Leave Imus alone.

I feel sorry for anyone that thinks a radio show host's comments will really mean that much. I'd like to go take a time machine and see how many of these women knew who the hell Don Imus was a week ago. I doubt any of them knew who he was before this.

Some people need to grow up and grow some thicker skin.

IT WAS ANNOUNCED ON THE EVENING NEWS THAT MSNBC IS DUMPING IMUS FOR KEEPS. Not just a two week suspension.

Too bad, he had a funny show, too.

wondering wrote:

Me too. I'm not sure if it was the "nappy-headed", or the "hos", or the combination. Would people find this offensive if Imus was black?

Yes, they would. He called young college women nappy-headed ho's. Are you kidding me?

Sharpton would not have addressed this; if he did he certainly would not be demanding the black Imus to be fired.

Do you think there would have been this much media coverage if it was a black Imus? Of course not.

It meant enough to Proctor & Gamble, General Motors, Staples, etc. I guess you know something the hordes of people at those Fortune 500 companies don't. Maybe you should be a CEO...Imus could pitch your product.

It's all over. Imus is off the air. Damn.

Everyone keeps mistaking my personal views on these girls' appearance for the point I'm trying to make. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with anything they did. They could have appeared as the most "normal" people on the planet (this is based on the concept that I think you must assume I have) and then there would be people on the "fringes" who would have a problem with them.

My point is not about what they did. My point is that comments like Imus' are an unfortunate reality of our culture, and that they get a disproportionate amount of publicity by comparison with their importance.

My views of the situation are probably very similar to yours. I"m simply pointing out that we live in society where this kind of thing is unfortunately quite common. And that we really should not get as preoccupied with them as we do. In a perfect world, everything would go as you say. But we do not live in that world. So we need to stop reacting to everything as if we are under the dillusion that we do.

Okay..let's go back a couple of decades. We're living in a world where black people sit at the back of the bus, use separate drinking fountains, little girls get verbally reamed as they try to integrate schools, hundreds of people get lynched and have their genitals stuffed down their mouths forthe mere appearance of having done something wrong...

Some white guy stands off to the side looking at a corpse swinging from the branches, and says to his perplexed son who asks what the man did that was so bad, "Hush boy, he did nothing wrong. It's wrong of them to do what they did to him, but unfortunately it's quite common in our society. Just try and forget about it. Toughen up. Grow a thick skin. In a perfect world little black boys would not be killed for whistling at white women, but we don't live in that world. Maybe one day we will, but in the meantime don't react because there is absolutely nothing you can do to change the way things are."

Sleep tight.

progresso wrote:

It meant enough to Proctor & Gamble, General Motors, Staples, etc. I guess you know something the hordes of people at those Fortune 500 companies don't. Maybe you should be a CEO...Imus could pitch your product.

Wow, they made a smart business decision. If they didn't back out they'd probably get shaken down by Jesse Jackson. If I was a well known advertiser I'd back out too b/c it makes economic sense. If I was a smaller market advertiser I'd get in now because he will get a ratings increase.

You seem to think P&G have some sort of conscience. They are just looking after the bottom line.

Wow. You compared a lynching to some irrelevant talk show host making a stupid comment about a basketball team. Wow, you are crazy.

In one of my earlier posts I made the distinction between trespassing someone's rights, and insulting someone. Obviously all the things you are listing are horrific acts that inlvolve (in this case specifically) violence. That is a far cry from some has-been DJ making a stupid comment. So if we're going to make comparisons, lets at least be logical about it.

Not too quick on the uptake are you. read the post right before too. I think the idea is that people who accept messed-up situations as unchangeable and advocate ignoring them instead of trying to take action are actually part of the problem.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it though....

Point made. BUT:

The flip side of the coin is that we over-react to everyone who has anything relatively negative to say. Eventually we censor these people. Well, great, now we are rid of all the negative and hurtful commentary that is floating around. Who does this censorship really hurt? The answer is that it hurts these same folks who were the victims in the first place. If people are not allowed the free exchange of ideas, then those who are being discriminated will have no voice to effect change.

I'm not saying the comment should be wholly ignored, but let's pick our battles. We don't need to spend 23 hours a day covering this story.

To further that thought....

People are all about free expression as long as it coincides with their ideas: See Bush White House.

I'm about free expression for all (within the law). And as such, all can accept their consequences.

progresso wrote:

Okay..let's go back a couple of decades.

Let's go back how far? A couple decades? How about 5 decades?

I've never yet called anyone on Letsrun an idiot, so you sir (or madam) have the distinction of being the first.

Unless, of course you're deliberately being a troll, in which case perhaps I'm the idiot. In any event, to compare the offensive remarks of some radio a-hole to a lynching is totally asinine.

You are in fact an idiot, but not because I am a troll, but because you fail to see that what we have here is not a comparison of lynching to Imus' statement. If you care to, go back and read the post to which I was responding...and flashlight's explanation for the other idiot who is slow on the upatke. Thank you flashlight. That might help you get it..or not. That's okay though; if you turn on the TV now you'll notice that enough people in positions of influence are getting it, so I guess it matters not what some old fart thinks, unless of course you think Imus was justified in his behavior and you are in a position where you are able to do similar damage in your interactions with others...especially if they're young minds. That's a particularly scary thought...that you're one of those coaches who thinks coaching is about Xs and Os and not about teaching life lessons to your charges, like treating others with decency, fairness and respect. That's how we do it in the 21st millenium.

Good night old guy.

Hey progresso, I've said earlier in this thread that the Rutgers ladies, and they alone, deserve an apology from the ancient I-man. What he said was clearly offensive to them, but I fail to see how he needs to apologize to the whole world for his insensivity. Admittedly, I have not read every post on this lengthy, volatile thread. Perhaps in context your remarks make sense. If so, my apologies to you. And good night to you also.

Apology accepted and I extend my own for not respecting my elders and calling you a fart - seriously.