Don Imus Deserved To Be Fired (And Other Misconceptions)
by Jonathan David Morris | View comments |
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Even if Imus has to resort to taping his shows and selling them out of the trunk of his car, he will return, and you can mark my words on this.
Don Imus has been fired from his CBS radio show and MSNBC simulcast for calling the Rutgers women’s basketball team a bunch of “nappy-headed ho’s.”
As with most major news stories, this one has inspired a number of misconceptions. Thankfully, this is the kind of problem God put me on Earth to solve.
Misconception No. 1: Don Imus deserved to be fired.
No, what Don Imus deserved was to continue languishing in relative obscurity. Before this controversy, most people had forgotten Don Imus existed. In fact, the most shocking thing about this “shock jock” wasn’t what he said — it was that he still had a show to be fired from.
Now that’s all about to change. Sure, he’s out of work at the moment. But you honestly think that’s going to last? Satellite radio will hire Don Imus. And if satellite radio doesn’t hire him, some radio-like Internet outlet undoubtedly will.
Even if Imus has to resort to taping his shows and selling them out of the trunk of his car, he will return, and you can mark my words on this. No one cared about Imus before Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson decided his “nappy-headed ho’s” comment meant something. When Imus returns, he will have the biggest ratings of his career.
Misconception No. 2: What Imus said was highly offensive.
Mean? Yes. Offensive? No.
For Imus’s words to be offensive, they would have to have genuinely affected somebody. It’s hard to imagine this guy genuinely affecting the black community when nothing he’s said has genuinely affected the white community, nor the dinosaur community — two communities of which he’s a part — for years.
Sharpton and Jackson would have you believe Imus’s firing constitutes some kind of “progress” in American race relations. But the truth is, Imus wasn’t fired for saying something offensive; he was fired for saying something that, until now, blacks only said to other blacks.
Everyone knows this double standard exists, which is why everyone feels the need to mention rap while discussing Don Imus. Calling black women “ho's” may have been a really stupid decision on his part, but the only real progress his firing indicates is that blacks and whites now openly discuss this double standard.
Misconception No. 3: Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are reverends.
Reverends of what? Don’t reverends typically talk about Jesus or something?
Someone needs to explain why we keep giving these two a platform. Who are these men anyway? Why is no one else asking this?
Misconception No. 4: Imus’s comments “ruined” Rutgers’ basketball season.
I don’t see how this is possible. These girls made it all the way to the NCAA’s women’s basketball championship game. If anything, the Imus story only elaborated upon their own hard-won glory by putting them in the national spotlight for two weeks longer than any second-place women’s collegiate sports team deserves.
Come to think of it, has any first-place women’s collegiate sports team ever received this much attention? These girls should quit complaining and start counting money. Don Imus has just earned each one of them a book deal.
Misconception No. 5: Firing Imus in some way rectified an ugly situation.
Firing a guy for something he already said can in no way, shape, or form undo the fact that he said it. If the Rutgers women were half the men they claim to be, they would quit whining and respond to Don Imus the only way that makes sense. If this man hurt their feelings, then hurt his feelings back.
Don Imus looks like an old potato wrapped in a blanket of hair. If anyone’s the nappy-headed ho here, it’s Imus. Or Al Sharpton.
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Well said all around.
Comment by WolvenBear | April 23, 2007
I am a 51 yr.old conservative, level-headed stockbroker and lawyer. In my life I have had situations that I did not agree with, but never have I taken such a zealous advocate role. What was done to Don Imus is more than an outrage, more than sinful. MSNBC's draconian acts are as unforgivable as Al Sharpton's and Jesse Jackson's lack of forgiveness of Don Imus. MSNBC will never replace what it has thrown away. It is my prayer that all responsible for this career ending, unfair and unforgiving act will experience the same. I know there are millions of people in this country that feel this way. It is time now to be heard. This could happen to any of us. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are hippocrital, disingenuous public figures that do not fairly depict the mainstream of Black America. I challenge the friends, supporters, authors, musicians and politicians that have received support over the years from Don Imus to stand up now and do the right thing. If we can't do this under these extreme circumstances, our country has gone to hell in a handbasket. Sincerely, I remain, Glenn E. Brandon, Jr. Birmingham, Al.
Comment by glennebrandonjr | April 24, 2007
I must respond to the Imus stories on the net posted from the start of this case up to today. I want give this real thought and reason, both of which no one used when this story broke and the days after. This is not about hip-hop music. Don Imus listened to and had as guests on his show everything but hip hop. I recall many black and white performers– some country, some rock, some old, some young. We all never would have listened to the show if he played and talked like those black and white trash mouthed people he is being compared to. No, it's not the music –just a slip of the tongue. We have all done it. What happened next is the story. One person involved with MSNBC conspired with TWO other black political activists/preachers and decided this was a race issue. From there my guess is GM and the other advertisers were pressured to pull adds from the show. This brought others into the mix to further the race based agenda. The reason for all of this was to use 3 words that should not have been said; but they were. Don Imus took the high road and met with the team and said he was sorry. But for the 3 men intent on bringing a powerful white man down, this would have all been over. The racist are the black men that pushed this to a level of almost blackmail. MSNBC was forced to make a decision that they were apparently not predisposed to make. Of course NBC has a duty to its shareholders to protect the interest of the company and not to advance a board member and a few employees personal political/raciest cause to the detrement of the company. We have missed the real story here. Don Imus was paid to shock and to say and do outlandish things. MSNBC knew what was on the show every day. Why did MSNBC not intervene on day 1 if they thought this was such a critical matter? The management of MSNBC could have issued a formal statement and had Don Imus make a formal apology. Another agenda was in play by this time. Sharpton, Jackson and the board member were making the plan to use force, blackmail, extortion or what ever you want to call it to make Don Imus an example of what can happen to you if you say anything that even has the slightest bit of racial overtone. Well, I think this has backfired just as it did to the DA in the Duke rape. Well, I guess we need to call it the Duke slander/defamation case because there was no rape. Dear Mr. DA, Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Sharpton helped you on that case. How's that working out for you? That's another situation where good people have been hurt because the media follows these two, and from there all hell breaks loose! If either of the cases were mine I WOULD SUE THEM ALL. I also would try for a personal judgment because in the Imus case it sounds like MSNBC AND IT'S BOARD MEMBER were acting on their personal political/racial interest and not acting within the scope of their employment. Their duty to was to protect shareholder value. Don Imus is a good person and deserves much more than this. If he wants to go back on the air I am sure he could get a group of fans to finance it. Thank you. Glenn Brandon
Comment by glennebrandonjr | April 30, 2007
Why is freedom of speech reserved for everyone but white men? How can a Black rapper say that our President HATES an entire race and no one bats an eye. Rosie O'd can go off about impeaching our President every morning on the View and Elizibeth HAS to be PC? I am proud of my conservative beliefs and also proud of the restraint of those in the public eye. Now I can see why we have to be SO careful!
Comment by sassyblonde | May 25, 2007