This morning, I had a chance to listen to Tim Russert on Meet the Press. One of his guests was Gwen Ifill. I have watched her presentations on PBS over the years. She was good. Today, she was great. Her comments were controlled and not emotional. She didn't throw bouquets at Tim Russert before telling him that he was part of the club.
The guests on the show brought up all the points that have been articulated on the blogs. Others do it. We listen to it. He has been doing it for years and finally that "shock jocks" are successful because of how politically incorrect they are. Despite how hateful their comments might be. Gwen Ifill threw it right back on Russert and one of his other guests, David Brooks, She said: "There has been radio silence from a lot of people who have done this program who could have spoken up and said, I find this offensive or I didn't know. These people didn't speak up. Tim, we didn't hear from you. David, we didn't hear from you."
In a recent article, Ms. Ifill wrote about how she had been a target of Imus. Many years ago, it has been alleged that Imus said, "Isn't The Times wonderful, it lets the cleaning lady cover the White House."
A couple of days ago, I wrote that the firing of Don Imus was wrong. Today, I listed to Gwen Ifill and realized that I was wrong. It was not all about Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson. Long ago, Don Imus crossed the line and in the past he took care of his mistakes by apologizing. This time, the apology didn't work. You see, after apologies of the past, Imus never changed. He continued to say hurtful things about people and races that were just not true. Yes, Imus should have been fired.
Reader Comments ( Page 3 of 25)
31. I think Imus was as justified in giving a racist, stero-type analogy of basketball players, as the prosecuting DA that said" why would a rich, white, divorced woman date a poor, black man that worked as a janitor?" during a closing statement on an upstate journalist murder trial. Think before you speak, and if you don't, welcome the lash of defense. After all, everyone is wrong and they just dont understand "they're just words"..do realize I am stating pure sarcasim.
Sylvia at 5:37PM on Apr 16th 2007
32. First of all, I would like to say that it was right for Imus to be fired. It isn't a question of what race he spoke of, or how many other actors, musicians etc have joined the parade of racist comments. Does one person getting away with it make it right? As Americans we have the responsibility to take a stand when a group who did nothing wrong is attacked with slander or libel. It is not a question of which race, ethnic group or religion was attacked. The problem is getting out of control and needs to be stopped. If Imus has to take the fall, then so be it. Perhaps it will bring the seriousness of the issue to the front burner. Those who attack Blacks or any other race or defend Imus's comments need to re evaluate their position. America is the home of the free and needs to set the example for other countries.
Lauren at 5:37PM on Apr 16th 2007
33. Bravo Mr. Mullaney!!!
And I say Bravo for the profound "aha" insight that is captured in your statement. It is not about Sharpton and Jackson. And it isn't about Rappers. As an African American professional female, I understand and oft times concur with some views that the larger audience is questioning. However, the real issue here is the stereotypical offenses and its consequential "insincere" rhetorical apology. The words "Jigaboo" and "wannabee" were used in a movie expressing the same rage that there is such needless intra-racist issues among African Americans, even today. To hear it being stated about professional African American women, one of whom is a law student, is tantamount to the same as calling Gwen Ifill, a "cleaning lady." Far too long, the African American race has spent it's defense on correcting lies, fables, fallacies that demean the race into sub-human caricatures. Then to say sorry soon after, and then repeatedly say similar offenses over and over again? No lessons are being learned. More so, the lessons that we as African Americans have learned, are not being recognized by the larger society. We are more than educated. We have broken glass ceilings as in the case of Gwen Ifill, Chenault of American Express, my dear neighbor, Bruce Gordon, now with CBS. We are Internationally acclaimed surgeons, like Dr. Ben Carson. We are golf champions. And all this in the face of the greatest odds, due to the mindset that says daily, "I don't want change. I feel comfortable in my prejudice. I can be liberal and conservative. Just don't change our bias."
Glady at 5:50PM on Apr 16th 2007
34. Mullaney is the worse kind of moron who can't separate humor and satire from bigotry and down-right mean stupidity. I'm sure he thinks that Jonathan Swift really wanted to eat Irish babies. He's just another example of the Yahoo's who have infiltrated the media, be it television, web, radio or music. They're all looking for their own victims to pillary and build their own careers on the backs of convenient targets of hacks like Sharpton and Jackson and don't have memories enough to recall Tawana and Heimy.
Ray K at 6:05PM on Apr 16th 2007
35. Mario Hepp at 2:40PM on Apr 16th 2007 said:
"What's the big thing ? as far as I'm concerned Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson should be shot on site. These two black scumbags,are nothing but two uneducated racist phonies living off the backs of
dumb blacks.Blacks will never be excepted in white society,as long as they continue raping, murdering, assualting and drug tafficing.Just look at those TV shows MTV and VH1 they are discussing,it shows the animals that they really are."
Since so many have attacked Mario's poor grammar skills, I won't go there. But I will say this:
Every time we get idiots like this on the Internet (and there are millions), they associate every social ill with Black America, when in fact, such crimes are committed by white offenders just as much, if not more, than their black counterparts.
"Blacks will never be excepted in white society,as long as they continue raping."
Hm, every time I turn around, in the bigger child molestation cases, the perpetrators are white, middle-aged males. And rape, unfortunately, crosses all cultures. Want to get rid of it? Get rid of men. Hey, now THERE'S a novel idea! (eesh)
"murdering..."
That's just plain stupid. All the major shootings in schools have been done by...you guessed it - young to middle age Caucasian males. (We'll see what happened today at V Tech when the info is released. There's always a first.)
"assualting..."
I see just as many, if not more, videos of white boys beating up the homeless as I do black or Hispanic.
"...and drug tafficing"
You're kidding, right? Again, both parties are guilty.
"Just look at those TV shows MTV and VH1 they are discussing,it shows the animals that they really are"
Oh, this sounds like someone is really upset that Headbanger's Ball isn't what it used to be. By saying "they," I'm assuming you mean black people in general. Well, you're right, there. Blacks are homo sapiens, but then so are whites. If, by chance, you mean "unruly," then one only needs to look at the Neo Nazi party, the Michigan Militia, the KKK. Oh hell, why go that far? You ever been in a mosh pit at a Metallica concert? W.T.F.?
As a black woman who grew up during the heyday of Heavy Metal (and who is still a fan), I have come to realize there are idiots on both sides of this race fence. People talk about rap (which I hate), but it's okay for GnR to sing "Used to Love Her, but Had to Kill Her"? What about STP's "Sex-type Thing," which clearly talks about date rape? Jim Morrison and the Beatles advocated drug use. Elvis died of a drug overdose. Jerry Lewis was a pedophile.
But let's not stop there. MOST of your great, white poets of the Romantic era (that's 18th & 19th century), all wrote while wigged out on opium. But I guess that's all right. Hey, they speak the Queen's English, so they're okay.
What I'm tired of is the HYPOCRISY from BOTH sides. The "N" word should be off limits for EVERYONE. I don't take it off a black person any more than I will off a white person. I am black, educated and proud of my country as it continues to make great strides toward dividing racial lines. What Imus did was just plain stupid, yes. And I personally can't stand Sharpton or Jackson...BUT....BUT....
If they didn't stand up, would anyone else? Would a white person have said, "Damn, that was a little crass." Or would all the white people just join in the joke and giggle as they sat in rush-hour traffic? Well? What transpired last week was not just about black and white relations in America, it was about the ignorance that abounds on both sides of the Mason Dixon line. It's about America saying, "Dammit, enough already with the jokes! Enough with the racist, sexist comments! ENOUGH!" And it's not just for Imus, but ANYONE black or white who seeks to propagate hatred under the guise of free speech.
"I'm sick of blacks whining about slavery." Well, you know what? Slavery is the reason the situation is the way it is. And in my field of study, when someone is complaining, then there must be something wrong. Instead of saying, "I'm sick of hearing it," why not turn a compassionate ear and ask, "OKAY! What's the problem and how can WE fix it?"
I see on the Internet all the time, whites complaining about, "All blacks want is a free ride."
Well, hell, YOU had a free ride in the first 200 years of this country's development, but I digress.
There are lazy people on both sides of this fence. I counseled in a welfare office during my study and well...all I talked to were middle-aged, able-bodied white men who all tried to convince me they had mental problems. So, don't give me the "lazy" rap. All *I* personally want as a black American woman is to be treated fairly, to be judged by my skills and not by my skin, to be recognized for my achievements as much as my white counterparts are recognized, to be considered equal because I am human, regardless of my race, culture, religion, education or class.
Deep down inside, I don't want an apology--'cause Imus has proven that apologies mean jack crap these days. Don't give me words, give me actions...
Stop the hate. Stop the ignorance. Turn off the media and try to TALK and COMMUNICATE with others different from yourselves, because after all....
Hatred is nothing more than fear and fear is a byproduct of ignorance.
Break the cycle of fear. We're all American and are more alike than we are different.
Peace...for God sakes...let it happen.
Sangreal at 6:01PM on Apr 16th 2007
36. Some of the comments on this site are getting out of hand. Keep the racist BS to yourself and off this board as we're attempting to have an informed debate. Go to the Huffington Post or some other hate-filled site if you want to spout that garbage.
Scott at 6:19PM on Apr 16th 2007
37. Just avoid television and radio except to watch or hear the actual sporting event you like and then turn it off.
Chris Street at 7:49PM on Apr 16th 2007
38. Dear Mario Hepp,
No one is going to take you seriously, til you learn how to spell.
nancy at 4:16AM on Apr 17th 2007
39.
WORDS ARE DANGEROUS SPOKEN OR VERBAL.
Knowledge is power.
lougene at 6:09AM on Apr 30th 2007
40. GOD HELP US ALL.
P.MC at 7:14PM on Apr 16th 2007
41. THE CIVIL WRONGS MOVEMENT
The firing of Imus says less about silencing a big-mouthed bigot---and so everyone knows, I think Imus belongs in the pantheon of knuckle dragging morons---than it does about the punitive nature of Al Sharpton, the self-appointed custodian of the King legacy who, like Jesse Jackson, has kidnapped of the civil rights movement and kept it hostage for the last 30 years.
Pressing home Imus’ termination from CBS overly harsh. When Bryant Gumball went on his white-bashing tirade regarding the Winter Olympics and the GOP, adding that white athletes were inferior to black ones, I don’t recall anyone charging into ESPN and demanding his head. Neither did he lose sponsors or even earn a rebuke from his employer.
I have to think that MLK would have handled Imus differently. I’d like to think that after seeing the curmudgeon bigot humbled and sorry, that Dr King just might have shown some mercy and let a reformed Imus go back on the air with a different message. By having Imus fired, Sharpton only recycled an ignorant bigot into a more convicted and angrier one—nothing solved, nothing proved, nothing learned.
marki81769 at 8:42AM on Apr 17th 2007
42. Darlene is correct. Really doubt persons like
Rush Limbaugh, Bill oreilly, or Glen Beck
are going to speak out when something of this nature
occurs. Their audience would be unhappy.
Chas at 7:27PM on Apr 16th 2007
43. It is amazing to me that when someone speaks out against racism and misogyny they all of sudden become the target of the attack instead of the person who made the comments! Just plain ignorance. Don Imus has made inumberable racist, derogatory comments over the years, apologized and kept on working. If he was employed in a company that you or worked in, he would of been gone a long time ago. And speaking of ignorance, I hope all you racists are proud of your functionally illiterate buddy Mario Hepp represent you!
Mary at 7:42PM on Apr 16th 2007
44. Thank You, Pens4swords.
I loved the way you broke down Mario's ignorant comments.I don't know why I still allow comments to mess with me emontionally.2007 and we are still dealing with this crap.Advice for Mario spell check.
You should check out National Geographics sometimes.Because you know your black too. HA,HA
Inez Gobert at 8:11PM on Apr 16th 2007
45. Hey Mario,
Who the hell cares about being accepted by the likes of you.Spare Me. You're a nobody,You're not
important,don't flatter yourself.By the way,my White
wife accepts me.
Sam
Samuel Smith at 8:05PM on Apr 16th 2007