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09 April 2007
I really thought Imus was going to get fired. What do you think?
I mean, political correctness is boring, but if "nappyhead" is OK, then a lot of other things are going to be OK, too, and one has to draw the line somewhere
matteo: I don't know if you truly understand the 'shock jock' fan mind set. Every controversy a shock jock gets into (and it really dosen't matter over what) only ups their cred as being 'outrageous.' The easiest way to get rid of him would be to simply stop listening in droves. And since he's not all that funny (even by morning zoo standards) that shouldn't be too hard.
(also, I find it incredibly depressing that the choices for broadcast radio in america seem to Clear Channel boredom, shock-jock stupidity, and parched, stodgy, arid NPR. Somewher the ghosts of Wolfman Jack & Scott Muni are weeping)
Like I said on Mefi, this is like when it came out that Kate Moss used illegal drugs, and the modeling industry was like, really??? We are shocked! No, they weren't- they already knew that. And they distanced themselves for 5 minutes, and then brought her back on board. Nothing changed.
Sounds like Imus is good at what he was hired to do- being shocking. And if that's what the people want, that's what the people shall get. I'm through protecting people from themselves.
muddgirl: everytime I've tuned in it's been really stiff, at least to my ears, not my bag. The only interesting radio I've found lately was Little Steven's Underground Garage.
Where's the harm in what he said? What I hate are the Sharpton and Jackson parasites who are already feeding off of this. I fucking hate those guys more than I could express through a keyboard. Imus is a calcified moron who appeals to other calcified morons who think he's edgy. No harm there, he's talking to his base when he says shit like that. So what?
eh. Don Imus has been playing the same tune for decades. Every time he gets fired, there's another station waiting to hire him. I have neither interest nor pity.
I suppose it's more about enforcing very reasonable standards, than anything else -- if he keeps his job after saying "nappyheaded hos" why should he lose it if, in the future, he'll say "nigger hos"?
and really, you probably don't want radio to sound like some uncensored usenet newsgroup being read aloud
(also, I find it incredibly depressing that the choices for broadcast radio in america seem to Clear Channel boredom, shock-jock stupidity, and parched, stodgy, arid NPR. Somewher the ghosts of Wolfman Jack & Scott Muni are weeping)
Have you seen Underheard? They claim to have "the best of independent and community radio". Not the same as tuning your radio, but definitely better than Clear Channel.
I thought Imus was gonna get the axe, but I realize that my boycott of him will have little effect as I already don't listen to him.
At least Limbaugh can be entertaining. Imus is just like listening to my boring uncle before he gets drunk.
He'll get huge ratings when he returns and MSNBC will proclaim "The Return Of Imus!" MSNBC will hire a few extra people of color, some of whom will, coincidentally, be former Sharpton staffers -- maybe Al's daughter? -- and all will be right with the world until the next "outrage."
Notice how the press release says nothing about "without pay". Basically, Imus is getting a vacation out of all this, while MSNBC and CBS could drag away a segment of the FoxNews audience. Everybody wins!!!
I'll bet that if someone looked deep enough, they could even cough up a script for all this.
Extra-sadly, CNN just last week kicked "the O'Briens" (Soledad and Niles) off its morning show because Imus' ratings were getting too darn close to theirs. As I noted in the MeFi thread, I genuinely HATE Imus more than most celebrity assholes because he first broke onto the scene 30-some years ago by stealing most of his "act" (and then making it LESS entertaining) from a couple of much more talented but less-known L.A. radio people, one of whom I had the extreme privilege to work for and play 'sidekick' with for a year-and-a-half. Imus has been more influential in the growth of Really Bad Radio than anybody.
I was at a church class tonight, where we were discussing the concept of forgiveness at some length.
The Rev. Sharpton IS a reverend, correct? I wonder why he and Reverend Jesse aren't discussing forgiveness? Jesus told us we HAVE to forgive or we will NOT be forgiven.
To forgive is not the equivalent of not holding someone accountable for his or her actions,btw.
Sharpton is missing a golden opportunity to display the character of Jesus to a watching world.
Oh, Christ, lemme roll my eyes on this. I just saw Imus on the NBC morning show (whatever it's called), and he looked like a comic book villain, with his long pompous hair. He's been in trouble for racist shit before, he needs to be canned. Calling for forgiveness is retarded, and ignores the idea that there are real, worldly consequences for stupid behavior. He shoulda been axed.
Klangklangston,you can forgive a murderer and still toss him in jail. You can forgive Imus and still take him off the air.
I just think that Sharpton is being political here. Correct me if I am wrong, but is he also blasting rap music with offensive lyrics? If not, why not?
I am simply saying that Sharpton as a Christian minister is obligated to ACT as such. He isn't. That peeves me greatly.
That having been said, Imus and his ilk do not meet with my approval neither.
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