So the Imus thread got wiped out when the site went down earlier this week.

At that time, the network had just suspended him for two weeks.  Now they've gone ahead and fired him.  I won't miss the sunoverbeach for 2 seconds, but I'm still ambivalent about his ouster.  I do think it is time to start holding these program hosts with millions of listeners to a higher standard.  Imus kept saying bigoted things because the ratings were good and nobody objected much.  Perhaps they should have told Imus they were not going to tolerate any more racist statements and kept to their word.  If he did it again, then they could fire him.

Like I say, Hannity, O'Reilly, Savage, Limbaugh, and other clods in the talk radio/TV business say things every day I find much more affrontive than what Imus said. 

Race is the proverbial "third rail."  However, I think it is time to take issues of "class" just as seriously.  Most conservative talkers refrain from overt race bigotry and couch everything in a hate-the-poor jargon, which is still accepted.  It shouldn't be.
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say, for instance, if this guy was on msnbc... somehow... he'd probably get fired by some people who didn't get what he's saying. i think he's actually recapturing a little bit of what lenny bruce was doing, which i think michael richards might have been trying to do.

Reporter: Ludacris calls black women nappy headed hos on his new album.

Woman: Yeah, we listen to his album in the locker room before games.

Reporter: Eddie Murphy talks about hooking up with an African bush bitch named Oonfoofoo. Even mocks her funny african accent.

Woman: Yeah, Raw was hilarious.

Reporter: Don Imus jokingly referred to a female basketball team as nappy headed hos.

Woman: Don who?

Reporter: Don Imus. He has a nationally broadcasted radio show.

Woman: Oh, ok.

Reporter: He’s white.

Woman: OH MY GOD! That is the most offensive thing I’ve ever heard! My dreams are shattered! Call Oprah, we need healing. We better have a sit down at the governor’s mansion!

IMO, this whole story is such a load of garbage.

On any given day you can turn on the TV and listen to somebody making fun of the Irish, or any other race of uptight white people. A lot of the time spoken by a black person. But god forbid any white person makes a crack about a black person.

well, if it werent for little details like slavery, centuries of segregation, rampant lynching and racially motivated violence and the fact that blacks still make something like half what white people do for the same job, i might be able to get worked up over the alleged double standard. as it is i've always found this argument a bit silly, to tell you the truth.

Translated to UK English (the English everyone else uses), the term "nappy headed hoes" would mean some woman (possibly a prostitute?) with a diaper (as you call it) on their head...

People get too offended these days. Rap music is littered with racist remarks such as this, but as soon as some redneck talkback host says it, its a huge no-no.

Odd how the democrats have turned on their own again. The last time it was done was not too long ago.... about this senator who lost his party vote at home (not liberal enough I guess)..... but he got elected anyway, bummer to the far left!

  (and odd how sharpton - who has publically said HORRIBLE things about Jews, Greeks and white people = led the way to the Imus canning ... go figure)

yeah, william kristol on fox news sunday bent over backward to make the imus thing some sort of a partisan issue but i don't see it. when you say "the democrats turned on one of their own" does that mean the republicans didn't turn on imus? i.e., the republicans are okay with what he said? it wouldn't surprise me but i just want to make sure that's what you mean.

this isn't about party. it's about racism.

al sharpton actually made quite a spirited defense of himself, also on fox news sunday. he made the dude interviewing him look like a true chump. fox is such a joke.

yeah, william kristol on fox news sunday bent over backward to make the imus thing some sort of a partisan issue but i don't see it. when you say "the democrats turned on one of their own" does that mean the republicans didn't turn on imus? i.e., the republicans are okay with what he said? it wouldn't surprise me but i just want to make sure that's what you mean.

this isn't about party. it's about racism.

al sharpton actually made quite a spirited defense of himself, also on fox news sunday. he made the dude interviewing him look like a true chump. fox is such a joke.


Republicans are not okay about what he said, that's silly.  Democrats turning on their own means just what is says, they turn on their own. There is a big civil war going on with the democrats - hard to miss or deny.

There is no defense for Al Sharpton. He is a lime light seeker and a biggot himself... he has said countless nasty things, like I said, against Jews, Greeks, White people etc., and the hypocrite you see on TV is gutter.

As for Fox News, you know the correspondents and see the interviews - apparently much more than I do. You seem fixed on the whole Fox thing, like it's a huge threat - but you watch it a lot anyway. Maybe that's why it is number one huh? 

It is ignorant  for rappers to use the language they use, we all agree on that. They are stuck in there own genre, and let us not forget it isn't African Americans who have made them what they are today, there is a huge chunk of Causcasian middle and upper middle class money fueling them.  The difference between them and Imus is that they are ignorant fools who are basically talking"in the house", not specifically aiming that crap at specific persons, if they are they aren't named.  Imus' comments were to a group of young women who had a remarkable season in college by doing everything right, and the only thing he and his buddy Bernard could come up with was "nappy headed hos" and, what has been left out of the conversation, Bernard calling them "jigaboos and wannabees".  I notice everyone leaves Bernard out of the conversation.  On Sunday "60 Minutes" did a rebroadcast of an Imus segment where admitted that Bernard was hired to "make jokes about (n-word)".  He admitted that yes he had said that specifically. 

I have never considered Imus a Democrat.  He has supported Democrats, but that doesn't make him a poster boy for the party by any means.  He has also had happy talk on his show with none other than Dick Cheney on inauguration day, at that..

It is ignorant  for rappers to use the language they use, we all agree on that. They are stuck in there own genre, and let us not forget it isn't African Americans who have made them what they are today, there is a huge chunk of Causcasian middle and upper middle class money fueling them. 



OMG! I don't buy that excuse. I heard it too, from the very biggoted head of the black panthers. Poor rappers, victims, (again), by the same mentality of the slave holders - keeping these poor faultless black RICH to the core rappers in a form of slavery (that makes them call women hos and WORSE, much WORSE!) I haven't heard one story of a upper middle class white man holding a gun to a rapper's head to make them become rich stars with their potty mouths.


i think imus is a jerk & deserves what he gets. But for the rappers and Al Sharpton, who call greek's homos and jewish people all kinds of things over the years are hypocrites w/double standards and have some never jumping in the middle of all this and crying victim.

 

I have never considered Imus a Democrat.  He has supported Democrats, but that doesn't make him a poster boy for the party by any means.  He has also had happy talk on his show with none other than Dick Cheney on inauguration day, at that..


MANY BIG BIG politicans were on the Imus show. But he backs and votes for democrats; (couldn't you tell just by listening? I means it's no secret, but surely by listening you could tell, right?)

OMG! I don't buy that excuse. I heard it too, from the very biggoted head of the black panthers. Poor rappers, victims, (again), by the same mentality of the slave holders - keeping these poor faultless black RICH to the core rappers in a form of slavery (that makes them call women hos and WORSE, much WORSE!) I haven't heard one story of a upper middle class white man holding a gun to a rapper's head to make them become rich stars with their potty mouths.
It's like I said before.  Hate sells. Negativity sells.  Those rappers are rich for the same reasons the Limbaugh and other right-wing trash talkers are rich.  They all tell insecure people what they want to hear (ie. "all b!tches ain't sh!t," or "liberals are all queers and baby-killers").  If nobody kicked up a fuss about what Imus said, no advertisers would have backed out and he'd still be on the air.  The fact that gangsta rappers or angry white male radio show hosts are popular says more about the American public who buys the message than those who sell the message. 


i think imus is a jerk & deserves what he gets. But for the rappers and Al Sharpton, who call greek's homos and jewish people all kinds of things over the years are hypocrites w/double standards and have some never jumping in the middle of all this and crying victim.
And Al Sharpton stands no chance of having a nationally syndicated radio program simulcast live on MSNBC.  That has  less to do with the hateful things he said about other ethnicities and more because he does not champion the rich white male above every other human being on the planet.

 
MANY BIG BIG politicans were on the Imus show. But he backs and votes for democrats; (couldn't you tell just by listening? I means it's no secret, but surely by listening you could tell, right?)


Yes.  He called Dick Cheney a war criminal.

I personally find Tim Russert more abhorrent than Imus.  Russert is merely a shill for the corporatocracy.


Republicans are not okay about what he said, that's silly.  Democrats turning on their own means just what is says, they turn on their own. There is a big civil war going on with the democrats - hard to miss or deny.
Uh, Republicans reflexively cried "Jesse Jackson called New York 'Hymietown'!" as they do everytime African Americans speak up about racist statements.

There is a civil war going on the Democratic party.  There are those who want to return to  being Democrats and those who want to keep being the other Republican party.

There is no defense for Al Sharpton. He is a lime light seeker and a biggot himself... he has said countless nasty things, like I said, against Jews, Greeks, White people etc., and the hypocrite you see on TV is gutter.
As above, Sharpton says something bigoted now and again.  I wish he wouldn't say those things, and I wish he didn't hold those opinions.  He also never admitted he was wrong about the Tawana Brawley scandal in the 20 years since it happened.  However, the real real reason Sharpton gets demonized is he dares to talk about class--as in economic disparity--in America.

As for Fox News, you know the correspondents and see the interviews - apparently much more than I do. You seem fixed on the whole Fox thing, like it's a huge threat - but you watch it a lot anyway. Maybe that's why it is number one huh? 

Good point.  I often wonder how many FOX Viewers are left-wingers like me who tune in to laugh at those clowns and flip 'em the bird (too bad they can't see through the other side of the TV, eh?).  FOX News is actually a threat to democracy.  The did help Bush steal the election in 2000.


It is ignorant  for rappers to use the language they use, we all agree on that. They are stuck in there own genre, and let us not forget it isn't African Americans who have made them what they are today, there is a huge chunk of Causcasian middle and upper middle class money fueling them.
I don't think this is an excuse so much as it is indeed the truth.  White Americans buy the fast amount of recorded music and concert tickets, just a fact of sheer numbers.  As above, negativity sells.  I have heard rappers say they could make music with a socially constructive message, but that's not what the record companies want to market.  It all comes back to the consumer and it's all part of the bigger picture of American pop culture, which terribly mean-spirited.

  The difference between them and Imus is that they are ignorant fools who are basically talking"in the house", not specifically aiming that crap at specific persons, if they are they aren't named.  Imus' comments were to a group of young women who had a remarkable season in college by doing everything right, and the only thing he and his buddy Bernard could come up with was "nappy headed hos" and, what has been left out of the conversation, Bernard calling them "jigaboos and wannabees".

My friend fingered Bernard as the culprit and Imus more for not keeping a tighter leash on those little bastards.  It's hard for me to comment too much on Imus lately because I found him....dull.  It's sick, but I go back to O'Reilly and Hannity because they get my blood boiling!  Anyway, my friend the Imus listener remarked how disgusted it made him the way those guys would lampoon African American accents, like the way the made fun of Maya Angelou who does not have that kind of accent.  Otherwise, he said, Imus was more independent in his thinking than the right-wing Kool-Aid drinkers.  Just when you think he's another angry white male conservative, he'll condemn the war, for instance. 
:-I have never considered Imus a Democrat.  He has supported Democrats, but that doesn't make him a poster boy for the party by any means.  He has also had happy talk on his show with none other than Dick Cheney on inauguration day, at that..

Say this incident had not happened.  I doubt Cheney would go on Imus nowadays and answer for himself.  Last time I heard Cheney talk to a media host it was Limbaugh.  The only person who would be more subservient to Cheney than Limbaugh is Dennis Miller.

White Americans buy the fast amount of recorded music and concert tickets, just a fact of sheer numbers.  As above, negativity sells.  I have heard rappers say they could make music with a socially constructive message, but that's not what the record companies want to market.  It all comes back to the consumer and it's all part of the bigger picture of American pop culture, which terribly mean-spirited.

No, I have to disagree with you that why todays rap sells with filthy langauge is because of the negativity I think its because of the reeillion factor myself. See, the kids that listen to this rap music that uses the B, H, and N word along with the raunchy music video's of todays rap music it scares their parents hence the rebellion factor that I was thalking about before.

As far as the record companies pushing this bling-bling rap the rappers should just say to the lablel we are gonna make the record the we want it and you(the label) will have no say in the way we make our songs. In my opinion rock groups in the 80's and 90's like Stone Temple Pilots or Van Halen would stand up to the label and say we are gonna make music the we want to make it unlike the some of the rappers of todays that cave into the lables demands in my opinion of resorting to the B, H, and N word.

As far as white people buying most of the music well the reason why alot of white people(mostly white men I feel) buy rap nowadadays is there is nothig else for young white men to buy in terms of music like there was in the early to mid 90's when alternative rock was popular. I mean the music industry really doesn;t cater to young white men I feel anymore but the labels do cater to young white women more I mean look at the late 90'/early 00's teen-pop era and now the EMO bands its mostly white women that buy that type of music I feel.

Lastly I feel that firing Imus proves nothing unless Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton decide to clean up rap music in terms of the lyrics and the music video's especially that are like soft porn. I mean the black community should have cleaned up rap music awhile ago.

It's like I said before.  Hate sells. Negativity sells.  Those rappers are rich for the same reasons the Limbaugh and other right-wing trash talkers are rich. 


....And Al Frankin and other left-wing trash talkers.


And Al Sharpton stands no chance of having a nationally syndicated radio program simulcast live on MSNBC. 



So it's okay then to be a biggoted hypocrite with double-standards because he won't get on MSNBC with his own show? Logical.



  Yes.  He called Dick Cheney a war criminal.



A. Isn't that line a bit like what you said a TROLL was?
B. He is not a war criminal and there is no evidence of that, (but if it makes you feel good, go for it)
C. Many big political figures on both sides have been on his show. Maybe you only know of one person, (maybe that's who you saw as an example of big political figures on CNN) but clearly your example and format don't make for a very intellectual discussion... more as a "troll" thing, huh?



There is a civil war going on the Democratic party.  There are those who want to return to  being Democrats and those who want to keep being the other Republican party.



No, not so much. There is a civil war in the Democrat party between those who believe in the Democrat party as in the Kennedy years & those who bow down to the extremists so that moveon.org won't go after them, as they do.... They claim to own the democrat party - and there are those who stay true to the principals of the party it once was.


Good point.  I often wonder how many FOX Viewers are left-wingers like me who tune in to laugh at those clowns and flip 'em the bird (too bad they can't see through the other side of the TV, eh?). 



Classy stuff there!

    I am sure they do not care who watches, just as long as people watch and their ratings remain high.... eh?




FOX News is actually a threat to democracy.  The did help Bush steal the election in 2000.




Wow.



I don't think this is an excuse so much as it is indeed the truth.  White Americans buy the fast amount of recorded music and concert tickets, just a fact of sheer numbers.  As above, negativity sells.  I have heard rappers say they could make music with a socially constructive message, but that's not what the record companies want to market.  It all comes back to the consumer and it's all part of the bigger picture of American pop culture, which terribly mean-spirited.


No one would buy something that is not produced or made - that simple. If the rappers you heard said that, THAT should have made you laugh. I would not buy into that story, as I said, no american puts a gun to these potty mouthed rappers with their vile words and force them to sing em!



Say this incident had not happened.  I doubt Cheney would go on Imus nowadays and answer for himself.  Last time I heard Cheney talk to a media host it was Limbaugh.  The only person who would be more subservient to Cheney than Limbaugh is Dennis Miller.
::)




Yuck, you know? - just yuck.

I also wanted I think the reason why Imus got backlashed the way he did was because he didn;t nessecariliy address black women as Nappy Heded_____ he was addressing women in general wether it be be white, Asian, Spainish, or black women for that matter.

but by the same token.... should Imus have gotten fired? No way. I think he should have been suspened for a month since he was very apologetic due to the fact he aplogized twice on his own radio show for his actions and even appeared on Sharptons show.