Imus show suspended due to racial comments

[green 6]

You don't think calling a group of black women "nappy-headed hos" is intended to degrade them? How would you feel about someone who went on national television and called your mother a whore?

I do believe that we have to look at context and provenance when we examine things which people say. I have heard comedians call each other's mother a ho. On South Park, a show which never fails to push the envelope, Cartman's mother is routinely called a crack whore, the Black kid is called Token, and all groups get dissed.

When an offensive word is said out of hatred and not out of ignorance or in order to make - rightly or wrongly - a comedic point we know it and it is for these individuals that we should save our righteous anger. Those who speak out of ignorance or go too far when trying to create comedy should also be educated by the public of course but we should not lose sight of the fact that these people are not true hate-mongerers. They are simply idiots.

[faithmd 14]

And how about the illustrious (or rather, despicible and infamous) "Reverend" (where is his church, anyway?) Al Sharpton:

"1987: Sharpton spreads the incendiary Tawana Brawley hoax, insisting heatedly that a 15-year-old black girl was abducted, raped, and smeared with feces by a group of white men. He singles out Steve Pagones, a young prosecutor. Pagones is wholly innocent -- the crime never occurred -- but Sharpton taunts him: "If we're lying, sue us, so we can . . . prove you did it." Pagones does sue, and eventually wins a $345,000 verdict for defamation. To this day, Sharpton refuses to recant his unspeakable slander or to apologize for his role in the odious affair."

Yet he stomps around and calls for the firing of Don Imus, and it happens. Why wasn't he off the air? Why wasn't the back lash there for his comments? They were meant to actually incite anger and did, and ruined lives! Calling a group of lovely young lades, who worked hard to get where they did, a group of "nappy headed hos" is NOTHING like incensing a nation with the stories of a false hate crime.

Should Imus have been suspended without pay for two weeks? Yes. Should he have to apologize to the ladies he insulted? Yes.

But that's it, drop it, it's over and done with. I think it's ridiculous to take the man's job for that comment. Fine him, suspend him, fine his production staff, but firing him is over the top.

[green 6]

Al Sharpton is a racist. Imus is only a guy who made a very foolish mistake.

[Persistance 0]

I was talking with my high school junior about this incident and she was telling me: Mom can you imagine all this kids in 10 ten years talking to their own children?

Dad: To his 3rd grader “hey nappy hair Ho” how was your day at school my “little bitch”?

Child: Yo Dad!! School today was kind of sh….y ,that teacher Ho gave us a lot of homework.

Dad: That’s ok , you need homework in order to be a smart, productive member of this f…en society.

She was explaining to me that many teachers nowadays use the same kind of language to appear “COOL” and to “connect” with the students.

She was telling me how her teacher went on and on about how he and his “hommeys “ used to smoke “pot’ during test time to be relaxed and be able to study.

Pleeeease what can we expect if we have so many “teachers” ( weirdos!!!!) ruining the work of some good parents and of some other excellent teachers who are working hard to make a difference?

[Carlene 12]

I do believe that we have to look at context and provenance when we examine things which people say. I have heard comedians call each other's mother a ho. On South Park, a show which never fails to push the envelope, Cartman's mother is routinely called a crack whore, the Black kid is called Token, and all groups get dissed.

When an offensive word is said out of hatred and not out of ignorance or in order to make - rightly or wrongly - a comedic point we know it and it is for these individuals that we should save our righteous anger. Those who speak out of ignorance or go too far when trying to create comedy should also be educated by the public of course but we should not lose sight of the fact that these people are not true hate-mongerers. They are simply idiots.

South Park is a cartoon. I don't believe that cartoon characters are due the same degree of respect as real people.

And I agree that Don Imus is probably not a hate-monger or a racist. That does not make him any less responsible for what comes out of his mouth, however. You simply can't excuse that kind of thing by saying it doesn't count unless it comes from a racist, or an anti-feminist. I am none of those things, either. And I'm pretty funny sometimes, too. Does that mean it's okay for me to post pithy one-liners on LBT, incorporating the "N word" into my remarks? Of course not. And I'm betting I'd get banned in pretty short order, don't you think?

[Persistance 0]

FAITHMD:

Ridiculous to fire the man????

Let's say he did this while working at a doctor's office or at any other "less public" work place then , Would it be ok to fire him?

If your own daughter was part of this team, would you feel the same way?

Why excuse this kind of behavior? Why not support decency,respect and tolerance?

Yes, we all say stupid things because we all are humans.I know that if I say something like this I will get fired. YOU would get fired too.

The sad part is that we "get used to" vulgarity, racism and hate.

Please, as women we need to support each other, white, black, asian, hispanic.... darn it, as women we have enough to worry about: family,periods,cancer,work,ageing, weight and so on....

[Carlene 12]

I was talking with my high school junior about this incident and she was telling me: Mom can you imagine all this kids in 10 ten years talking to their own children?

Dad: To his 3rd grader “hey nappy hair Ho” how was your day at school my “little bitch”?

Child: Yo Dad!! School today was kind of sh….y ,that teacher Ho gave us a lot of homework.

Dad: That’s ok , you need homework in order to be a smart, productive member of this f…en society.

She was explaining to me that many teachers nowadays use the same kind of language to appear “COOL” and to “connect” with the students.

She was telling me how her teacher went on and on about how he and his “hommeys “ used to smoke “pot’ during test time to be relaxed and be able to study.

Pleeeease what can we expect if we have so many “teachers” ( weirdos!!!!) ruining the work of some good parents and of some other excellent teachers who are working hard to make a difference?

God, I'm older than I thought! I once made a huge issue of a coach who told my 12 year old, "I don't like your f%$#ing attitude."

The coach got a written reprimand, which went into his personnel file. Interestingly enough, he apologized to me for his language, but refused to apologize to my kid. He got written up for that, too.

I have known people who called their daughters "whores" and "bitches". I can't imagine doing that. My daughter would cry, and she's 34 years old.

[Persistance 0]

No Carlene you are not old, you are just a decent, kind girl who will not stand for garbage like this.

[faithmd 14]

FAITHMD:

Ridiculous to fire the man????

Let's say he did this while working at a doctor's office or at any other "less public" work place then , Would it be ok to fire him?

If your own daughter was part of this team, would you feel the same way?

Why excuse this kind of behavior? Why not support decency,respect and tolerance?

Yes, we all say stupid things because we all are humans.I know that if I say something like this I will get fired. YOU would get fired too.

The sad part is that we "get used to" vulgarity, racism and hate.

Please, as women we need to support each other, white, black, asian, hispanic.... darn it, as women we have enough to worry about: family,periods,cancer,work,ageing, weight and so on....

Yes, it is ridiculous to fire the man.

If my own daughter was part of the team, I would feel the same way. It was a stupid, awful comment, probably intended to make "interesting" radio. It didn't make interesting radio, it was a bad thing to say, but it was said, it is done, it is over with. He has apologized and sat down with the team (and that is who matters, that he apologized directly to the women he offended) end of story (or it should be).

I can guarantee not one of those women will have any lasting effects from being called "nappy headed ho's." I am sure they (like my 19 year old calls his friends-much to my chagrin) call one another MUCH worse. It is the way they are growing up, it is SADLY becoming commonplace to hear people calling one another horrible names and the music, television and film just continues to support rampant degradation of, well, everyone.

I NEVER, EVER excused this kind of behavior, as I said he SHOULD have been fined, he SHOULD have been suspended and he SHOULD have apologized to the team. All of those things happened. This was NOT excused.

But if you are going to demand respect and decency, then you need to demand that Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson start being decent and respectful... Music needs to be taken off the shelves and not be allowed to be sold for degrading people, some television shows need to be taken off the air, books need to be burned because perhaps they are not respectful or decent.

You mention at the end of your sentence: Why not support decency,respect and tolerance?

Tolerance...So where is the tolerance towards Imus and his stupid mistake. Where is the tolerance and acceptance for his apologies?

Where is the apology from Al Sharpton for inciting riots and violence? Why is the "Reverend" Jesse Jackson still the head of the Rainbow Coalition after he admitted to having an extra-marital affair, fathering a "love" child and lying about it and then paying the mother of the love child (whom he took to the White House while she was pregnant as he was counseling Prsident Clinton about his affair with Monica Lewinsky) who worked for the Rainbow Coalition severance pay of $35,000 out of the organization's coffers? Why didn't he get fired?

Apparently because Imus doesn't deserve to have *his* apology accepted for a bad three-word comment, but it's okay to destroy lives (Al Sharpton) and lie to he world (Bill Clinton and Jesse Jackson). Remember Jesse Jackson's 'Hymietown" comment? So where was the outrage then?

[Carlene 12]

He has apologized and sat down with the team (and that is who matters, that he apologized directly to the women he offended) end of story (or it should be).

If every single one of those young women is satisfied with Imus' apology and does not feel that more drastic punative measures are in order, then I'm satisfied, too.

You are right.....they are the only ones who get to judge the depth of hurt, humiliation, etc that resulted from his remark.

[TommyO 5]

I can't speak about the Labour Laws in the US but in Canada that sort of statement is grounds for dismisal. If I make a sexist or racist remark at work and someone overhears me they can lodge a complaint and I can be fired. Saying sorry is not a defense even if the individual who was affected accepts my apology.

Not firing Imus could lead to further litigation, I would feel strongly that CBS and MSNBC did the due diligence required and decided that the safest course of action was termination.

Freedom of speach is protected in the US constitution, freedom from sexism and racism in the work place is also protected. Imus is unemployed because he said what he said at work.

[foodstampchamp 3]

When I first heard about the Imus remark - incredibly stupid, by the way - I knew he was going to try and pass it off as a "joke", and that makes me almost angrier than the original slur.

People open their mouths, spew out garbage, and then when they get called on it, they claim the prerogative of humor. Like an insult doesn't count, as long as someone, somewhere, finds it humorous.

Imus' remark wasn't funny. Anne Colter wasn't funny when she called John Edwards a fag. Unless the people on the receiving end of these nasty public insults find them amusing, they aren't funny - ever. "I was just joking" is NOT an excuse. It's not even a reasonable explanation.

Everyone is responsible for what comes out of their mouths (or fingers, in the case of journalists and bloggers and message board members). And when an apology is offered up with the joke card attached, it's only half an apology, as far as I'm concerned. And even when it's sincere, "sorry" doesn't help much when you're the one who has been publicly humiliated.

Actually it was a joke. No matter how un-funny people thought it was. Just because someone says a joke that doesn't go over well doesn't mean it wasn't meant as a joke. Has anyone here ever seen the movie School Daze by Spike Lee? If you have, and you heard the coversation that Imus was having with his producer at the time, then you probably recognized that they were quoting the movie school daze. I think there is a thread somewhere on this message board exactly like that right?

[Carlene 12]

Actually it was a joke. No matter how un-funny people thought it was. Just because someone says a joke that doesn't go over well doesn't mean it wasn't meant as a joke.

Sorry, but that still doesn't make it okay. I might think it would be hilarious to pants you in front of a restaurant full of people but if you, the victim, don't laugh, then it wasn't a joke - it was cruel and demeaning.

[reqgoddess 0]

You know what, ??? What he said was wrong, but it wasn't premeditated and he isn't JUST a shock jock (One of the first I might add) he is a comic-shock Jock. Some one said one thing, he added it to it. I was a female athlete, and I wouldn't want to be called a "ho." However, the man apologized. (Oh, BTW, I have heard that at those Rutgers Women BB games, it gets pretty raunchy with the name calling from the audience AND the players, so let's not act too innocent here). If you want politically correct, you don't watch/listen to IMUS. I don't find this one quarter of offensive as i do listening to Howard stern and his group talk about women as if they were sex slaves, and treating them (of course for money because isn't that what they think) like pieces of garbage. But they made a bunch of money right? I mean, on public TV stations and radio stations. Where was rev sharpton then? Oh, please for he and Jesse jackson to be calling ANYONE OTHER THEN THEMSELVES a racist is laughable. If they included them selves maybe I wouldn't mind, but how much have THEY given to sickle-cell anemia foundations? IMUS gives millions. To many different charities, including sickle cell anemia. Oh, Jesse Jackson, calling New York City "hymie town" isn't racist? Oh, Rev Sharpton, please don't even get me started. Can anyone say "tawana Brawley?". I don't care about MSNBC, but the CBS firing is what really got me. These weasels didn't have an WFAN radio station until IMUS made it so. It was a different radio station before hand (WNBC I believe) and he was the staple there. He made them what they are. First they suspended him for 2 weeks (after the radiothon would be over (you know the one that he raises millions of dollars for the SIDs foundations; the Hackensack Hospital's children with Cancer wing, and the IMUS Ranch which hosts kids from all over that have cancer..for free)), but they caved to the likes of Sharpton and Jackson and others who probably don't even know him or what he is like over he years but wanted to get on the bandwagon. Folks, 2 wrongs don't make a right, but what they mean by the hip hoppers and rappers relation to this ordeal, is that if you listen to any of that music, it is degrading to women, blacks, whites and many others, but especially women. AND the WHITE CEOs of the record companies LOVE it because they are making MONEY> If anyone really was hurt about all this, this music wouldn't be allowed with those lyrics in them. And PLEASE don't give me this crap, "well, if you are black, it is okay to call another black a ho or a nigga" THAT is the BIGGEST cop out there is. I am Italian. If a non Italian call me a guinea or an Italian person calls me a guinea, I don't care. I hate it both ways because i demand more respect. And everyone should. But NOT by making 1 person your scapegoat. Make the rules to stop it. Boycott the hip hop radio stations, boycott the black eyed peas (I mean, Fergie with her "LUMPS and the boys give her ICEY because she treats them NICEY (oh yea, can you say HO now) and the rest and the record companies that allow all this. OH, my, what about MTV and VH1? I mean, I am sorry, but they really enforce the independent smart self sufficient woman , don't you think? The issue here is, Sharpton and Jackson hate IMUS because over the years he has called them out as the phonies that they are. They saw an opportunity to swoop in and they did. If America is so sensitive, then I better start seeing some real boycotting going on. And by the way, Sharpton and Jackson don't give a rat's butt that he said the word "HO", it is the "nappy headed" part that they really are protesting. Can anyone remember when Stevie Wonder called himself a "Nappy headed boy" in the 70's song (a great tune too , I might add" but I can't remember the name, only all the words "I wish those days - would come back once more - I wish those days - would never had to go, cause I loved them so"" . And no one can say Stevie wonder is a hypocrite, he was very vocal in the black movement to secure civil rights and to be looked at as equal to all races. I purposely used the term Black here because when the African Americans were fighting for rights, they were called blacks (at their request (Black panthers, as an example) and in the 70's there were no "African Americans" that is a newer term.

I think folks are trying to have a good heart and stand up for what is right, and IMUS was wrong. But so what? he has proven in his life BY HIS ACTIONS, NOT what he has said as a laugh, that he is neither a racist nor a male chauvinist pig. Actions speak louder then words, although sharpton and jackson do have pretty big mouths. Just wish they would put their money where their mouths are and give more to charity instead of always looking for a reason to get in front of that camera.

[foodstampchamp 3]

Is it just me or is the fact that some African Americans think it’s ok for them to say certain words that white people aren’t “allowed” to say? What would happen if a white person got on television and said “these specific words are not allowed to be said by African Americans”. Does anyone think that would cause another controversy? I’m positive that it would. I can just hear it now from stupid race-bating Al Sharpton’s idiotic face “Why are black people not allowed to say these words, that’s racist”.

I’m not saying he didn’t deserve to be fired, only because any corporation has rules. I mean just because you are allowed and it is legal to drink at home doesn’t mean you can drink at work. And the same goes for saying whatever you want. You are not allowed to do that at your job. The thing I think is stupid about this whole thing, is the big deal they are making out of it. I mean really, how is this going to affect these Rutger girls? Is it really traumatizing or life-threatening? It was just offensive. That’s it. I grew up in an all Mexican neighborhood and I had blonde hair and blue eyes. Yet my twin brother is very dark skinned and has black hair and brown eyes along with my full Mexican mother. (my father was full Irish) . I cannot even tell you the names I was called growing up. I was the stand-out and got attacked while growing up because I was white looking. Racism goes both ways. I’m over it. Yes it hurt my feelings and I cried but doesn’t everyone get teased growing up and at other times in your life? Doesn’t everyone get offended in one way or another throughout their lives? GET OVER IT! STOP BEING SO SENSITIVE! GO ON WITH YOUR LIFE! EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OKAY!

As far as this being dubbed as “hate speech”. Are you kidding Sunta? Don’t you think that’s a bit harsh? Not to mention ridiculously blown out of proportion. Please tell me you are joking, you must be. It was an awful joke. That’s it. He was not trying to incite a race war for goodness sakes. Also, do you think black female athletes are the only people who fight stereotypes and adverse circumstances their whole life? Can somebody tell me why there is so much white guilt going on out there? Over privileged applies to ALL WHITE MEN???? Seems to me you are quite the little stereotyper yourself Sunta.

As far as Al Sharpton the race-bating jizz bag who I wish would die on Christmas eve from a horrible prize winning parakeet training accident goes……….. May I remind everyone of a little incident called the Tawana Brawley story? Google it, see for yourself what good Al Sharpton is doing.

As far as getting my pants pulled down in front of people. I think someone laying their hands on me physically is a little bit worse than someone saying something about me. Call me crazy but I think that is a bad example Carlene.

Signed:

The half-breed (oh no, dare I make a joke about half-breeds, please, I promise I am not trying to demean half-breeds like myself, just making an awful joke)