Imus show gets canned

[Tramspotter]

And Somehow MSNBC gets jump on the story. Hmmmmmm

[innerSpaceman]

While I think the whole "outrage" was overblown for what was clearly a misguided comic comment and not an actual opinion ... I'm glad at least MSNBC got called on its own hypocracy in ending the Imus suspension just in time for sweeps period. Let's hope the actual networks that carry his show are also forced to bow to pressure and go further than their craven ratings-grabbing faux punishment suspension.

[scaeagles]

I am certainly not an Imus fan, but I sense a huge amount of disingenuousness in this whole controversy.

The man is and always has been a moron and said stupid things. He is crass and an equal opportunity degrader, slurring Jews, Christians, African-Americans, everyone. So why is this such a big deal? I believe what he said was stupud, racially motivated, and completely inappropriate, but so is much of everything else he says.

There are so many different angles to this. First, and admittedly I'm not one of those players, but how "damaged" can they really be by this? Someone who doesn't know them called them "nappy headed hos". This damages you to the point of having a two hour press conference? So what if your feelings are hurt?

Doesn't most of the hip-hop world embrace artists who have things worse than that in their music?

Who is Al Sharpton to demand an apology from anyone?

It is no secret that Imus has said many other stupid things. Now for all of the media personalities and politicians that have previously gone on his show to be denouncing him is too little too late, if you ask me. They wanted his audience regardless of what he had said previously and now they choose to act as if they didn't know who he was previously?

I don't mind how this has played out with various sponsors pulling out and MSNBC dropping him. Let the free market work.

[Alex]

I think part of the problem is that in this case the specific target seems particularly undeserving. Hilary Clinton puts herself out there and the really stupid crap comes with the territory. Same with most of the other specific people that have been his targets (as I read it around the webs, I've never heard his show).

But you wonder just what the hell kind of dark inner demons leads a man to look at a happy group of young, athletic, ambitious, and successful women and decide that "nappy headed hos" is the way to go.

I also hate the "but rappers do it!" First, a lot of people complain about the rappers doing it and maybe it is hypocritical for CBS to can Imus while selling rap CDs but that doesn't clear Imus of wrongdoing. But even then it is equally disingenuous to pretend that there is no such thing as reserved vocabulary and that some words are more acceptable when said by certain people than when said by others.

When a white person says ****** it has a different history, intent, and context than when a black person says it.

All that said, I'm more bothered by the ho half (misogynist) than the nappy (racist, perhaps) half. Nappy, regardless of its reserved use, is descriptive (though I noticed this morning that more than half of the players have relaxed not "natural" (the more acceptable term) hair. But I just don't trust or like a person who uses any version of "whore" as a synonym for "woman."

[scaeagles]

I can see the part of undeserving, and I also agree that because the hip-hop industry makes millions off of such things that it does not mean that Imus can get away with it or that it justifies it. I was not meaning to imply such, only that there are much more harmful things out there in terms of degradation of women.

Perhaps the undeserving part and the fact that it was directed at some specific people is what makes it such a story

[Tramspotter]

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

But I just don't trust or like a person who uses any version of "whore" as a synonym for "woman."

Except when discussing, media whores, and sexual whores, in context

[Alex]

Uh...that was in reference to a man. Calling men whores is fine by me.

[CoasterMatt]

Maybe he can go do new narration for Spaceship Earth?

[Stan4dSteph]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

Perhaps the undeserving part and the fact that it was directed at some specific people is what makes it such a story

Yes. It's just so out of the blue and mean-spirited.

I'm glad the NBC decided to can his show. He's old and mumbly, and should have been off the air long ago.

[Morrigoon]

As I understand it the whole thing was a contrast between the one team, and the team they were playing. Supposedly he said some rather flattering things about the other team and the insult was that they looked like _____ by comparison.

I'm not defending him, mind you, it was still a stupid thing to do and there was absolutely no reason to bring racial terms into it, especially when words like "unkempt" would have sufficed. But words like that probably don't exist in his vocabulary.