And this time, it involves my alma mater:
On Wednesday morning, Don Imus called the students who play for the Rutgers University women’s basketball team a bunch of “nappy-headed ho’s.”
Even for Mr. Imus, a nationally syndicated radio host who knows his way around an insult, it was a shocking remark, one that seemed to impugn both the physical and moral characteristics of a team composed mostly of black players.
What followed was a familiar dance for Mr. Imus and the media companies that profit from his ability to shock his way to big audiences: outrage, indignation and, eventually, the expression of deep regret.
And so on Thursday, Mr. Imus wondered aloud on his show what the big deal was, saying people should not be offended by “some idiot comment meant to be amusing.”
Yea Don, really funny.
April 9th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
I wanted to know what education Don Imus had and what sports he played as a young man so I looked up his biograpy.
Education: High school drop out.
Sports: None mentioned, but he was a window dresser at one time.
These college kids that he is making fun of can run circles around him. He is truly ignorant.
April 9th, 2007 at 9:55 pm
Gates, Ballmer, Immelt et al should be held accountable. They profit from this spewing of hatred, hold the power, and refuse to stop it. Don’t ever tell me again about the values of Gates, Microsoft, NBC or GE. Their real values are on display in this matter.
April 10th, 2007 at 10:05 am
stop all the rappers and the comments……….don, appology accepted lets move on. all other coments on the subject only shows we are not all equal when it comes to forgiving and learning from our mistakes..we are all humans…
thanks for all your good work and humor about ourselves…
April 10th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Enough is enough.While I do not think it was appropriate what Imus said,he has the right to say what he wants. People need to wake up and read THEIR Constitution. I think it is the pot calling the kettle black by Al Sharpton blasting Imus for using racially charged comments. He is one of the most racist people on the air. It is a double standard that I am sick of. Blacks can say what ever they damn well please,but as soon as a white person says something totally stupid, he must be fired. I am not a racist at all, but I believe white people are letting people run over them because they don’t want to offend anyone. WHO CARES!!! Al Sharpton is notorious for enciting his followers. As far aa I am concerned, if Imus should be fired it is because he is an idiot and a bad talk show host.
April 10th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
I for one am sick and tired of the thought police telling us what to think and say, I am honestly more afraid of them,than of Mr. Imus. The last time I looked this was the USA and we had freedom of speech. Before you all jump on me and attack, I am Latino and a college graduate. I am in support of Imus.
April 10th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Unfortunately, there is an unwritten rule that says those who have been wronged have a right to be mad about the wrong generations after slavery. They have poetic license to make racial comments and slang that offend classes of people. However white people cannot do this. Is it fair? Is it right? It’s the disparity of a nation still healing from history. Imus shouldn’t have said that, because it hurt people. But fameous black people are constantly hurting women and white people in rap songs, and other forms of entertainment, of which Imus is a part of, entertainment. People need to get a life and stop focusing on what some entertainer says. IT’S CALLED POETIC LICENSE. If you don’t personally listen to the show, why do you care?
April 10th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
I think that he was wrong in what he said but I am a white woman and I am sick and tired of the reverse racism myself. Everyone is right how come we have never seen a black man or woman brought up on what they have said about white Americans? The media never covers that and they are allowed to say anything they want without retailation but a white person say one thing about a black person (excuse me an African American) then they are slammed in the media. If you do not like our constitution then you need to leave!
April 10th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
He should not be fired.
His job is to entertain, which involves making sometimes outrageous remarks. Part of that shtick is to mirror society back to itself. Young black men, especially in music, use such terms as ‘bitches and hos’ as acceptable expression. Others, including whites, copy those phrases tongue-in-cheek. Imus did the same. He didn’t make up what he said on his own- it’s ‘out there’ already.
Let the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons concentrate on the source of that kind of language- not someone who lifts it for a joke.
April 10th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
I think he should be fired. Not just for the racist comments but for the calling those girls whore’s. The women movements’ should also be upset. I watched THE VIEW today and was so taken back by Rosie’s less than opinoionated self be like “so What” Well what if Imus had said thos “muff eating ho’s” I bet she and the whole lesbian nation would be knoking down the doors of his managers. Yes we need to move on and yes there is a freedom of speech but what has happened to decorum and respect. What kind of example are the adults setting for our troubled youth.
April 11th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
Ok, lets see how I can put this delicately… First, I am a Black American and my main issue with this is that the radicals have come out the wood work to jump on this like rats on cheese to “defend our black american” females from this man who used what seems to be a vulgor description of themselves but nothing relating to the game of basketball. Was the word black ho used no, nappy-headed ho which I’ve also quite frankly seen many nappy-headed caucasion females playing on the court as well. My problem again back to my point is that at no time have I personnally seen an attack on the “rap game” and black american comics for calling our sistahs weave-heads, nappy-heads, whore’s, negroes, bitches etc. Let’s be fare and get away from the thinking of you can use these terms to describe our people if you are one of our people. Whites put their own down and so do we and if we both stop doing it to ourselves others will not feel enticed to do it to the opposite races. Get the dictionary and let’s use our words. When it’s about the sport, talk about the sport it’s just as bad as American Idol where we have one particular judge, judging everything else except talent.
November 2nd, 2007 at 8:03 am
Oh my, we are all headed for another uprising from the citizens of the U.S.A. Everywhere you look people are being censored because of something that might offend someone. When will it all stop? I’ll tell you when. When we unite as a trully liberal body and make it stop. This world is getting more out of control every day. It is time for some change…