I haven't written about the Imus affair here. I never listen to Imus and thus have no opinion of or particular interest in him. My main interest in the matter was simply to see how it would play out and what the outcome would say about the state of our culture.
Now that it's over, except for the comeback (presumably on a lesser media outlet), what have we learned? For one thing, we see that even in our boisterous and increasingly uncivil culture there are still limits. They may come into play only when incivility is directed at African-Americans, but it's still good to obtain confirmation that a critical mass of the public (I'm hoping it wasn't just corporate executives) is highly offended by the kind of insult Imus issued. The public's disgust was the key here, not the firing of Imus. His statement was bad enough to justify the discharge, but not so horrible as to require it. .
We also learned that has-beens Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson still get to play a role when racial controversies arise. That's unfortunate, especially in the case of Sharpton. As my Power Line partner Scott Johnson has written, "from his promotion of Tawana Brawley's hoax. . ., to his defense of the Central Park 'wilding' rapists, to his role in the pogroms leading to the murders of Yankel Rosenbaum in Crown Heights and eight victims in Freddy's Fashion Mart in Harlem, Sharpton has compiled a record that should result in his excommunication by decent people from civil society." Most recently, Sharpton promoted the miscarriage of justice represented by the prosecution of the three Duke lacrosse players. The only good I see coming from Sharpton's involvement is that by groveling before the pernicious preacher, Imus perhaps lost some of his credibility as an iconoclast. Those who forgive or are okay with his comment about the Rutgers player may be unwilling to forgive his appearance with Sharpton.
The final lesson comes from the reaction of the Rutgers basketball players. Naturally, they were insulted by Imus' comments, and could not be expected to laugh them off. But it was disappointing to see these women fall so readily into the victim role. After Imus met with the team today, the coach said that the healing process could now begin. It is a bad sign that an idiotic insult by a performing monkey would require a healing process. As one extraordinarily successful woman of hispanic national origin wrote to me in amazement, "Here are these. . .tough women on top of the world and they are so fragile that a remark knocks them down?"
Growing incivility of discourse coupled with hyper-sensitivity to insult isn't a good combination. This week's victory for civility was too circumscribed to signal a lasting set-back for the combination.
Reader Comments ( Page 3 of 9)
31. look people, i'm a rap artist myself, when we say ho's we're talking about the women that's really out there trying to sleep with you because of what you got...it is not about black women. a ho can be a white women as well; wich i had plenty. don imus picked on the wrong women, and he specificaly picked on black women period he described it by saying 'nappy headed'... this is one of the thing why i can't trust whites sometimes, you'll never know what's going to come out of their mouth....a ho is just another translation of a whore,bitch, slut which are white's profane words for women...now white folks are trying to flip the script by saying there aren't any scandalous women out there who is willing to have sex for material things, that's just absurd..when it comes to blacks, whites will always try to find something negative about us...we didn't invented the word sluts, whores and bitches, it's white folks words....you people are very very judgemental...this again is why sometimes i cannot trust a white person, they will laugh at your face but behind closed doors and internet sites they turn to some bigot bastards...I do not hate race unlike caucasians who hate race, i hate one's behavior...a word nigger will never come out right from a white person's mouth, and they know it that's why you people cannot say it NO MORE...stop complaining about how come we can say it, and you can't...maybe if you white folks study your bloody history in america a little more further then you'll know why you can't say it...you LOST!...i'm not trying to glorify that word, i'm just saying that white folks can't say it...i hate that word myself, and i always try to keep it off my rap lyrics...HIP HOP IS NOT A MONSTEREOUS RECORDS..HIP HOP IS MUSIC THAT ANYBODY CAN EXPRESS THEMSELVES ON..THERE ARE GOSPEL RAP, POLITICAL RAP, MUSLIM RAP, GANGSTA RAP ETC...THE THING IS THAT GANGSTA RAP GETS THE MOST PLAY ON THE RADIO AND TV...WHEN WHITE FOLKS DON'T UNDERSTAND SOMETHING, THEY ARE GOING TO DISCREDIT IT... BEFORE YOU CAN JUDGE SOMETHING, YOU NEED TO TRY TO LEARN ABOUT IT..STOP BEING AN IGNORANT BASTARD.. WHEN A TYPICAL WHITE PERSON HEARS JUST AN INSTRUMENTAL RAP MUSIC, HE'S ALREADY THINKING IT'S NEGATIVE, BUT IT COULD'VE BEEN A GOSPEL RAP BEATS...I HAD TO WRITE THIS IN CAPS TO TEACH YOU ALL SOMETHING NEW....AND ANOTHER THING, IN THE BIBLE JESUS CHRIST WAS DESCRIBED AS A MAN WITH A SKIN OF BRONZE, AND HAIR OF A SHEEP'S WOOL, BUT WHY WHITE FOLKS ALWAYS PLAYED HIM WHITE IN MOVIES AND OTHERS...STOP BEING AN IGNORANT FRIGGIN' BASTARD..
cizzurh at 2:48AM on Apr 14th 2007
32. Why is it when a white male says something bad about anybody ie. blacks, latino's, women he is a monster and should be lynched but it is ok for blacks, women etc. too say anything they want about white men? we truly are the minority. whe is Sharpton going too apologize too the duke players who were innocent the hole time? Him and Jackson were out there day one blasting the poor kids not knowing the hole evidence. Or how about they start protesting every time a cop is shot by a black criminal, or anytime a white person is murdered, mugged or rapped by a black or hispanic person, it will never happen, they would be out there all the time. If you want equality it should work both ways.
smokey2525 at 3:02AM on Apr 14th 2007
33. I'm so fed up with all this mess about IMUS, I have never listened to his radio show nor anyone else's. My opinion is that that Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson should be glad that they didnt live back in the slave days. Many of us have said if THEY respected themselves more, and didnt have a complex about the color of their skin, and quit killing each other than maybe white people would respect them.
Rececca at 3:17AM on Apr 14th 2007
34. Sharpton and Jackson are two of the biggest racists out there. This is so out of control. We are seeing our freedoms ripped away with this type of lynching. If someone has an ugly opinion, celebrated or not, it is their right to express, or slur, on their terms. Attack the sponsors for supporting this type of "outrage" if need be, but don't fire someone who owes part of his living for playing the shock. Speaking of outrage, I wish Jackson or fatty Sharpton would put this much effort into this debacle we are calling the War in Iraq. By the way, where were all the crying babies when when Jesse Jackson made his feelings known about Jews, or when Sharpton commented on his feelings regarding Korean shop owners? I have never even listened to Imus, but if he comes back, I will sign up for sure. Don't spit on your freedoms, especially the one regarding your right to FREEDOM OF SPEECH. Be careful with all of this suppression and political corrective action, America, it will come back to bite you in the arse.
Howard Stern Rules.
ms at 10:51AM on Apr 14th 2007
35. hey--is this dumb or what,.....in the old days if someone was offended by a comment that pointed towards a common occurence that seemed to insult,...well someone got their ass kicked,......or whatever,...matters are supposed to be handled in the same way they are directed,....personally,...unless you are a fcking weak baby who needs media to back up your retaliation and fight against the opposition,.......if you want to know my opinion,...the blacks are wearing some two plyed diapers,......this is waa waa sht,.......and they are always trying to justify their rights by highlighting violations regarding their positon as enequal to the rest of us,.......however,......whos responsible for putting and encourgaing the majority of black females to play baseball and not seeing black females going into medical science,.......are they a bunch of dumb apes?....imus only highlighted was has been put in front of our face,......give him his job back,......hes a good research experiment for the government to fund...........HA
Rose at 7:29PM on May 28th 2007
36. DON IMUS i like don imus he says what everyone else says in talking, in rap , in hip hop, jesse jackson never apologized for the affair he had , AL Sharpton should just keep his mouth shut i hope IMUS is back real real soon.
claudette noah at 3:41AM on Apr 14th 2007
37. I watched the show fairly regular...About a month ago, MS. Imus was on the Show .The Children had just come to the ranch. She was on the Show that morning. he said good morning to her and then ask her, "where are those little basteres"..She replyed, " I don't believe you just said that"...I have been in nursing for 20 years, and saw children with Cancer die and that is sad..I decided that day that I wouldn't ever watch the show again, because that was lack of respect to those sick children.
Kathy at 3:47AM on Apr 14th 2007
38.
I just don't understand it.
Don Imus was a -liberal- talk show host, yet it was democratic interests who orchestrated his downfall, and conservatives who (mostly) are defending him on reverse racism grounds. What the hell is going on? Is it backwards day?
Don't get me wrong, I felt it was an overreaction as well, and also a result of him not handling his apology very well. But firing him was a mistake. He made a joke in poor taste, but that is no reason to strip someone of a 30 year career considering everything else which has been said on talk radio. I recall Jesse Jackson calling for Rush Limbaugh's firing over comments about Donovan McNabb's favoritism as a black quarterback and getting nowhere. Perhaps he got somewhere this time because Imus was a highly politically correct liberal (sadly) who felt an apology was needed for a bad joke and proceeded to dig himself a grave via that apology.
Peter at 3:58AM on Apr 14th 2007
39. Two preachers,men of God, doing "HIS" work.Most of the time it's for the right reasons, sometimes for the wrong reasons. they mean well and I trust them both.I have read THE book. and I understand it very well,as I am am man of God. but to my dismay you are ALL missing the point. everyone of you.
Mr. Imass had not one right to say anything about "Our" children. and I hope(expect) that it will never happen again.Black, green, blue, white or purple they are children. Mr. Imass if my green child was on that winning team, I would have a problem with what you said.just as the men and women that are bringing up "our" children who are ON that team."our" colors are red, white and blue Mr.Jackson and Mr.Sharpton, Judge not....
Wayne at 8:50PM on Apr 15th 2007
40. The truth is that jesse "jukin" jackson and sharpie sharpton are a couple of lying, blackmailing, pieces of shit. Imus was in the wrong, but not nearly as wrong as the ringleaders of the mob who shouted the loudest. Sharpton has done much more damage to people, black and white than Imus ever has done or ever will do. If Imus has to go down, these two jackasses should go down with him.
The Truth at 5:03PM on Apr 15th 2007
41. While not supporting or condemning Imus for his remarks, show content, or character, people are prone to make mistakes—he did, acknowledged, apologized, and got fired.
However, is there a person –man or woman – that hasn’t made a mistake? No one is perfect, yet, people, organizations, governments, and universities believe in this canard that the US has somehow become an equal and unbiased nation.
The “race card” issue in this country is a double edged blade, and to be honest, it’s a tiresome issue as a whole. Black leaders and activists were hot on Imus’ trail and remarks, but is it fair to use the race issue, for anyone, to justify asking for fair and equal rights when all people are prejudice?!?
Yes, everyone is at fault! I will stand corrected if there is a person(s) that has never had or experienced an immoral thought, feeling, remark, or action towards another individual, group, organization, government, or nation.
Spare me the equality, righteous, propitious, I-have-minority-friends, let’s all get along bullshit speech. For all intents and purposes, we don’t live in blissful, utopian society and whoever believes so must be disillusioned in an inexorable fashion.
Let us take a closer look inward before passing judgment.
And since I have no advertisement or corporate sponsors paying my bills, I will think and say what the “fuck” I want—but then; my hypocrisy goes only so far.
S at 4:36AM on Apr 14th 2007
42. It would not make sense for Satellite Radio to pick up IMUS. Why?
Well, mainly because Satellite Radio is SUBSCRIPTION DRIVEN, where Terra Radio is driven by ADVERTISING. IMUS, though he made money from companies advertising on his show, had a very SMALL audience. IMUS would not give SAT RADIO any significant Subscription increase if he went there.
I say he will be hired on Terra Radio by Clear Channel(John Hogan) or Emmis Radio (Fahrid Suleman)
Griff at 4:46AM on Apr 14th 2007
43. I just can't believe that a network can cave in for some off color comments. I don't listen to his show but I have heard so many commments on the Prez,handycapped,jews,whites and so many others that it is hard to believe that a comment like that would take a mans job and all the good he does for cancer victims (mainly kids). Let Sharpton dis the crackers and Jessie screw around but GOD forbid anything is ever said! "Nappy headed ho's" Maybe some rapp star can make a million or two while Imus looses his job and cancer kids are filled with the thought of what a bad guy he is........GOD HELP US ALL........
Robert at 3:47AM on Apr 15th 2007
44. 1)As usual, Mirangoff serves himself and no others. The general public was NOT offended by Imus's remarks because the general public has been told by the Black community's lack of moral outrage and continued rap lyrics that this type of language is OK and truly represents "black culture" and is therefore protected. See anyone like Sharpton or Jackson going after the industry at all?
2)Unfortunately, the girls at Rutgers were manipulated by Sharpton, et al into making this a media event. It was obvious from their statements and their coach's lack of real statement that this was scripted sort of like the Duke "thing"! Gives Sharpton an opportunity to stay in the limelight (relative of a Southern Gentleman) and revives Jackson's lagging image (is his affair over?) as a black leader (rainbow coalition died out).
3)The absolute hypocracy of the moment is a testament not to the "flash-point" of the public toward these things (Did Stern die? Opey and Andy?)
but to the continued lack of responsibility of the media to simple report news rather than make news in this 24/7 ratings race. (Speaking of the greatness of basketball, did anyone forget the not so far in the past stories of Black Basketball heroes and their party "hos" that was OK? Anyone get fired, lose their jobs, etc?). Hell, talk about moral hyprocracy.
To Bad Nancy Grace couldn't hang herself out to dry in this one just like she did with the Duke lacross players. Time to put a muzzle on all the b.s. and music and movie dialogue that denegrates everyone.
Seer1949 at 5:50AM on Apr 14th 2007
45. how gracious of the Rutger Team to "consider" dealing with it. they have learned well from the likes of sharpton - who lied and lied about the twana brawley case, NEVER apologized and owes the 345,000.00 in fines that the courts levied against him for lying falsely accusing, vilifying and inciting riots against a WHITE police officer. you have to be black to get away with murder, literally.
I am not a friend of Imus', but the word he used is widespread in the black hip hop and rap colony.
freedom of speech??? only if it s a black person who can say - and should not - something against a white person.
is sharpton (hymie town comes to mind for which he never apologized) going to apologyze to the three Duke Lacrosse Players who were harmed beyond repair by his vitriolic speeches and accusation? who couldn't graduate because the university, cowtowing to black victimhoodmantra, kicked them out? Is he? of course not. its okay to do that to white people.
I am not a racist, but the racists in this country are all BLACK, not white. we get sensitivity training - mandatory - to accept our brothers, who are really our enemy, are they sensitive to their white brothers?
I have a lot of black friends who hang their head in shame, but for fear of being called an uncle tom by their own kind keep their mouth shut.
what a society we live in.
cicciuno at 5:56AM on Apr 14th 2007