I'm glad to see that there are those among us that agree that Imus
should not be fired for this. I'm not ready to jump on the boat carrying
the "no big deal" cargo, though.
It
is a big deal...but not for Sharpton, and not for Jackson. Those
two birds shouldn't be speaking for any group that has not elected them to any particular office that would require any more than just their own
casual (and personal) input. Simply being men of color and (in)famous
should not qualify them to speak on behalf of any "community"...much
less one that makes up nearly 1/3 of our national population. There's too
much diversity there for any one self-appointed mouthpiece. I doubt
Sharpton could accurately portray the views of the people in the studio at
the time of his
(ahem) "interview" with Imus, much less an
entire ethnic group.
Again, what he said was wrong. It doesn't matter where the phrase
originated. As an adult, he should know that you can't just spew every
little thing that pops into your head. Imus is long past his days as a
carefree DJ whose bag is simple comedy, Fios. Opie and Anthony, this
ain't. When you consider that his daily guests include current and former
Senators and Congressmen, Presidential candidates, Governors and high-
profile journalists, you almost have to hold him to a higher standard than, say, Howard Stern. In my view, however,
context is key here. Imus
wasn't interviewing anyone at that time. It's not as if he were in the
middle of discussing Harold Ford Jr.'s failed campaign and popped up with the N-word, or related to the loss with some ill-conceived, on-the-spot rap
that summed up his feelings on the whole thing. It wasn't like that at all. What it was, from where I sat, was four men sitting around commenting
on a sport that has only recently begun to garner any consideration at all in a radio show that isn't predominately(yes, the spelling is correct. Look
it up) sports-oriented in the first place. In fact, they never really mention
women's basketball on any level unless, as was the case here, it
happened to be a playoff/championship type game (or a generally slow day in sports news). This is also the portion of the show that Imus usually only chimes in to make a wiseacre remark, anyway...most often preferring to berate the poor man that handles the sports report for him. What I saw was, when Bernard made his initial comment after Imus' "tattoo" remark, Imus was compelled to take it to the next level, to try and elicit some more laughter....
to be the funniest guy in the room. Everywhere you go, you see that happen when four men with nothing better to do get together in a room and talk about sports in general...but women's sports in particular. It just hasn't evolved the the point where most men sit around and discuss the topic with the same gravity as, say, Lakers-Heat...if it's discussed at all. I'm just as guilty, on that count. If I ever watched women's tennis, it was because there was a really good chance I'd see her underwear.
It's sad to see that, in an effort to finally have some tangible accountability
for the degradation that women (one mustn't be black to be a proper 'ho, you know) suffer through the use of such phrases, we seem perfectly willing to let a 70-year old man be publicly pilloried...as if he alone were responsible for all of it.
I think the suspension, and the damage to his credibility, is punishment enough for his "sin"...and maybe, too much. Think about it. What are the chances of a complete recovery for him, career-wise? What aspiring candidate for any higher office (which is really the lifebood of the
program)would dare been seen or heard on his show now, or in the near
future? What major sponsor would still pay huge money for a thirty-
second spot on his program now, which will be branded as racist? Finally,
the very atmosphere of "Imus In The Morning" is forever altered. The
barbed attacks, the one-liners, the taunts...all will be run through the
same fine sieve for political correctness. The very thing that draws the
huge audience will now be muted and watered down, and his ratings will
eventually falter. Imus, without the razor-sharp tongue, is just another
rancher with an opinion...and you know what they say about
those.
Don Imus must now suffer the consequence of his mistake. I think any
reasonable person would feel some pity, if not compassion, for what now
awaits him. All he has ever done, and will ever do, is now tainted by the
folly of three stupid words that should never have been uttered, and I
hope he continues to face the music with the courage and dignity he's
shown thus far.
Go ahead. Put the rope around his neck...but for Christ's sake, don't slap
the horse. Let him think about it for a little while, and help him down. He's
in a unique position to make
some good from all this, and should be
given the benefit of a doubt.
/rant
"Sit back and watch the Redskins.
SOMETHING MAGICAL IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!"
JPFair- A fan's fan. RIP, brother
