Imus

[Bowerybum]

Don Imus, A 67 year old manchild who makes himself up like Howdy Doody every morning. I don't get it. 30 some years in New York and he still thinks he's a cowboy. Pathetic.

[The Big Ben]

Your point?

[Travelman]

Imus must go...

There is no excuse for saying such stupid things.

[windshieldbug]

The Rev. Al made the most sense:

"This is not about whether you're a good man. This is about setting a precedent that allows racist language to be used on mainstream, federally regulated television and radio."

[timayer]

People argue that burning flags is freedom of speech. Why don't they argue that speaking freely is as well?

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
--Evelyn Beatrice Hall, summarizing the thoughts of Voltaire

We may not like what Mr. Imus said, but he has as much of a right to say it as the people who say Bush is a Nazi have to say whatever is on their mind. No one will like everything everybody else says, but we supposedly have the right to say anything we want, even if it's not well thought out.

Have you ever watched a black comedian and seen what they're allowed to get away with in terms of making fun of white people? Imagine the movie "White Chicks," but instead make it two white men stereotyping black women that way. How well would that have gone over?

Don't think that I'm defending what Mr. Imus said. I'm not. I'm defending him against people who think he should be penalized because of it. He issued an apology, and that should be the end of it.

[Tubaryan12]

Imus must go...

There is no excuse for saying such stupid things.

I can name two: Comedy and Ratings.

Look, as a black guy, I am so sick and tired of folks getting "offended" when someone else says the same things we joke about on our own time. People, he's a shock jock. What do you expect? This is how he makes his money. Watch Comedy Central and check out Lisa Lampanelli. If dude is still pulling the ratings then he is doing his job. Don't like what he says?...then don't listen and don't buy the products that he's pushing during commercials. Offensive speach is still protected in this country (at least the last time I checked).

[Uncle Buck]

I better hurry and get this response posted before this thread gets locked.

IMHO, the bottom line is whether his employers REALLY believe his comments were inappropriate. If they do, the only solution is to fire (not suspend) Imus.

Any lesser penalty, and his employers will benefit from the statement. (We all know his ratings will increase as a result of this mess.)

p.s. I completely agree - he looks like an old Howdy Doody.

[Travelman]

Uncle Buck? Why would it be locked? It is an appropriate place ("off topic") and is being handled in a mature, respectful manner. Seems good to me. I am benefitting from the discussion.

[Dan Schultz]

The guy is a showman.... just like Rosie, Rush, Savage, The Donald, Oprah and the rest of the folks that the sponsors pay big bucks because they can attract an audience. Let them rant and insult folks. What goes around comes around.

Frankly... I get real bored with Al Sharpton and Jesse's 'rainbow' bunch getting their shorts in a twist all the time. Talk about showmen!

The bottom line is that it's all about ratings.

[The Big Ben]

Imus must go...

There is no excuse for saying such stupid things.

I can name two: Comedy and Ratings.

Look, as a black guy, I am so sick and tired of folks getting "offended" when someone else says the same things we joke about on our own time.

I do think that Rev. S has a point- say them at home or with your buddies but not on federally regulated, licensed public resources. Imus said something really rude and inaccurate about a group of young women. I'm not sure what his punishment should be but he's gonna have to do something.

[tubafatness]

I completely agree with the posts by both tubaryan and timayer. Free speech is allowed within the U.S. Constitution, even if it's unpopular or offensive speech. He did apologize, and willingly withstood a barrage of anti-racism rhetoric on Al Sharpton's radio show, (don't get me started on Al Sharpton.) And, to be honest, what Imus said isn't as bad as what I hear all day long, (as a white kid at a public high school that's half black, half white, mostly poor, functionally segregated and brimming with racism.) That doesn't mean it was at all appropriate what he said, but he is entitled to his first amendment rights, like everyone else. Along with that, he is also responsible for what he says. If the head bosses say that his remark is inappropriate, then they can take action. 2 weeks does seem like little more than a slap on the wrist, but that's not my call.

[Brassdad]

But the question remains....

Were they tattoo'ed?

[fpoon]

He was just saying that the UT players looked like pretty girls, and the Rutgers girls looked like NBA players with tattoos and stuff. Not a big deal. If someone made a remark about bald white men (myself) I could care less.

I mean, its freaking Rutgers. Of course thats how they roll.

[TMurphy]

I mean, its freaking Rutgers. Of course thats how they roll.

So, instead of disparaging a specific race or gender, you've moved on to disparaging an entire university???


...on the banks of the old raritan....

[Travelman]

I agree that he can say what he wants...Yes, thank goodness, it IS a free country.

But it is also a "free" market system...and THAT will be the final judge on this thing. Either the public will stop watching and commercial sponsors will pull out...or he just takes his hand slap and gets back in the saddle (literally).

I wish all the best to the Rutgers players. From what I saw on their news conference today, they handled themselves with real class and dignity.

[fpoon]

So, instead of disparaging a specific race or gender, you've moved on to disparaging an entire university???

Yeah. That way I don't fail to include anyone!

[Alex C]

This is the greatest thing to happen to Imus in two decades. His ratings have shrunk to the point that he has half the listeners he had 10 years ago. He has drawn more attention over this than any of the made-up "rivalries" he has with Stern, The Wall Street Journal, etc.

He draws big advertising bucks because, I believe, he's big in DC. He's considered such a "bad boy" so he must be the Howard Stern for old folks. Anybody here listen to him?

Anyway, the folks at CBS radio and MSNBC TV are going to bed with smiles on their faces because when Imus returns from his vacation the ratings will be through the roof.

Why even pay attention? (Well, okay, there are two pages of comments here and it's all you hear on the radio.)

[trseaman]

What Doc said and then...

Sorry, guess I haven't been paying attention... Imus, who???

East coast thing right? Never heard of him until now.

Going back to my dark closet...

Tim

[MartyNeilan]

I think that since Pacman can't play football for the next year, he should be hired as the PR guy for Rutgers.

Oh, yeah, I used to listen to Imus back when he did the morning show on WNBC and Howard Stern did the afternoon show. These guys are paid the big bucks to raise eyebrows, otherwise they would be on NPR.

[TubaRay]

Look, as a black guy, I am so sick and tired of folks getting "offended" when someone else says the same things we joke about on our own time. People, he's a shock jock. What do you expect? This is how he makes his money. Watch Comedy Central and check out Lisa Lampanelli. If dude is still pulling the ratings then he is doing his job. Don't like what he says?...then don't listen and don't buy the products that he's pushing during commercials. Offensive speach is still protected in this country (at least the last time I checked).

Bravo, Ryan! Thanks for bringing this out. As a white guy, I am also sick and tired of folks getting "offended" over everything. To me, Imus was wrong, but so what? If we(as in, all of us) truly are offended and want to have the maximum effect, we need to totally ignore him. This would have a profound effect on him.