Don Imus

Soreali · Post by **Soreali** » April 10, 2007, 7:29 pm

Since no one else has brought it up....was wondering what the VV faithful would think about this..

in case anyone hasnt seen/heard about it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyKB63oPeGw

Nick · Post by **Nick** » April 10, 2007, 7:44 pm

Load of hysterical bollox from overly offended people if you ask me.

Sueven · Post by **Sueven** » April 10, 2007, 8:06 pm

I mostly agree with Nick.

Obviously it was an offensive thing to say, but... that's all it was. The fact that it's been front-page news on CNN for like three days straight is totally absurd to me. The fact that people are claiming that it "ruined Rutgers moment" seems absurd to me. Don Imus is just some ignorant asshole spouting off... why grant him so much importance so as to allow him to overshadow your accomplishment?

I feel like if someone directed a similar slur at me, I'd shrug it off pretty easily, especially given the fact that the negative comment was prompted by an actual accomplishment on my part-- I feel like it would validate the importance of my accomplishment in some way.

I don't mean to excuse what Imus said, it's clearly ignorant, racist, and offensive, and I wouldn't choose to listen to his show. I just don't get why it's such a big deal.

What the hell do I know though, I'm a white man. I don't think being Jewish gives me a whole lot of I'm-being-oppressed cred.

Wulfran · Post by **Wulfran** » April 10, 2007, 8:11 pm

This is the first time I actually heard the comment(s) but I have a couple of questions about this:

- OK "ho" is slang/street abbreviation for whore, which is hardly complimentary, but how does it cross over to racist?

- Why is everyone crucifying Imus and not Sid Rosenberg, who called them "some hardcore ho's" before Imus parroted him with "nappy headed ho's"? Is it because he agreed/parroted his guest rather then censure him, as he had an opportunity to do?

Yeah Imus was a dick and I don't think his comments showed the best of taste but he wasn't alone in this. And I think the young women on the basketball team need to look at their own actions in regards to getting tatooed and the assumptions people will draw from that. I know a lot of people that have tats and they generally fall in 2 categories a) the ones who "get some ink" they can publicly display to look tough to/impress other people and b) the ones who get tatooed because they think it looks cool and don't give a shit what other people think (they generally don't have them as prominently displayed but aren't as self conscious about it one way or the other).

The whole thing strikes me as absurd and almost spiraling out of control with assholes like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton trying to make it into a race war...

Sueven · Post by **Sueven** » April 10, 2007, 8:23 pm

"Ho" probably does have vague racial connotations. The term is certainly directed at women of all races, but is probably most heavily used in the hip-hop context. Also, prefacing it with 'nappy-headed' indicates that their race is an issue in his comments. It's a far cry from using an obvious racial slur, but race is definitely present.

Also, with regard to the tattoo thing: I can't be bothered to actually check it out, but I read somewhere that Rutgers team is hardly tattooed at all. If I'm remembering correctly, only one player on the team actually has a tat. Which indicates that Imus is assuming that since the players are black, they must be covered with tattoos.

Spang · Post by **Spang** » April 10, 2007, 10:40 pm

Them ho's need a sense of humor.

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » April 11, 2007, 6:39 am

Don Imus is a stupid, unfunny cracker who doesn't deserve 1% of the attention he's getting out of this. He actually should probably be working as a short order cook at Denny's or something equally matched to his level of talent, but for some god forsaken reason some people like listening to his trash.

People love drama though, and the team is creating twice as much more of it themselves than Imus would have generated in the first place. They've held about 5 press conferences. They keep dragging these loudmouthed black "leaders" out from whatever plane of hell they exist on when some ig'nant white guy isn't spouting off something stupid.

All I know for sure is that they take that guy's ugly fucking face off the news. There's a reason he's successful on radio only, and if I have to look at that dude's mug once more on CNN I am canceling my subscription to TV.

Seriously, Kramer got less flak than this, and he's more famous, and he threatened to fucking hang a guy from a tree.

Midnyte_Ragebringer · Post by **Midnyte_Ragebringer** » April 11, 2007, 10:10 am

Nick wrote:Load of hysterical bollox from overly offended people if you ask me.

Aye.

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » April 11, 2007, 10:43 am

Midnyte_Ragebringer wrote:
Nick wrote:Load of hysterical bollox from overly offended people if you ask me.
Aye.

This isn't news but there's nothing else "sensational" to report on right now.

It's not like they have the ability to bring attention to anything that really matters.

Midnyte_Ragebringer · Post by **Midnyte_Ragebringer** » April 11, 2007, 11:01 am

If they spent time making a big deal out of controversal things said by comics, they'd have to dedicate a 24 hour station to it.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » April 11, 2007, 12:37 pm

kyoukan wrote:Don Imus is a stupid, unfunny cracker who doesn't deserve 1% of the attention he's getting out of this.

Cracker seems to be misplaced as a derogatory word for whites.

Cracker: "he who cracks the whip"

There's got to be some better words than that out there. It's like a slang word for someone who's in charge.

Jice Virago · Post by **Jice Virago** » April 11, 2007, 2:29 pm

I am partial to Honkey, myself...

But really, this isn't exactly the most offensive thing Imus has said about black people or women, let alone in general. The timing suggests to me that some far lefties are on a mission to torpedo this asshole now that election season is starting. I am sure Hillary's people might be involved on some level. It could also be people being excessively race sensitive because there is a viable black presidential contender. Either way, the world would be a better place without his boorish bullshit.

Also, what is it that makes people think that Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are the fucking President and VP of Black people? Every time some dumb ass whitey says some redneck shit, those two assholes are the first people they go running to?

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » April 11, 2007, 2:57 pm

Because they get on Larry King right away.

I liked Jesse Jackson a lot more when he was not so shrill and reactionary. Unfortunately in american politics, that is what sells.

Bubba Grizz · Post by **Bubba Grizz** » April 11, 2007, 3:08 pm

I never heard of these guys until this happened. I admit I laughed but it was more of a "shocked that anyone would say that especially on TV kind of laugh". Jimmy the Greek got fired for less. I expect no less from this.

Soreali · Post by **Soreali** » April 11, 2007, 10:29 pm

Well MSNBC just cancelled his show playing on their station... which makes me fucking sick.

Look the bottom line is its freedom of speech here. Dont get me wrong I don't agree with what he said nor do i think he was a smart man for doing it. But I dont agree one bit that they should have taken him off the air.. they basically just set a great double standard in society.. black rappers(and Eminem) can get away with saying shit ten times worse than what Imus said and get fucking grammy's for it..

a friend of mine sent me this link which angered me further.. where was the Sharpton crusade with this guy?

http://www.break.com/index/double_standard.html

Apologizing now if what i wrote doesnt make sense.. im exhausted and watching the yankee game so I'll edit it later..

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » April 12, 2007, 1:34 am

I'm not seeing why that link was posted. Just because some crazy pissed off black guy spouts off at some militant black town hall meeting, Don Imus should be able to spout racial slurs on the air?

Tyek · Post by **Tyek** » April 12, 2007, 3:42 am

It was a stupid joke, but not worthy of 3 days of front page news.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » April 12, 2007, 6:58 am

I'm not seeing why that link was posted. Just because some crazy pissed off black guy spouts off at some militant black town hall meeting, Don Imus should be able to spout racial slurs on the air?

I assume the point is to highlight the double standard American Black leaders have when they selectively choose to call out only white "racists"? (Personally I don't think this Imus quote even counts as racist.)

Somebody should point out to Sharpton that freedom of speech isn't(?) dead.

Trek · Post by **Trek** » April 12, 2007, 9:42 am

Fucking ridiculous. I cant stand that Imus guy but I dont think he should lose his show for that. He should lose it for sucking ass. Sharpton/Jackson look to pounce on any white guy with any amount of fame/following that might slip up and say something close to racial so why expect anything less from this

Midnyte_Ragebringer · Post by **Midnyte_Ragebringer** » April 12, 2007, 9:43 am

A terrible precedent has been set. Very disheartening.

Midnyte_Ragebringer · Post by **Midnyte_Ragebringer** » April 12, 2007, 9:54 am

COMMENTARY
Imus isn’t the real bad guy
Instead of wasting time on irrelevant shock jock, black leaders need to be fighting a growing gangster culture.
By JASON WHITLOCK - Columnist

Thank you, Don Imus. You’ve given us (black people) an excuse to avoid our real problem.

You’ve given Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson another opportunity to pretend that the old fight, which is now the safe and lucrative fight, is still the most important fight in our push for true economic and social equality.

You’ve given Vivian Stringer and Rutgers the chance to hold a nationally televised recruiting celebration expertly disguised as a news conference to respond to your poor attempt at humor.

Thank you, Don Imus. You extended Black History Month to April, and we can once again wallow in victimhood, protest like it’s 1965 and delude ourselves into believing that fixing your hatred is more necessary than eradicating our self-hatred.

The bigots win again.

While we’re fixated on a bad joke cracked by an irrelevant, bad shock jock, I’m sure at least one of the marvelous young women on the Rutgers basketball team is somewhere snapping her fingers to the beat of 50 Cent’s or Snoop Dogg’s or Young Jeezy’s latest ode glorifying nappy-headed pimps and hos.

I ain’t saying Jesse, Al and Vivian are gold-diggas, but they don’t have the heart to mount a legitimate campaign against the real black-folk killas.

It is us. At this time, we are our own worst enemies. We have allowed our youths to buy into a culture (hip hop) that has been perverted, corrupted and overtaken by prison culture. The music, attitude and behavior expressed in this culture is anti-black, anti-education, demeaning, self-destructive, pro-drug dealing and violent.

Rather than confront this heinous enemy from within, we sit back and wait for someone like Imus to have a slip of the tongue and make the mistake of repeating the things we say about ourselves.

It’s embarrassing. Dave Chappelle was offered $50 million to make racially insensitive jokes about black and white people on TV. He was hailed as a genius. Black comedians routinely crack jokes about white and black people, and we all laugh out loud.

I’m no Don Imus apologist. He and his tiny companion Mike Lupica blasted me after I fell out with ESPN. Imus is a hack.

But, in my view, he didn’t do anything outside the norm for shock jocks and comedians. He also offered an apology. That should’ve been the end of this whole affair. Instead, it’s only the beginning. It’s an opportunity for Stringer, Jackson and Sharpton to step on victim platforms and elevate themselves and their agenda$.

I watched the Rutgers news conference and was ashamed.

Martin Luther King Jr. spoke for eight minutes in 1963 at the March on Washington. At the time, black people could be lynched and denied fundamental rights with little thought. With the comments of a talk-show host most of her players had never heard of before last week serving as her excuse, Vivian Stringer rambled on for 30 minutes about the amazing season her team had.

Somehow, we’re supposed to believe that the comments of a man with virtually no connection to the sports world ruined Rutgers’ wonderful season. Had a broadcaster with credibility and a platform in the sports world uttered the words Imus did, I could understand a level of outrage.

But an hourlong press conference over a man who has already apologized, already been suspended and is already insignificant is just plain intellectually dishonest. This is opportunism. This is a distraction.

In the grand scheme, Don Imus is no threat to us in general and no threat to black women in particular. If his words are so powerful and so destructive and must be rebuked so forcefully, then what should we do about the idiot rappers on BET, MTV and every black-owned radio station in the country who use words much more powerful and much more destructive?

I don’t listen or watch Imus’ show regularly. Has he at any point glorified selling crack cocaine to black women? Has he celebrated black men shooting each other randomly? Has he suggested in any way that it’s cool to be a baby-daddy rather than a husband and a parent? Does he tell his listeners that they’re suckers for pursuing education and that they’re selling out their race if they do?

When Imus does any of that, call me and I’ll get upset. Until then, he is what he is — a washed-up shock jock who is very easy to ignore when you’re not looking to be made a victim.

No. We all know where the real battleground is. We know that the gangsta rappers and their followers in the athletic world have far bigger platforms to negatively define us than some old white man with a bad radio show. There’s no money and lots of danger in that battle, so Jesse and Al are going to sit it out.

To reach Jason Whitlock, call (816) 234-4869 or send e-mail to jwhitlock@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com

Post by **Sylvus** » April 12, 2007, 10:01 am

Trek wrote:Fucking ridiculous. I cant stand that Imus guy but I dont think he should lose his show for that.

It was just MSNBC simulcasting his show on television that was cancelled, if I heard correctly. You don't need to look at a crusty old man like that anyway when you can just listen to the dulcet tones of his gravelly voice.

Truant · Post by **Truant** » April 12, 2007, 10:02 am

Soreali wrote:Well MSNBC just cancelled his show playing on their station... which makes me fucking sick.

As O&A (and Norton) pointed out this morning. MSNBC didn't make this decision monday, when it would have been somewhat appropriate. They did it just hours before his annual fundraiser for sick children. You really showed him MSNBC by not simulcasting his fundraising program and fucking over all those sick children! Way to stick it to the man!

cocksuckers.

Soreali · Post by **Soreali** » April 12, 2007, 5:56 pm

And CBS just canned his show.. after Day 1 of a two day charity he was running.. way to go CBS..you just proved how much of a bunch of fucking puppets you are for letting fucking Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson pussywhip you. Props.

I guess Token was right on Southpark... Jesse Jackson isnt the emporer of black people... Al Sharpton is.

masteen · Post by **masteen** » April 12, 2007, 10:24 pm

Woe is the day when we cannot call a gangsta bitch a gangsta bitch.

Jarori Bloodletter · Post by **Jarori Bloodletter** » April 12, 2007, 10:34 pm

Don Imus Sucks so much ass it pitaful.

Howard Stern had it correct yrs ago about him

Im glad hes OUT!

Trek · Post by **Trek** » April 12, 2007, 11:03 pm

Jarori Bloodletter wrote:Don Imus Sucks so much ass it pitaful.

Howard Stern had it correct yrs ago about him

Im glad hes OUT!

Why? Was his the only show you could listen to?

Trek · Post by **Trek** » April 12, 2007, 11:05 pm

Sylvus wrote:
Trek wrote:Fucking ridiculous. I cant stand that Imus guy but I dont think he should lose his show for that.
It was just MSNBC simulcasting his show on television that was cancelled, if I heard correctly. You don't need to look at a crusty old man like that anyway when you can just listen to the dulcet tones of his gravelly voice.

I almost stand corrected

Midnyte_Ragebringer · Post by **Midnyte_Ragebringer** » April 12, 2007, 11:56 pm

Jarori Bloodletter wrote:Don Imus Sucks so much ass it pitaful.

Howard Stern had it correct yrs ago about him

Im glad hes OUT!

I outgrew Stern 5-6 years ago. Nothing high brow about the Stern show, thats for sure. Imus is for adults who are into politics and can handle adult humor. It's a shame the media took him down. Obermann has already set his sights on Limbaugh, Bortz and a few other non liberal hosts. I'm scared for our future. This scares me more than the Patriot Act. It should scare you too.

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » April 13, 2007, 1:12 am

Calling someone a nappy headed ho is adult humor? Oh I get it; racist adults with low intelligence.

Yeah that's Don Imus' fan base in a nutshell.

Xyun · Post by **Xyun** » April 13, 2007, 1:57 am

Neil Bortz is a douchebag. Now that Al Franken is gone, there's really no one left to listen to on the radio. Clark Howard is aite, and so is Jim Cramer's radio broadcast of his TV show. The best radio personality on air now though is Jason Ellis, hands down.

Tyek · Post by **Tyek** » April 13, 2007, 2:52 am

Lol Snoop clears up the whole rapper debate with a brilliant arguement. He also says not to compare him with Imus, but then goes on to compare Imus with a guy who has been arrested numerous times.

Snoop Dogg has issued a new warning: Don't dare to compare his lyrics — or any other MC's — to syndicated radio host Don Imus' recent racially inflammatory comments about the black women on the Rutgers University women's basketball team. Imus called them "nappy-headed ho's," among other insults.

Admittedly, Snoop and some of his peers have called women "b----es" and "ho's" in their lyrics, but as the Dogg put it Tuesday afternoon (April 10), there is no parallel to what Imus said.

"It's a completely different scenario," said Snoop, barking over the phone from a hotel room in L.A. "[Rappers] are not talking about no collegiate basketball girls who have made it to the next level in education and sports. We're talking about ho's that's in the 'hood that ain't doing sh--, that's trying to get a n---a for his money. These are two separate things. First of all, we ain't no old-ass white men that sit up on MSNBC [which announced Wednesday it would drop its simulcast of Imus' radio show] going hard on black girls. We are rappers that have these songs coming from our minds and our souls that are relevant to what we feel. I will not let them mutha----as say we in the same league as him."

Snoop did say, though, that the media needs to treat Imus as it treats some MCs (or football players, even).

"Kick him off the air forever," he said. "Ban him like they did [Adam] 'Pacman' Jones. They kicked him out the [National Football] League for the whole season [for numerous violations of the NFL's personal-conduct policy, including multiple arrests], but this punk gets to get on the air and call black women 'nappy-headed ho's.' "

Siji · Post by **Siji** » April 13, 2007, 3:07 am

Do as I say, not as I do.

Kilmoll the Sexy · Post by **Kilmoll the Sexy** » April 13, 2007, 8:57 am

Imus was a complete tool and I could not stand to listen to him for a fraction of a second.....but firing him is ridiculous. The guy made them billions over the years by being confrontational and right on the edge. The real shitty thing about racism in the US is that it only goes 1 way. The only people that are racists in the entire country are white males

Right.....we need our own Jesse and Al to start calling for the heads of any black personalities that make any racially offensive joke about whites.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » April 13, 2007, 12:07 pm

Seems to be more sexist than racist.

Much ado about nothing. Surely there are more important or interesting things the media could be covering.

masteen · Post by **masteen** » April 13, 2007, 1:01 pm

The only person I know who listened to Imus is without a doubt, the stupidest person I've ever met.

The guy can't remember to ship a fucking box when I give it to him. Even though I did the hard part and filled out the address lable for him. Seriously, all he had to fucking do was call Fed Ex, but NOOOO, three weeks later, the vendor is calling us wondering where the stuff is because the RMA is about to expire.

Sorry for the derail. But as you can see from my statistically accurate pool of one Imus listener, we can extrapolate that everyone who listened to that show is an idiot.

Post by **Sylvus** » April 13, 2007, 1:03 pm

The title of this thread is really bothering me, so I'm going to edit it to say "Don Imus".

Soreali · Post by **Soreali** » April 13, 2007, 1:18 pm

Yeah my bad.. finger slip..too lazy to fix it..

Fucking threat nazi!

Post by **Sylvus** » April 13, 2007, 1:28 pm

And from the "No shit!" files, if a national radio host who has had a show for decades gets suspended and subsequently fired for those kinds of comments on air, you probably shouldn't have a contest where callers repeat said comments.

(ALLENTOWN, Pa.) -- A radio station fired its longtime morning DJ Wednesday after he encouraged listeners to repeat talk-show host Don Imus' racially charged comments in an on-air contest.

Gary Smith told WSBG-FM listeners to call and say "I'm a nappy-headed ho" for Tuesday's "Phrase that Pays" contest, said Rick Musselman, executive vice president of station owner Nassau Broadcasting Partners L.P.

Musselman said three of the listeners who called were awarded tickets to a NASCAR promotion at a local club.

He should have been fired long before this for still running a "Phrase that Pays" contest.

Sueven · Post by **Sueven** » April 13, 2007, 1:30 pm

Imus getting fired doesn't bother me for a second. Freedom of Speech is irrelevant here-- a private company who employs you isn't required to give a FUCK about your freedom of speech. If he had said this personally (instead of in his capacity as an employee) and the government (not private media organizations) had tried to punish him for it, sure, that'd be a problem. But that's not what happened.

Imus getting fired is a totally capitalist, free-market, economic decision. MSNBC and CBS decided that Imus' actions meant that continuing their association with him would no longer be beneficial to their companies. They knew that a large segment of America's population was offended and that this segment's choices in media consumption would be affected by whether or not Imus remained. So they were forced to balance this loss against the benefit of having Imus on the air, keeping in mind that Imus' show was going to become less profitable due to major advertisers pulling their dollars. Both companies apparently did the calculations and realized that it was preferable to ditch him than to keep him. Fine.

I say good for Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. They know that it's difficult to affect change on African-American issues. They know that courts aren't going to declare some kind of right to be free from racially offensive speech on the airwaves. They know that the legislature is not going to pass any sort of legislation preventing racially offensive speech. They know that organized African-American activists, as a class, don't have the traditional economic clout to effect change. So they spread information, build outrage, and use the functioning of the free market to let the level of offense dictate the result.

I wasn't sufficiently offended by what Imus said to join this wave of anger, but I'm sure not going to miss having a fucking asshole like that on my airwaves either. This is a prime example of the PEOPLE and the CONSUMERS being in control of what happens above them in society-- which they ought to be. I honestly don't understand how this is 'scary' at all. I'm sure Imus can go and find a place to speak to a smaller, more limited audience that doesn't have the same level of outrage against him. This is as it should be. What on earth is wrong with a company, which targets a very general and wide-ranging audience, from firing a personality who is actively reviled by a large portion of that population? He can and should go find work somewhere more appropriate.

As for rap music: Sure there are problems with hip-hop culture. But rap has existed since what, about 1980? Did racism and sexism exist before 1980?

As for that black dude who wants to exterminate white people: I bet his audience is composed of people who aren't too offended by that concept, so there's really nothing to be done about it. He has something to say, the people he's saying it to want to hear it, done. You can try to build outrage among his audience, if you want, and if you're as successful at doing it as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson have been, then he'll get fired too.

Jarori Bloodletter · Post by **Jarori Bloodletter** » April 13, 2007, 2:04 pm

Xyun wrote:Neil Bortz is a douchebag. Now that Al Franken is gone, there's really no one left to listen to on the radio. Clark Howard is aite, and so is Jim Cramer's radio broadcast of his TV show. The best radio personality on air now though is Jason Ellis, hands down.

what about Jim Rome?

Kilmoll the Sexy · Post by **Kilmoll the Sexy** » April 13, 2007, 2:46 pm

Sueven wrote: As for that black dude who wants to exterminate white people: I bet his audience is composed of people who aren't too offended by that concept, so there's really nothing to be done about it. He has something to say, the people he's saying it to want to hear it, done. You can try to build outrage among his audience, if you want, and if you're as successful at doing it as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson have been, then he'll get fired too.

Are you actually asserting that black people listened to Don Imus? Are you going to tell me that liberal females listen to Rush Limbaugh next?

Post by **Sylvus** » April 13, 2007, 3:10 pm

I think you read that incorrectly. I believe Sueven was referring to that link that Soreali posted.

/edit: nm, I think I read what you were saying incorrectly.

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » April 13, 2007, 3:11 pm

I'm sure Imus can go and find a place to speak to a smaller, more limited audience that doesn't have the same level of outrage against him.

He will, but I don't think it was his audience that's outraged. It was the people who are on the lookout for something to be outraged about. You've got people like Sharpton and Jackson and many others with an agenda\axe to grind. Then there's the slime in the news media, who are only catering to their demographic after all and making ratings. Had anything else been going on, like the Anna Nicole story, this never would have made prime time.

As for rap music: Sure there are problems with hip-hop culture. But rap has existed since what, about 1980?

I think the level of violence and glorification of the scum of US society is a larger and growing part of it but I could be wrong. I don't really follow it.

Trek · Post by **Trek** » April 13, 2007, 3:13 pm

I guess if you dont agree with someone the best thing to do is shut him up with what ever means you can. There is nothing just about this douche getting fired. I would bet if his poilitcal views where different this would have barely made the news and never been an issue. Only a matter of time before Hannity/Rush/Orielly ect. slip up and make the same mistake.....I cant wait for the airwaves to have the same show on every channel, we will have perfect harmony with no ideas outside our own. Yahoo for us

Nali · Post by **Nali** » April 13, 2007, 3:58 pm

I think his termination wasn't needed. To me, this was blown out of proportion. So he made a remark about "nappy...hos", big deal. Women are called hos quite often, but there isn't any mass media coverage on it

There is another radio jockey, although I forget her name- she is black, and constantly talks about white people in a derogatory way. She even has her own T.V. show. Why is she allowed to make remarks about other races, and Imus isn't? Is it because he is white? Does Jesse Jackson employ a panel of people to monitor the media to find any remarks made against blacks? It seems to me this is more of a way for him, and others, to advance themselves politically.

Sueven · Post by **Sueven** » April 13, 2007, 4:24 pm

Kilmoll wrote:Are you actually asserting that black people listened to Don Imus? Are you going to tell me that liberal females listen to Rush Limbaugh next?

No I am not. I am asserting that the group of people who found his comments offensive enough to prompt them to change their media consumption habits was significant enough to cause CBS and MSNBC to alter their media output. This group of people is probably largely, although by no means exclusively, black. This DOES NOT mean that this group of people would stop listening to Don Imus-- most, but not all, probably didn't listen to him in the first place. It DOES mean that this group of people would be less likely to consume anything produced by MSNBC and CBS, and would frown on companies who choose to advertise on Imus' show, in turn lowering the advertising revenue that Imus was capable of generating.

Basically, Imus might not lose a single listener, but his show would nevertheless be less profitable due to decreased advertising revenue, and CBS and MSNBC as a whole would suffer due to their association with someone who is reviled by a significant portion of their greater audience.

If CBS was broadcasting that 'exterminate all white people' dude's show, then the same thing would happen, even though no white people listened to his show. The actual demographics of the audience are not particularly relevant-- the real issue is the disjunction between the demographics of the audience for the particular program and the demographics of the audience for the company as a whole. Black people might not watch Don Imus, but black people do watch CBS.

Aab wrote:He will, but I don't think it was his audience that's outraged. It was the people who are on the lookout for something to be outraged about.

This is probably true. It's the same point as above though-- The audience which CBS and MSNBC rely on in order to make profit is MUCH broader than the audience of Imus' show. They need to be conscious of the effects of what Imus says on their entire customer base, not simply a small subsection of that base.

Trek wrote:I cant wait for the airwaves to have the same show on every channel, we will have perfect harmony with no ideas outside our own.

Insofar as every single media company tries to cater to the exact same audience, then yeah, there'll be a lot of homogeneity in media. Fortunately, there are a lot of media companies which target niche markets instead of the public as a whole. Go consume some of their products if you're sick of King of Queens.

Nali wrote:There is another radio jockey, although I forget her name- she is black, and constantly talks about white people in a derogatory way. She even has her own T.V. show. Why is she allowed to make remarks about other races, and Imus isn't? Is it because he is white?

Dude, if you're not even offended enough by what this bitch has to say to REMEMBER HER NAME, how do you expect enough outrage to exist in society to get her fired? If you want her off the air, go do some research and figure out who the fuck she is, and then go tell people about what she says and build some anger. When you've stoked enough anger to make it a bad economic decision for whatever company employs her to continue doing so, she'll be fired. That's exactly what Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton did, and it's an option open to any of us.

I for one am fucking GLAD that the big companies which provide so much of my consumable media are ACTUALLY RESPONSIVE TO WHAT CONSUMERS WANT. It's no different than those letter writing campaigns that kept shows like Veronica Mars and Arrested Development around for longer than their ratings dictated they ought to be-- companies responding to their customers is GOOD.

The way I see it, Imus supporters have one of two argumentative strategies. First, you can try to convince the people who are outraged that their outrage is unwarranted. If you do that, then the level of outrage will diminish, the economic loss which CBS and MSNBC would experience would sink, and they might choose to retain him. Second, you can try to convince CBS and MSNBC that they're overestimating the level of economic harm that keeping Imus would generate, and/or underestimated the level of economic gains which keeping him would provide. Basically, you need to prove that their economic analysis is off and they're making an objectively bad decision.

However, most Imus supporters seem to be phrasing things so they're arguing to CBS and MSNBC that the outrage of those who are outraged is unjustified. That's all well and good and it may be correct, but it doesn't do a DAMN THING to alter the level of real outrage in the world, and CBS and MSNBC are concerned with the real level of outrage, not whatever bullshit theoretical level of outrage YOU think there ought to appropriately be.

masteen · Post by **masteen** » April 13, 2007, 5:32 pm

Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson don't give two fucks about the issues of black people. All they care about is getting in front of a camera and getting paid. If they actually fixed race relations in thic country, those two fucking bumpkins would be out of a job.

Sueven · Post by **Sueven** » April 13, 2007, 7:21 pm

masteen wrote:Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson don't give two fucks about the issues of black people. All they care about is getting in front of a camera and getting paid. If they actually fixed race relations in thic country, those two fucking bumpkins would be out of a job.

That's a nice opinion and I respect it.

However, what's important is that, regardless of their motivations, they are able to get large numbers of people to agree with their positions and take action based on those positions. Don't agree with those positions? Fine, feel free to try to change the minds of those people who do agree with them. Simply saying that Sharpton and Jackson have bad motives is blatantly ignoring everybody in the country who is not Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson but agrees with what they have to say about a particular issue (and this is a pretty significant group). If you think it's a stupid belief, say why it's a stupid belief, don't say that two particular people who claim to hold that belief happen to be stupid.

Basically, ad hominem attacks on the most visible advocates of an ideology accomplishes exactly nothing to resolve the actual issue.

Of course, if you have no desire to contribute to understanding of an issue-- either your understanding or that of society at large-- feel free to keep making worthless personal attacks. I'm all in favor of that.

Midnyte_Ragebringer · Post by **Midnyte_Ragebringer** » April 13, 2007, 7:35 pm

They are terrorists. They terrorize advertisers until they get what they want. They are fucking scum.