Let me begin by saying this is not a defense of Don Imus. But to paraphrase the quote by Captain Louie Renault in Casablanca,"I'm shocked, shocked to hear something outrageous and shocking from a 'shock' jock!"Mr. Imus along with his mouthy peer group - Howard Stern, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly to name a few, make their living by insult. The reason why this particular incident has legs is because he is white and the girls he insulted are black. I would guess if the comment had been made by a black rapper we'd have never heard..
It interests me that the same two "men of the cloth" always lead the charge of self-righteous indignation. In this case particularly Al Sharpton.This reverend is not all pureness and light. It seems to me his involvement in the Tawana Brawley case is far more egregious than Mr. Imus' recent gaffe. Remember? It was back in 1987 when black teenager Tawana Brawley claimed that six white law enforcement officers, including then assistant district attorney Steven Pagones, had abducted and raped her, scrawled racial insults on her body and smeared her with feces.
Miss Brawley refused to speak with authorities or the media. The Reverend Sharpton and two other advisers were soon making disparaging claims comparing then state Attorney General Robert Abrams, a Jew, to Adolf Hitler. All three linked then Gov. Mario Cuomo to organized crime and the Ku Klux Klan.
It turned into a media circus. Not unlike what we're witnessing today. In the end the whole sordid story was determined to be a hoax. I hope no one takes this remark as racist because it is not intended as such, but it seems to me Sharpton's indignation toward Mr. Imus is like the pot calling the kettle black.
One thing that puzzles me about Mr. Imus. Why does a man who devotes much of his time and talent and money maintaining a ranch for the enjoyment of kids with cancer have to be such a cancer himself when exercising his right to free speech?
Should he lose his job? I don't think so. Thats why there are switches to change channels or turn off that which you find offensive. Should Reverend Sharpton get a pass when he uses the derogatory term "diamond merchants" when referring to Jews because he wasn't being broadcast? It's rather like the age old question - if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there does it make a noise? Does not being broadcast make a remark any less offensive?
I think not.
7 comments:
Jesse Rainbow Jackson also made a remark about Hemies or something like that about the Jewish people. When asked what the difference was about what he had said and Imus.. he did a fast foot shuffle and said two words, and shifted back to Imus problem.. What is the saying, Let the first without sin cast the first stone?
It was a stupid remark, Imus should have known better. But
this will all be a trival question in a week or two, depending on other news.
Imus is a good guy who said a bad thing, pure and simple. But things are so politically-correct that basically, in order not to offend, you've basically gotta 'whitewash' yourself. And then society becomes oatmeal...tasteless, odorless, and just plain old BLAND.
Sharpton and Jackson never met a racial cause they didn't espouse....if the news media was involved in a major way. Those two are the quintessential hypocrites. If there is a TV or news camera, those two will trample little children and old ladies to put themselves front and center.
And why aren't their odious remarks and escapades mixed into the media frenzy equation? Because PC only works in one direction. That is not meant as a racist comment, nor is it a racist comment. It is a proven fact.
I didn't think he should be fired, either, but he has been. He's been mouthing off like that for 40 years, so why now? 'Tis the season, I guess - political season, I mean.
Betty, you are so right as is Idaho Escapee (lucky guy) and the other commenters.
I'd be willing to wager not one young woman on the Rutgers team even knew who Imus was before this what's more ever listened to him.
And when the likes of Al and Jesse say "jump" we need to say "go away" rather than "how high".
So now that Imus has been fired... does that mean that all the hip hop singers are going to be dropped by their record companies because of their racial slurs about whites?
As I said word tosser, PC only drives in one direction!
Post a Comment