[Orion27]

Here in New York, on most Liberal MSNBC television, Morning host Don Imus made some sad comments on national TV about the Rutger's Womens basketball team during a repartee with a co-host:

“That’s some rough girls from Rutgers,” Imus said. “Man, they got tattoos ... .”
“Some hardcore hos,” McGuirk said.

“That’s some nappy-headed hos there, I’m going to tell you that,” Imus said.

This kind of racism is usually given a pass when white Liberals or blacks engage in this kind of "humor". Should Liberal MSNBC fire Imus of give him the Liberal pass.
Sharpton, Critics Demand Imus Ouster - MSNBC Wire Services - MSNBC.com

We have the usual stream of Liberal apologists defending him as I write, Howard Fineman is defending him now.

[osiris]

If you've ever listened to Imus in the Morning, he offends everyone on purpose. It's part of his act, and has been so for almost 20 years.
The Irish, the Jews, The Italians, The Blacks, you name it. All groups have their day under the sun with Imus, and if you don't like it, don't listen to it.

[OldManMac]

And Rush Windbag is such a mild mannered, gentle man, who just happens to have more listeners than Imus.

It's only the "liberal" (one of your obviously favorite words, even though you don't know what it means) who does this kind of thing, right?

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by osiris 

If you've ever listened to Imus in the Morning, he offends everyone on purpose. It's part of his act, and has been so for almost 20 years.
The Irish, the Jews, The Italians, The Blacks, you name it. All groups have their day under the sun with Imus, and if you don't like it, don't listen to it.

Correct. The thing is, I don't see how anyone can stand that old decaying mummy's show.

[Orion27]

Originally Posted by KarlG 

And Rush Windbag is such a mild mannered, gentle man, who just happens to have more listeners than Imus.

It's only the "liberal" (one of your obviously favorite words, even though you don't know what it means) who does this kind of thing, right?

Your defense is point made. "Jigaboos" and "Knappy headed ho's" is acceptable liberal humor. Wink wink, I'm really a good person despite my overt racism. Think of the consequences if he actually used the "N" word and not the more gracious "ho". Macaca anyone? Anyone? Let's see,
National Organisation for Women and the endearing term for women "ho". And "knappy headed ho's" to boot. Do ya think MSNBC should ask Kim Gandy for an interview on the state of Mysogyny in main stream Liberal Media? Wink wink

[TETENAL]

Originally Posted by Orion27 

“That’s some rough girls from Rutgers,” Imus said. “Man, they got tattoos ... .”
“Some hardcore hos,” McGuirk said.

“That’s some nappy-headed hos there, I’m going to tell you that,” Imus said.

Where is the racism? Sorry, I'm not a native speaker of English, so I can't find it.

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by TETENAL 

Where is the racism? Sorry, I'm not a native speaker of English, so I can't find it.

"Nappy" hair is a negative description for black person's hair that has racist overtones, and it's especially racist if it's coming out of the mouth of a known disgusting bigot who claims to be a humanitarian.

[OldManMac]

Originally Posted by Orion27 

Your defense is point made. "Jigaboos" and "Knappy headed ho's" is acceptable liberal humor. Wink wink, I'm really a good person despite my overt racism. Think of the consequences if he actually used the "N" word and not the more gracious "ho". Macaca anyone? Anyone? Let's see,
National Organisation for Women and the endearing term for women "ho". And "knappy headed ho's" to boot. Do ya think MSNBC should ask Kim Gandy for an interview on the state of Mysogyny in main stream Liberal Media? Wink wink

As one of your heroes once said, "There you go again!" If it weren't for your reading comprehension issues, you'd realize that I never said anything to defend him; I think he should be fired, but you, in your usual rush to make judgements and vain attempts to declare instant "victory", shallow as it is, conveniently overlook the substance of most issues. Now go beat up on some "liberal" reporter for drinking on the job!

[TheWOAT]

What an idiot. UNfortunately he won't get fired. I believe he has already apologized , and "Rehab" wouldnt surprise me either.

[Nicko]

I think the difference is that liberals aren't racist, therefore you can just call it humor (or harmless bad joke). Where as if a conservative said such a thing, there would be riots in the streets.

[TETENAL]

Originally Posted by Big Mac 

"Nappy" hair is a negative description for black person's hair that has racist overtones.

Thanks for clearing that up. The dictionary pop-up said it means "diaper". I couldn't make sense of that.

[TheWOAT]

Originally Posted by Nicko 

I think the difference is that liberals aren't racist, therefore you can just call it humor. Where as if a conservative said such a thing, there would be riots in the streets.

Was Michael Richards a liberal? Wow, he's been misunderstood this whole time.

[Orion27]

Originally Posted by TETENAL 

Where is the racism? Sorry, I'm not a native speaker of English, so I can't find it.

"Ho" pejoritive black argot to describe women: Whore
"nappy headed" pejoritive term for black racial hair characteristics.
He also compared the Tennessee team as being better looking interspersed
with other racially charged comments by his producer most notably the term
"jigaboos"

[Orion27]

Haven't seen so many smilley's in thread for a while. This is one hysterical subject.

[osiris]

Originally Posted by Big Mac 

Correct. The thing is, I don't see how anyone can stand that old decaying mummy's show.

Ain't that the truth. Back in the day when Rob Bartlett was a regular, the show was hysterically funny.

[OldManMac]

Originally Posted by Orion27 

Haven't seen so many smilley's in thread for a while. This is one hysterical subject.

It is, when you show your usual rush to judgement, and find very few backers of your claim, except for a few extremists, such as yourself. You just don't get it, do you? Everything is not as black and white as you'd like to paint it. Now hurry up and find something else to bash liberals about. We're waiting with baited breath.

[Dork.]

Whatever happened to "sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me"?

I haven't listened to Imus's show in ages, but that seems tame compared to what I remember....

[mac128k-1984]

So why should he be fired again???
I lost that point in all of the conservative vs. liberal posturing. I don't listen to Imus, nor any of these so called shock jocks, but from what I've heard he's basically paid to be corrosive and controversial. Sounds like he's just doing what he's paid to do, or does the freedom of speech not extend to radio.

We have condoned and applauded his behavior for x amount of years but now because he made a comment about black people he should be fired, I'm sure he's insulted other ethnicities, religions etc what's the difference??

[Dakar²]

Originally Posted by mac128k-1984 

So why should he be fired again???
I lost that point in all of the conservative vs. liberal posturing. I don't listen to Imus, nor any of these so called shock jocks, but from what I've heard he's basically paid to be corrosive and controversial. Sounds like he's just doing what he's paid to do, or does the freedom of speech not extend to radio.

We have condoned and applauded his behavior for x amount of years but now because he made a comment about black people he should be fired, I'm sure he's insulted other ethnicities, religions etc what's the difference??

:applause:

[OldManMac]

Originally Posted by mac128k-1984 

So why should he be fired again???
I lost that point in all of the conservative vs. liberal posturing. I don't listen to Imus, nor any of these so called shock jocks, but from what I've heard he's basically paid to be corrosive and controversial. Sounds like he's just doing what he's paid to do, or does the freedom of speech not extend to radio.

We have condoned and applauded his behavior for x amount of years but now because he made a comment about black people he should be fired, I'm sure he's insulted other ethnicities, religions etc what's the difference??

Just because some people have condoned and applauded his behavior for x number of years, doesn't make it right. Two wrongs have never made a right, and never will, except to those who need an excuse for their behavior and beliefs. At some point, ignorance has to be defeated, and people have to realize that "anything goes" is counter productive.

[RAILhead]

I guess he'll have to go into rehab now.

Room 101, maybe?

[OldManMac]

No, he should go to the unemployment line. At some point, grownups should realize that just because they can say something doesn't mean they should. There has to be a point at which you realize that it's not a good idea to show people how ignorant you are, and that you have no right to perpetuate stereotypes, because of your own beliefs. Racism is still very much alive in this country, and there's no doubt that there are far too many who silently agree with him.

People who don't believe that black women are "nappy headed hos" don't say that they are; he needs to look deep inside himself and figure out what went wrong. This didn't just pop up out of nowhere.

Now he's trying to backpedal. Imus Tries to Explain His Remarks Again - New York Times

Imus Tries to Explain His Remarks Again

By MARIA NEWMAN
Don Imus said on his nationally syndicated radio show today that he was a “good person who said a bad thing” by way of explaining his comments about the Rutgers women’s basketball team that many critics have called racist.

Mr. Imus delivered a rambling 10-minute “explanation” for comments he made last week that have caused a furor over the weekend and calls for his removal from the airwaves.

“Here’s what I’ve learned: that you can’t make fun of everybody, because some people don’t deserve it,” he said soberly this morning on his radio show, which is also televised live on MSNBC. “And because the climate on this program has been what it’s been for 30 years doesn’t mean it’s going to be what it’s been for the next five years or whatever.”

This afternoon, Mr. Imus is schedule to appear on the radio show hosted by the Rev. Al Sharpton, who is among those calling for his dismissal.

Mr. Imus last week described Rutgers University’s women’s basketball team as “nappy-headed ho’s,” and then days later said everyone needed to relax and should not be offended by “some idiot comment meant to be amusing.”

Allison Gollust, a spokeswoman for MSNBC, said the cable network considers Mr. Imus’s comments “deplorable” and is reviewing the matter.

Today, as criticism against him and his employers continues to grow, Mr. Imus said he was “embarrassed” by his own remarks. He said he made the comments “trying to be funny,” but said he was not trying to excuse them.

“I’m not a bad person; I’m a good person, but I said a bad thing,” he said. “But these young women deserve to know it was not said with malice.”

After the Rutgers team, which included eight black women, lost in the NCAA women’s championship game last week, Mr. Imus made his comments in an exchange with Bernard McGuirk, the executive producer of his show “Imus in the Morning,” which is broadcast to millions of people on more than 70 stations and simulcast on MSNBC.

Mr. Imus this morning talked about how familiar he was with black people, and how he and his wife are involved with the Imus Ranch, a cattle farm for children with cancer and blood disorders in Ribera, N.M., where, he said, 10 percent of the children are black.

“I’m not a white man who doesn’t know any African-Americans,” he said.

“I don’t know why I said it,” he said. “We were trying to be funny, but does that make it O.K. Of course not.”

Mr. Imus has faced criticism in the past for making remarks that were considered racist or homophobic, and MSNBC has issued other apologies for some of his remarks.

Mr. Sharpton has said he intends to complain to the Federal Communications Commission about the matter.

“Somewhere we must draw the line in what is tolerable in mainstream media,” he said on Sunday. “We cannot keep going through offending us and then apologizing and then acting like it never happened. Somewhere we’ve got to stop this.”

The Rev. Jesse Jackson said he was planning a protest today in front of the Chicago offices of NBC, which owns MSNBC. Other such protests are planned across the country, he said. NBC is a unit of the General Electric Company.

James E. Harris, president of the New Jersey chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, demanded Sunday that Mr. Imus “resign or be terminated immediately.”

Karen Mateo, a spokeswoman for CBS Radio — Mr. Imus’s employer and the owner of his New York radio home, WFAN-AM — said the company was “disappointed” in his actions and characterized his comments as “completely inappropriate.”

[Dork.]

Originally Posted by KarlG 

People who don't believe that black women are "nappy headed hos" don't say that they are; he needs to look deep inside himself and figure out what went wrong. This didn't just pop up out of nowhere.

Is there a possibility that a comedian may say things that he doesn't personally believe, just to get a laugh?

[Dakar²]

Originally Posted by Dork. 

Is there a possibility that a comedian may say things that he doesn't personally believe, just to get a laugh?

I've never done that on here.

[osiris]

Originally Posted by Dakar² 

I've never done that on here.

You're not an aging talk show host who's run out of good jokes.
Or maybe you are?

[Dakar²]

That depends if we're talking about the former or the latter.

[Orion27]

Originally Posted by Dork. 

Is there a possibility that a comedian may say things that he doesn't personally believe, just to get a laugh?

What kind of person would find these comments amusing? Quite frankly, if you listen to tapes these comments bore a distinct and palable inflection which was truly breathtaking. It was hurtful and despite his denials, mean spirited when coupled with the comments such as the Tennessee team being prettier, and his producer commenting on "jigabboos". It was truly offensive. Now, I grew up with words to describe all manner of people on the streets of New York. I rant on the damage political correctness has done, carried to the extreme as it has. But I also know the difference between political correctness and scurrilous racist speech. Imus may be a good person. A lot of good people have suffered for far far less. He may claim some of his best friends are black but he ain't black. If he thinks because he has some liberal inside track which absolves him of his insenstivity, if thinks his words are less painful under the color of a liberal banner, he is sadly mistaken. And if MSNBC thinks this is just good hearted liberal humor, they're sadly mistaken as well.

[OldManMac]

Originally Posted by Dork. 

Is there a possibility that a comedian may say things that he doesn't personally believe, just to get a laugh?

I don't know, but people who profess a view that's put out to the public, whether they're trying to be funny or not, generally say what's on their mind, because they don't realize, or even worse, care, about what their message is. When we make jokes about others, such as dumb blonde jokes, we're really perpetuating a stereotype that isn't true, but, at a root level, it also helps us to feel better about ourselves, because we'd like to think that we're not that stupid. We're all guilty of it, myself included, but the issue here is much larger, because we're peretuating a stereotype that not only isn't true, but it can cause people to be discriminated against, often severely. I doubt that anyone would not want to sell a house to a person who's blonde, but until not that long ago, it wasn't against the law to refuse to sell a house to someone who's black. Many years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, I personally saw someone turned down for a job specifically because of the color of his skin, and I've dealt with the public for many years, and it saddens me that racism is still alive and well in The Land Of The Free.

[osiris]

Originally Posted by Orion27 

What kind of person would find these comments amusing? Quite frankly, if you listen to tapes these comments bore a distinct and palable inflection which was truly breathtaking. It was hurtful and despite his denials, mean spirited when coupled with the comments such as the Tennessee team being prettier, and his producer commenting on "jigabboos". It was truly offensive. Now, I grew up with words to describe all manner of people on the streets of New York. I rant on the damage political correctness has done, carried to the extreme as it has. But I also know the difference between political correctness and scurrilous racist speech. Imus may be a good person. A lot of good people have suffered for far far less. He may claim some of his best friends are black but he ain't black. If he thinks because he has some liberal inside track which absolves him of his insenstivity, if thinks his words are less painful under the color of a liberal banner, he is sadly mistaken. And if MSNBC thinks this is just good hearted liberal humor, they're sadly mistaken as well.

I found his comments funny - his zingers were based on cliched old stereotypes, which I sometimes enjoy.
He once made Irish 'comments' on the late Cardinal O'Connor, and Italian ones on Guiliani.
Like I said earlier, this is the man's act.

And he is not alone. Watch any of Mel Brooks' films. They are laden with similar strains of humor.

I guess that makes Mel Brooks a rascist too.

The problem, I believe, is that the US has lost it's own sense of humor, and has instead become a nation of politically correct bores.

[BRussell]

It's pretty pathetic that discussion of race and racism is now all about who can be caught saying naughty words. Maybe, just maybe, there are deeper issues that might be worth the media spending time on?

And Don Imus is a liberal?

[Orion27]

Originally Posted by BRussell 

It's pretty pathetic that discussion of race and racism is now all about who can be caught saying naughty words. Maybe, just maybe, there are deeper issues that might be worth the media spending time on?

And Don Imus is a liberal?

And a Democrat is a fiscal conservative? I understand now why you are confused.

[olePigeon]

Anyone see Undercover Brother?

If you order an eight-piece "Nappy Meal" from General's Fried Chicken, you get a free 32 oz. malt liquor.

Lighten up people (there's no pun there, so don't even look for it.)

[Orion27]

Originally Posted by osiris 

I found his comments funny - his zingers were based on cliched old stereotypes, which I sometimes enjoy.
He once made Irish 'comments' on the late Cardinal O'Connor, and Italian ones on Guiliani.
Like I said earlier, this is the man's act.

And he is not alone. Watch any of Mel Brooks' films. They are laden with similar strains of humor.

I guess that makes Mel Brooks a rascist too.

The problem, I believe, is that the US has lost it's own sense of humor, and has instead become a nation of politically correct bores.

How openly minded European of you. You may have point. Seen any Jews with pointy noses in German or French Cartoons lately. Boy they sure were funny, I don't see why you Europeans just don't get over this politcal correctness stuff.

[Nicko]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

Anyone see Undercover Brother?

If you order an eight-piece "Nappy Meal" from General's Fried Chicken, you get a free 32 oz. malt liquor.

Lighten up people (there's no pun there, so don't even look for it.)

Too late.

[Dakar²]

So are you offended by the group Nappy Roots?

[BlueSky]

Imus was influenced by hip hop culture. It's too bad in the first place that the use of terms such as ho, n----r, bitch etc. are so prevalent in rap culture itself, but even lamer when people emulate the use of them in their everyday speech. I suppose he thought he was being decadently hip.

While it might be a good idea to not do that again, the response to this...the "he must quit or be fired"...is childish.

[osiris]

Originally Posted by Orion27 

How openly minded European of you. You may have point. Seen any Jews with pointy noses in German or French Cartoons lately. Boy they sure were funny, I don't see why you Europeans just don't get over this politcal correctness stuff.

What are you babbling about? I'm not a European.

[RAILhead]

Jews don't have "pointy" noses, they just have big ones.

[smacintush]

He should only be fired if: He has actually broken and actual law or because of his ratings.

If you have a problem with him then don't listen. Period.

I am getting sick and tired of the constant whining something someone said. If you are that easily offended then do yourself a favor and go shoot yourself because the rest of your life is gonna suck.

[Orion27]

Originally Posted by smacintush 

He should only be fired if: He has actually broken and actual law or because of his ratings.

If you have a problem with him then don't listen. Period.

I am getting sick and tired of the constant whining something someone said. If you are that easily offended then do yourself a favor and go shoot yourself because the rest of your life is gonna suck.

It's a good thing Don Imus was not in California when he mispoke! He broke California law!
Concerned Women for America - California Hate Speech Law Raises Questions

[Orion27]

Don Imus has just been given a two week vacation. No 30 day rehab here. Imus of course makes mony for the Liberal drive by media. No surprise here. Best coverage? CNN and MSNBC. Liberal introsepction begins.

[RobOnTheCape]

Imus is not getting a pass. If he was he wouldn't bother with the grilling he got on the Sharpton show today. They get paid well, but nevertheless comedy banter off the cuff is tough. He's paid to be caustic and insulting to everyone, and the women's basketball team was the topic of the moment. From that point the schtick spiraled downward. I can see how throwing stuff out there and seeing what sticks sometimes will blow up in their faces.

I dated an improv comedian, and she used to mention how they in the fast pace of improv you just brace yourself and hope something doesn't come out which is meant to be funny, but just isn't.

And yes, putting down races isn't ok, but is it coincidence that it just happens to be a major deal now that the group he is putting down is black. Not beer swilling Irish, money hoarding Jews, or whatever other group which has come in the sights of Imus. He should be called on it, but lose his job, probably not. I think he should be called on the carpet for being a jerk in general, but then again, that's what he is paid to do. Otherwise he's doing public radio political interviews. Then watch his audience really bail.

[OldManMac]

Imus is us.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17997908...playmode/1098/
Starr: Imus is us

There is no excuse for what Don Imus said about the Rutgers women’s basketball team. There is,
however, an explanation. And you probably won’t like it.

by Mark Starr
Newsweek
Updated: 2:11 p.m. ET April 7, 2007

April 7, 2007 - As the college basketball season wound down to its ends with a distinct lack of any of the promised madness, the Rutgers women’s basketball team was the closest thing to a Cinderella story that this year’s tournaments offered. Rutgers was not quite that much of a long shot—it has long been on the periphery of elite women’s teams—but was still a scrappy underdog that had overcome an unfavorable draw to reach the final
against the University of Tennessee, the gold standard of women’s basketball.
What pretty much anyone watching could see in that women’s final was that Rutgers was overmatched in almost
every facet of the game, except possibly grit. And it quickly became clear that the team’s frantic effort—it seemed
to be trying too hard—wouldn’t be enough even to keep it close.
But Don Imus apparently saw something else. On his nationally syndicated radio show, “Imus in the Morning”
(simulcast on MSNBC TV), the reigning king of the radio talk show empire revealed that instead of game upstarts,
he saw in the Rutgers team a bunch of “nappy-haired hos.” Imus, much like the Rutgers team he defamed, was
probably just overreaching, trying a little too hard to score with the irreverent and edgy humor that is his
trademark. He may even have known, as he continued his tasteless riff, that he had crossed the line; that what he
said was inexcusable, shameless, racist claptrap.
But just because it’s inexcusable doesn’t mean it’s inexplicable. And while Imus should not be spared any blame,
we are undoubtedly complicit. It is our dubious taste that has spawned America's prevailing entertainment culture.
We have countenanced the insult industry into which talk radio has devolved. We have allowed humiliation to
become a centerpiece of network TV programming. And we encourage cutting-edge humor, without much concern
that women and minorities endure most of those cuts. These dubious entertainments all share one currency:
unabashed delight in cruelty and debasement. And we the audience laugh and laugh and laugh until somebody
hits us over the head and we realize—or somebody tell us that we should realize—that this time it was way out of
line and actually not all that funny.
Then, of course, we get all huffy playing “gotcha”. We encourage these “entertainers” to walk a tightrope along the
limits of good taste and then, with unrestrained glee, pounce when they, inevitably, fall off. Gotcha Imus, gonna
make you squirm. Of course, not all are “gotchas” are quite as righteous as that one. Indeed “gotcha” can be a
rather cynical game. Earlier this week CBS basketball announcer's Billy Packer was targeted, much like Imus, for
comments he made in a TV interview with Charlie Rose. After Rose joked about wanting to carry Packer's bags at
the Final Four, Packer retorted that he had heard it before from Rose, adding “You always fag out on that one for
me.”
Critics—many of whom don’t like his skills as a basketball analyst—excoriated Packer for his use of a slur against
homosexuals. I am not quite as old as Packer, but old enough to be familiar with a verb that he used correctly—a
British-rooted expression that means “to tire” and that has nothing at all to do with sexual preference. Though my
research on its origins yielded nothing conclusive—Bill Safire, can you help?—my guess is the expression was
derived as slang shorthand for fatigue or possibly from the verb “to flag”.

The flap was reminiscent of one that forced the resignation of a white aide to the black, former mayor of
Washington D.C. after he used—correctly also—the word “niggardly”, which means stingy. Like Packer’s verb, the
word is a sound-alike to one that is offensive, though it has nothing at all to do with racial pejoratives. The
problem with such indiscriminate sanctimony on our part is that it diminishes the power and legitimacy of our
outrage when a Mel Gibson or a Michael Richards crosses the line from funny and outrageous to genuinely hateful.
Since that is the sketchy territory where Imus has always operated with great success, he will almost certainly
survive this blunder. On Friday morning he got around to the business of a carefully, crafted apology. “It was
completely inappropriate, and we can understand why people were offended,” Imus said on his morning show.
“Our characterization was thoughtless and stupid, and we are sorry." Imus is savvy enough to offer no excuses
where none would wash. But what’s our excuse? Please someone explain to me our insatiable appetite for the
tasteless and the mean-spirited that assaults us every day in the guise of entertainment.

[TheWOAT]

Im surprised how stupid you would have to be to make those comments. He knows what things can be said and can't be said yet he still crossed the line. Should he be fired? I wouldn't mind if he were, but I also see the "dont like it, dont listen to him" side of the story. At some point he loses his job, but I don't listen to him, so I don't know if he has done this sort of thing before. Last month I had the "pleasure" of listening to SF Bay Area sports-talk idiots discuss why blacks aren't good swimmers, this sh-t has got to stop.

[Orion27]

Originally Posted by KarlG 

Imus is us.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17997908...playmode/1098/
Starr: Imus is us

There is no excuse for what Don Imus said about the Rutgers women’s basketball team. There is,
however, an explanation. And you probably won’t like it.

by Mark Starr
Newsweek
Updated: 2:11 p.m. ET April 7, 2007

April 7, 2007 - As the college basketball season wound down to its ends with a distinct lack of any of the promised madness, the Rutgers women’s basketball team was the closest thing to a Cinderella story that this year’s tournaments offered. Rutgers was not quite that much of a long shot—it has long been on the periphery of elite women’s teams—but was still a scrappy underdog that had overcome an unfavorable draw to reach the final
against the University of Tennessee, the gold standard of women’s basketball.
What pretty much anyone watching could see in that women’s final was that Rutgers was overmatched in almost
every facet of the game, except possibly grit. And it quickly became clear that the team’s frantic effort—it seemed
to be trying too hard—wouldn’t be enough even to keep it close.
But Don Imus apparently saw something else. On his nationally syndicated radio show, “Imus in the Morning”
(simulcast on MSNBC TV), the reigning king of the radio talk show empire revealed that instead of game upstarts,
he saw in the Rutgers team a bunch of “nappy-haired hos.” Imus, much like the Rutgers team he defamed, was
probably just overreaching, trying a little too hard to score with the irreverent and edgy humor that is his
trademark. He may even have known, as he continued his tasteless riff, that he had crossed the line; that what he
said was inexcusable, shameless, racist claptrap.
But just because it’s inexcusable doesn’t mean it’s inexplicable. And while Imus should not be spared any blame,
we are undoubtedly complicit. It is our dubious taste that has spawned America's prevailing entertainment culture.
We have countenanced the insult industry into which talk radio has devolved. We have allowed humiliation to
become a centerpiece of network TV programming. And we encourage cutting-edge humor, without much concern
that women and minorities endure most of those cuts. These dubious entertainments all share one currency:
unabashed delight in cruelty and debasement. And we the audience laugh and laugh and laugh until somebody
hits us over the head and we realize—or somebody tell us that we should realize—that this time it was way out of
line and actually not all that funny.
Then, of course, we get all huffy playing “gotcha”. We encourage these “entertainers” to walk a tightrope along the
limits of good taste and then, with unrestrained glee, pounce when they, inevitably, fall off. Gotcha Imus, gonna
make you squirm. Of course, not all are “gotchas” are quite as righteous as that one. Indeed “gotcha” can be a
rather cynical game. Earlier this week CBS basketball announcer's Billy Packer was targeted, much like Imus, for
comments he made in a TV interview with Charlie Rose. After Rose joked about wanting to carry Packer's bags at
the Final Four, Packer retorted that he had heard it before from Rose, adding “You always fag out on that one for
me.”
Critics—many of whom don’t like his skills as a basketball analyst—excoriated Packer for his use of a slur against
homosexuals. I am not quite as old as Packer, but old enough to be familiar with a verb that he used correctly—a
British-rooted expression that means “to tire” and that has nothing at all to do with sexual preference. Though my
research on its origins yielded nothing conclusive—Bill Safire, can you help?—my guess is the expression was
derived as slang shorthand for fatigue or possibly from the verb “to flag”.

The flap was reminiscent of one that forced the resignation of a white aide to the black, former mayor of
Washington D.C. after he used—correctly also—the word “niggardly”, which means stingy. Like Packer’s verb, the
word is a sound-alike to one that is offensive, though it has nothing at all to do with racial pejoratives. The
problem with such indiscriminate sanctimony on our part is that it diminishes the power and legitimacy of our
outrage when a Mel Gibson or a Michael Richards crosses the line from funny and outrageous to genuinely hateful.
Since that is the sketchy territory where Imus has always operated with great success, he will almost certainly
survive this blunder. On Friday morning he got around to the business of a carefully, crafted apology. “It was
completely inappropriate, and we can understand why people were offended,” Imus said on his morning show.
“Our characterization was thoughtless and stupid, and we are sorry." Imus is savvy enough to offer no excuses
where none would wash. But what’s our excuse? Please someone explain to me our insatiable appetite for the
tasteless and the mean-spirited that assaults us every day in the guise of entertainment.

Liberal bullshit pure and simple.

[Orion27]

Originally Posted by KarlG 

Imus is us.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17997908...playmode/1098/
Starr: Imus is us

There is no excuse for what Don Imus said about the Rutgers women’s basketball team. There is,
however, an explanation. And you probably won’t like it.

by Mark Starr
Newsweek
Updated: 2:11 p.m. ET April 7, 2007

April 7, 2007 - As the college basketball season wound down to its ends with a distinct lack of any of the promised madness, the Rutgers women’s basketball team was the closest thing to a Cinderella story that this year’s tournaments offered. Rutgers was not quite that much of a long shot—it has long been on the periphery of elite women’s teams—but was still a scrappy underdog that had overcome an unfavorable draw to reach the final
against the University of Tennessee, the gold standard of women’s basketball.
What pretty much anyone watching could see in that women’s final was that Rutgers was overmatched in almost
every facet of the game, except possibly grit. And it quickly became clear that the team’s frantic effort—it seemed
to be trying too hard—wouldn’t be enough even to keep it close.
But Don Imus apparently saw something else. On his nationally syndicated radio show, “Imus in the Morning”
(simulcast on MSNBC TV), the reigning king of the radio talk show empire revealed that instead of game upstarts,
he saw in the Rutgers team a bunch of “nappy-haired hos.” Imus, much like the Rutgers team he defamed, was
probably just overreaching, trying a little too hard to score with the irreverent and edgy humor that is his
trademark. He may even have known, as he continued his tasteless riff, that he had crossed the line; that what he
said was inexcusable, shameless, racist claptrap.
But just because it’s inexcusable doesn’t mean it’s inexplicable. And while Imus should not be spared any blame,
we are undoubtedly complicit. It is our dubious taste that has spawned America's prevailing entertainment culture.
We have countenanced the insult industry into which talk radio has devolved. We have allowed humiliation to
become a centerpiece of network TV programming. And we encourage cutting-edge humor, without much concern
that women and minorities endure most of those cuts. These dubious entertainments all share one currency:
unabashed delight in cruelty and debasement. And we the audience laugh and laugh and laugh until somebody
hits us over the head and we realize—or somebody tell us that we should realize—that this time it was way out of
line and actually not all that funny.
Then, of course, we get all huffy playing “gotcha”. We encourage these “entertainers” to walk a tightrope along the
limits of good taste and then, with unrestrained glee, pounce when they, inevitably, fall off. Gotcha Imus, gonna
make you squirm. Of course, not all are “gotchas” are quite as righteous as that one. Indeed “gotcha” can be a
rather cynical game. Earlier this week CBS basketball announcer's Billy Packer was targeted, much like Imus, for
comments he made in a TV interview with Charlie Rose. After Rose joked about wanting to carry Packer's bags at
the Final Four, Packer retorted that he had heard it before from Rose, adding “You always fag out on that one for
me.”
Critics—many of whom don’t like his skills as a basketball analyst—excoriated Packer for his use of a slur against
homosexuals. I am not quite as old as Packer, but old enough to be familiar with a verb that he used correctly—a
British-rooted expression that means “to tire” and that has nothing at all to do with sexual preference. Though my
research on its origins yielded nothing conclusive—Bill Safire, can you help?—my guess is the expression was
derived as slang shorthand for fatigue or possibly from the verb “to flag”.

The flap was reminiscent of one that forced the resignation of a white aide to the black, former mayor of
Washington D.C. after he used—correctly also—the word “niggardly”, which means stingy. Like Packer’s verb, the
word is a sound-alike to one that is offensive, though it has nothing at all to do with racial pejoratives. The
problem with such indiscriminate sanctimony on our part is that it diminishes the power and legitimacy of our
outrage when a Mel Gibson or a Michael Richards crosses the line from funny and outrageous to genuinely hateful.
Since that is the sketchy territory where Imus has always operated with great success, he will almost certainly
survive this blunder. On Friday morning he got around to the business of a carefully, crafted apology. “It was
completely inappropriate, and we can understand why people were offended,” Imus said on his morning show.
“Our characterization was thoughtless and stupid, and we are sorry." Imus is savvy enough to offer no excuses
where none would wash. But what’s our excuse? Please someone explain to me our insatiable appetite for the
tasteless and the mean-spirited that assaults us every day in the guise of entertainment.

Liberal bullshit pure and simple. The liberal media promotes hip hop and the lowest common denominator and then blame us for consuming their product. Pure racist liberal bullshit. I call bullshit!

[mac128k-1984]

Why do you say it's liberal, I think these issues cut across ideological lines. Take Coulter for instance, she made slurs against homosexuals and both liberal and conservatives slammed her for her remarks. The same goes for Imus, its not a liberal issue as much as you seem to see things liberal vs. conservative.

[Orion27]

Originally Posted by mac128k-1984 

Why do you say it's liberal, I think these issues cut across ideological lines. Take Coulter for instance, she made slurs against homosexuals and both liberal and conservatives slammed her for her remarks. The same goes for Imus, its not a liberal issue as much as you seem to see things liberal vs. conservative.

This is playing out on Liberal media, CNN amd MSNBC. They know the score if your not willing to admit it. Jonathan Alter, the slimeball Newsweel columnist, while admitiing the scurrilous attack on black womem did not see anything wrong with continuing to appear on Don Imus's show because as he said he was not responsible but agreed with Cohen of the Washington Post that those who appeared on his shoe were showing support for Imus. How's that for doublespeak. What a f----in Joke!

[mac128k-1984]

Originally Posted by Orion27 

This is playing out on Liberal media, CNN amd MSNBC. They know the score if your not willing to admit it. Jonathan Alter, the slimeball Newsweel columnist, while admitiing the scurrilous attack on black womem did not see anything wrong with continuing to appear on Don Imus's show because as he said he was not responsible but agreed with Cohen of the Washington Post that those who appeared on his shoe were showing support for Imus. How's that for doublespeak. What a f----in Joke!

Wow you are paranoid,

[ironknee]

imus is not liberal is he? i always thought he was conservative.

in any case this whole this is silly at best