligent to say that is going to have meaning or a purpose, then by all means, speak up, work that Freedom of Speech, but if your going to sit there and judge people and put people down, then you are just as low as you can possibly can get.  How sad to have a life to where someone has to put someone else down to make themselves feel better.  Well, he better watch his back cuz i am sure some will even consider this a hate crime and retalliate in some way,  just keep your freaken mouths shut!!! just my 

[meadowlandsnj]

Imus just got fired!

NEW YORK (AP) - MSNBC said Wednesday it will drop its simulcast of the "Imus in the Morning" radio program, responding to growing outrage about the radio host's racial slur against the Rutgers women's basketball team.
"This decision comes as a result of an ongoing review process, which initially included the announcement of a suspension. It also takes into account many conversations with our own employees," NBC news said in a statement.

The announcement also was made on air.

Talk-show host Don Imus triggered the uproar on his April 4 show, when he referred to the mostly black Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos." His comments have been widely denounced by civil rights and women's groups.

The decision does not affect Imus' nationally syndicated radio show, and the ultimate decision on the fate of that program will rest with executives at CBS Corp. In a statement, CBS reiterated that Imus will be suspended without pay for two weeks beginning on Monday, and that CBS Radio "will continue to speak with all concerned parties and monitor the situation closely."

MSNBC's action came after a growing list of sponsors—including American Express Co., Staples Inc., Procter & Gamble Co., and General Motors Corp.—said they were pulling ads from Imus' show for the indefinite future.

But it did not end calls for Imus to be fired from the radio portion of his program. The show originates from WFAN-AM in New York City and is syndicated nationally by Westwood One, both of which are managed by CBS Corp.

Bruce Gordon, former head of the NAACP and a director of CBS Corp., said before MSNBC's decision Wednesday he hoped the broadcasting company would "make the smart decision" by firing Imus.

"He's crossed the line, he's violated our community," Gordon said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "He needs to face the consequence of that violation."

Gordon, a longtime telecommunications executive, stepped down in March after 19 months as head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, one of the foremost U.S. civil rights organizations.

He said he had spoken with CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves and hoped the company, after reviewing the situation, would fire Imus rather than let him return to the air at the end of an unpaid two-week suspension beginning next Monday.

A CBS spokesman, Dana McClintock, declined comment on the remarks by Gordon, who is one of at least two minorities on the 13-member board

[George Jung]

It could be the government attempting to distract everyone.

[Rerun]

They should take TV and Radio back about 30 years when you couldn't say "GOD" (in vain) or "Butt" because it was bad.  Now they say everything.  They may bleep out p*ck but you can read their lips.  I just think all people should be held to the same standards.  If "Nigger" is a bad word.... then NOBODY should say it without getting their mouth washed out with soap.  I'm tired of this double standard crap that goes on.

Did you know the first couple in bed together on TV was Fred and Wilma Flintstone?  Remember Lucy and Ricky had separate twin beds?

[kitkatz]

Two words: Shock jock!

[okarol]

Two words: Shock jock!

Cousin to jock itch!

[livecam]

A comment was made in the last couple of days by a prominent media figure and I forget who that was that went something like this.."what Don Imus said was wrong but those comments are made about blacks by blacks within their community regularly."

If you listen to some currently popular music written by and performed by black artists you will frequently hear words deemed to be offensive to the black community and the whole population in general. 

Why should it be ok for members of one racial group or community to freely sing and speak disparaging words about other members of that group or community when if a member of another racial group or community says the same things he is an immediate pariah?

Imus is a jerk, I've surfed into him from bed from time to time in the wee hours of the morning and just never liked his style.  In a word, he and his show suck.

In broadcasting it is all about ratings.  The higher the ratings the more you can charge for your commercials and the more money you make so in the end it is really about money.

Why do you think Howard Stern is still on the air (on Sirius).  People actually listen to that junk and advertisers are willing to pay for it no matter how filthy or offensive the program material is.

It looks like Imus is done, not because of what he said but because of pressure being brought on the networks that carry him by "prominent" members of the targeted community and by a few advertisers eager to look favorable to the people who are screaming for his neck.

[BigSky]

No doubt what Imus did was distasteful.

The biggest joke is you got two  racists like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson calling for Imus to be fired.

The hypocrisy from them two for their own past racist remarks to the comments they made about the boys in the Duke rape case makes what they want a joke.

Maybe those two ought to be serving up an apology to those boys and then resign from their own respective positions first before spewing their asinine bs.

IMO it seems those two see the writing on the wall in the Duke case coming down the pipe and this gave them the perfect timing to try to get everyones mind of the bs they pulled in that case.

[George Jung]

Hell yea BigSky!!!  WE agree on something finally, now let me go check what you posted on Target,America.....lol

[thegrammalady]

i think the point is this type of behavior shouldn't be exceptable in any form. derogatory statements shouldn't be made no matter what color or nationality you are. fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, imus has paid for his stupid and thoughtless remarks. the almighty dollar has won again, advertisers have voted with their feet and pulled their advertising. cbs fired imus today others should take notice and clean up their acts. whatever happened to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you. my momma don brought me up right

[George Jung]

I happen to love Snoop Dogg but I had to post this in case not everyone saw it.

Snoop Dogg: Don't Compare Me To 'This Punk' Don Imus
Posted by Tim Graham on April 11, 2007 - 17:19.
On the Imus vs. Rappers front, MTV News reports that rap star Snoop Dogg has issued a new "warning" to the public: Don't dare to compare his lyrics — or any other MC's — to Don Imus and his recent racially inflammatory comments. MTV says "the Dogg" found there is no parallel. The Rutgers women Imus ridiculed were a success story, while the women he knocks in his music are "ho's that's in the hood that ain't doing sh--."

MTV transmitted a long, profane self-defense Snoop offered in a phone interview:

"It's a completely different scenario," said Snoop, barking over the phone from a hotel room in L.A. "[Rappers] are not talking about no collegiate basketball girls who have made it to the next level in education and sports. We're talking about ho's that's in the 'hood that ain't doing sh--, that's trying to get a n---a for his money. These are two separate things. First of all, we ain't no old-ass white men that sit up on MSNBC [the cable network home to Imus] going hard on black girls. We are rappers that have these songs coming from our minds and our souls that are relevant to what we feel. I will not let them mutha-----as say we in the same league as him."

Snoop Dogg insisted "this punk" Imus deserved much more than a two-week suspension. He deserved to be fired. He should at least be punished like the NFL suspended Tennessee Titans football player Adam Jones for an entire season for scrapes with the police:

"Kick him off the air forever," he said. "Ban him like they did [Adam] 'Pacman' Jones. They kicked him out the [National Football] League for the whole season [for numerous violations of the NFL's personal-conduct policy, including multiple arrests], but this punk gets to get on the air and call black women 'nappy-headed ho's.' "

Can there be a plainer picture of a double standard?

[glitter]

I happen to love Snoop Dogg but I had to post this in case not everyone saw it.

Snoop Dogg: Don't Compare Me To 'This Punk' Don Imus
Posted by Tim Graham on April 11, 2007 - 17:19.
On the Imus vs. Rappers front, MTV News reports that rap star Snoop Dogg has issued a new "warning" to the public: Don't dare to compare his lyrics — or any other MC's — to Don Imus and his recent racially inflammatory comments. MTV says "the Dogg" found there is no parallel. The Rutgers women Imus ridiculed were a success story, while the women he knocks in his music are "ho's that's in the hood that ain't doing sh--."

MTV transmitted a long, profane self-defense Snoop offered in a phone interview:

"It's a completely different scenario," said Snoop, barking over the phone from a hotel room in L.A. "[Rappers] are not talking about no collegiate basketball girls who have made it to the next level in education and sports. We're talking about ho's that's in the 'hood that ain't doing sh--, that's trying to get a n---a for his money. These are two separate things. First of all, we ain't no old-ass white men that sit up on MSNBC [the cable network home to Imus] going hard on black girls. We are rappers that have these songs coming from our minds and our souls that are relevant to what we feel. I will not let them mutha-----as say we in the same league as him."

Snoop Dogg insisted "this punk" Imus deserved much more than a two-week suspension. He deserved to be fired. He should at least be punished like the NFL suspended Tennessee Titans football player Adam Jones for an entire season for scrapes with the police:

"Kick him off the air forever," he said. "Ban him like they did [Adam] 'Pacman' Jones. They kicked him out the [National Football] League for the whole season [for numerous violations of the NFL's personal-conduct policy, including multiple arrests], but this punk gets to get on the air and call black women 'nappy-headed ho's.' "

Can there be a plainer picture of a double standard?

he is truly disgusting...it wouldn't hurt him to learn to speak properly and with some respect for other blacks. Ebonics is not proper enunciation, and its pretty hard to respect someone who does not respect himself (by calling himself a nigger, or nigga or whatever)
More people should stand up and speak out against some bulls**t double-standard that excuses such ignorant rhetoric

[meadowlandsnj]

No doubt what Imus did was distasteful.

The biggest joke is you got two  racists like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson calling for Imus to be fired.

The hypocrisy from them two for their own past racist remarks to the comments they made about the boys in the Duke rape case makes what they want a joke.

Maybe those two ought to be serving up an apology to those boys and then resign from their own respective positions first before spewing their asinine bs.

IMO it seems those two see the writing on the wall in the Duke case coming down the pipe and this gave them the perfect timing to try to get everyones mind of the bs they pulled in that case.

I remember when Jesse Jackson called NYC Hymietown (a slur towarss Jewish people).  Both Jaclson and Sharpton have made slurs against Jewish people and other groups.  But we have to remember and I hear this from people I know who are black that Jackson and Sharpton don't speak for every black person.  I know of a few black people that think Sharpton is an a-hole and are embarrassed by his antics.  If there's a camera around that's where you'll find Sharpton.  And Jesse Jackson has been forgiven for a few things he did like that affair he had which produced a child and paid the mother of the child with money from his group that people donated.  Jackson is an old fashioned shake down artist, if you don't do what he says he screams boycott and he pressures companies by these means. 

Donna