IMUS was an easy target and probably brings in more dollars than these other guys. The guy has made stupid off-color comments, but to judge him on THIS comment alone is nonsense, and shameful on CBS's part.
I'm sure Imus was going to come back and start spouting out racist ideas again......
Does Elkamil need to quote what he wrote on like page three again? Imus has a history. This whole hullaballoo has been as much about this one comment as it has been about Imus' entire tenure as a shock jock. He said the fucking Williams' sisters should be featured in National Geographic, did you fucking read that? That's not funny, that's bigoted hate, and it has no place in public discourse. There's a reason people are shaming it down.
Also I've said it repeatedly -- it's absolute moronic to say that calling for censure of Don Imus is the equivalent to supporting openly racist politicians. It is possible to do both.
I've also said repeatedly that the fixation on attacking the blacks for their "victimhood," or trying to point out other instances of racism or sexim does nothing to (a) absolve this, or any of the other comments of its racist content, or (b) explain why we should be comfortable with a pretty clearly established racist with a loose mouth as the host of a nationally syndicated morning talk show.
It seems that some people are being made uncomfortable and turning defensive at the fact that a white man is being called a racist and facing real consequences for having misspoken. Yes, sorry, we live in an era where there are many people who won't tolerate public bigotry. Is that really so difficult for you to swallow?
I have to interject, his comment was far out of his vernacular. It is much more suited for black comedians and your usual top 20 music. So, there's an odd bit of reverse racism going on here...are we saying that all references with the word "ho" is being made directly at black people? Or are we saying that anyone who has nappy hair must be black? Schematics aside, this comment is being overblown and there is far too much scrutinity being placed on a particular person using a linguistic pattern that is a-okay for movie, tv, and (gasp) the radio. Honestly, i'm sure there has been a song within the last 5 years that in some way referenced a girl as being nappy-headed or a ho.
Hm. The Ludacris album Back for the First Time went 3x Platinum and one of the singles is simply titled Ho. The only person to become outraged with his actions was Bill O' Reily who was then considered racist by some. This double standard is stupid.
Edit: Just going through more of the pages and my arguement has been presented already. Honestly though, to have such hostile reaction over words is sensationalist and idiotic.
No comment?
It's been commented on multiple times, even including links to Jesse Jackson's and Al Sharpton's campaign against harmful popular music. I've also offered that other musical genres feature similar themes of violence and sexism, yet for some reason only hip hop is focused upon. I've also offered that Imus was talking about a specific group of young, successful black females, and appearing to judge them solely on the basis of their race, as opposed to a generalized pejorative. I've also made comments about how weak it is to defend white racism by pointing to instances of black failure as well. There has been whole pages of response to basically every weak point you raise in that post, feel free to chime in with any of those when you like. Sorry I didn't directly quote you before in order to tip you off to the fact that the topic was still being addressed.
The Green Eyed Monster on
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Zen VulgarityWhat a lovely day for teaSecret British ThreadRegistered Userregular
racism is here but firestorming this guy only makes it worse. Many whites who might be really good, non-racist people are going to see this (as evident here) as horseshit preyed upon by powerful people for their own adgenda and have their view of the entire civil rights movement tarnished. "Damn the black man!" Many blacks who might not have been racism might very well see this and get pissed off. "Damn the whitey!"
So what this got, was one bigoted loud mouth, old white dude fired. Several black leaders in the limelight. Pissed off white people. Pissed off black people. Pissed off purple people.
This is patently ridiculous. Talking about racism only makes racism worse?
A big part of the problem is white people's refusal to acknowledge legitimate complaints of racism, much like they've done in this instance. It's paternalistic and insulting when white people tell black people (or any minority) they have no right to be offended, much like they've done in this instance. What black people have discovered is that the only way for their complaints to ever be acknowledged is to be steadfastly demanding and unrelenting in their pursuit of it, much like they've done in this instance.
They've even done studies where they asked black people how often they feel they've suffered minor incidents of racism. They actually report suffering many more than they ever call attention to, which in turn leads to them often reacting very strongly (or over-reacting) when they finally do decide to register their complaint. Can you see how the fact that this is then met with doubt, skepticism, criticism, and suggestions that they shouldn't get so "uppity" doesn't really help settle the situation?
So really, can you explain to me why people shouldn't be mad here, when their legitimate complaints are ignored, they're used as an opportunity to attack black culture itself, and a whole lot of nonsense is spouted, little of which seems like honest remorse for the fact that an established bigot is the host of a nationally broadcast radio program?
The Green Eyed Monster on
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Zen VulgarityWhat a lovely day for teaSecret British ThreadRegistered Userregular
edited April 2007
I hate Imus because he was always before Mike and the Maddog while I lived in New York.
Am I the only one who finds it a little offensive that David Zirin is lecturing Jason Whitlock on black history and how he should feel about the current state of black culture? He basically calls the guy an Uncle Tom.
He makes a damn good case for Jason Whitlock being an Uncle Tom.
A shock jock makes some mildly offensive statements? Oh Em Gee News at 11 !
Tomorrow's edition: people get offended by the offensive statements, before being told their offense is causing racism! Tune in this weekend to see how it all wraps up!
This pretty much sums it up. I'd throw in the "you can't have equal rights when you fire white people for saying things a black DJ can say without even breaking a sweat" argument but that line of thinking has been beaten to death.
So instead I'll end this with LOL @ POLITICAL CORRECTNESS
This pretty much sums it up. I'd throw in the "you can't have equal rights when you fire white people for saying things a black DJ can say without even breaking a sweat" argument but that line of thinking has been beaten to death.
So instead I'll end this with LOL @ POLITICAL CORRECTNESS
Name me a black DJ that called a primarily black women's basketball team a bunch of "nappy-headed hoes."
Name me one.
edit: or a prominent black one that blasted white folk. Go, name who it was.
Feh, MSNBC doesn't show news... it shows news analysis. These days, even CNN Headline News is showing less objective reporting and more punditry. Sign of the times, I guess.
This pretty much sums it up. I'd throw in the "you can't have equal rights when you fire white people for saying things a black DJ can say without even breaking a sweat" argument but that line of thinking has been beaten to death.
So instead I'll end this with LOL @ POLITICAL CORRECTNESS
Name me a black DJ that called a primarily black women's basketball team a bunch of "nappy-headed hoes."
Name me one.
edit: or a prominent black one that blasted white folk. Go, name who it was.
You don't want to go down the road of comparing what black people say about their own people (or anyone else's for that matter) in trying to say this was a travesty.
If a rapper referred to anyone as a "nappy-headed ho" I'd probably think it was a term of endearment it's so light.
Eh, it's not so much that people don't have a right to be offended. It is within anyone's rights to decide that something offends them. People don't have the right to never be offended though.
This story amounts to a jackass saying something stupid, albeit a rich and well known jackass, and causing a massive uproar. He's fired and dropped by his advertisers, and that is about as far as it needs to go. In and of it self this is rather uninteresting.
Of course, it is such a big deal because we are afflicted by the legacy of slavery, which will probably taint race issues for many years to come. As such we will get pointless conflicts like this proxying the deeper disease. It shouldn't be surprising why many people are apathetic about it, because the race issue has no clear right (although a lot of wrongs) and is complicated and commonly resistent to individual influence.
This pretty much sums it up. I'd throw in the "you can't have equal rights when you fire white people for saying things a black DJ can say without even breaking a sweat" argument but that line of thinking has been beaten to death.
So instead I'll end this with LOL @ POLITICAL CORRECTNESS
Which prominent black DJ says things like what Imus has been saying?
Does Elkamil need to quote what he wrote on like page three again? Imus has a history.
I already commented on this guys history. At the onset, were those calling for his dismissal - including Sharpton, Jackson and the CBS exec - aware of this history, and basing the judgment calls on that?
it is such a big deal because we are afflicted by the legacy of slavery,
That, and this country absolutely REFUSES to deal with it, and instead goes for pot-shots like this. Sharpton and his cronies would rather go after easy media'ed targets than actually do anything relevant and non-partisan.
Which prominent black DJ says things like what Imus has been saying?
racism is here but firestorming this guy only makes it worse. Many whites who might be really good, non-racist people are going to see this (as evident here) as horseshit preyed upon by powerful people for their own adgenda and have their view of the entire civil rights movement tarnished. "Damn the black man!" Many blacks who might not have been racism might very well see this and get pissed off. "Damn the whitey!"
So what this got, was one bigoted loud mouth, old white dude fired. Several black leaders in the limelight. Pissed off white people. Pissed off black people. Pissed off purple people.
This is patently ridiculous. Talking about racism only makes racism worse?
A big part of the problem is white people's refusal to acknowledge legitimate complaints of racism, much like they've done in this instance. It's paternalistic and insulting when white people tell black people (or any minority) they have no right to be offended, much like they've done in this instance. What black people have discovered is that the only way for their complaints to ever be acknowledged is to be steadfastly demanding and unrelenting in their pursuit of it, much like they've done in this instance.
Yes and people like Sharpton blowing shit like this totally out of proportion hurts that argument. He's what most people think of when they think of black leadership. He makes more legitimate complaints(sorry not being able to get an apartment or job is MUCH worse than a one liner insult) seem ridiculous to outsiders because of his constant whining. I'm sorry but that's all he really does. Whine whine whine. He never makes an effort(nor does most of the black leadership these days) to reach out and find the roots of the racism. Instead he uses forced apologies and humiliation as tools for his own self-promotion.
I don't deny that racists should be publicly unacceptable but that's not the only answer. Deeper solutions require real dialog and hard work. Much pleasure as it gives me this public drawing and quartering of Don isn't going to help a damn thing in the long run.
Well, he said DJ, so I said DJ, but if there's a racist media personality you want to fire, you think I'd give a shit? Why would I? But for some reason, people are upset that this racist is getting shit, though.
Well, he said DJ, so I said DJ, but if there's a racist media personality you want to fire, you think I'd give a shit? Why would I?Bug for some reason, people are upset that this racist is getting shit, though.
it is such a big deal because we are afflicted by the legacy of slavery,
That, and this country absolutely REFUSES to deal with it, and instead goes for pot-shots like this.
It's not exactly an easy legacy to address or remedy. A lot of well-meaning people on all sides of the race and political spectrum have many different ideas on what needs to be done. Though I agree that it's the spectre of racism that haunts and impels all of these little conflagrations.
MSNBC mornings certainly have never been anything special. Their evening punditry is pretty good though. They tend to keep things nicely balanced.
As an aside, MSNBC hired Tucker Carlson after Jon Stewart handed him his ass on Crossfire (which was promptly canceled). To pretend that shows like that are 'balanced' is silly. They're commentators who sling talking points back and forth without actually enriching the debate in any meaningful way.
Which is why I'm not terribly hopeful for a journalistic renaissance occurring because of Imus' departure. Also, it's good to see CBS has some onions in the bag, even if it took a while to find them.
This story amounts to a jackass saying something stupid, albeit a rich and well known jackass, and causing a massive uproar. He's fired and dropped by his advertisers, and that is about as far as it needs to go. In and of it self this is rather uninteresting.
You see? I agree with that completely, but feel free to read back through this thread, where you can see repeated attempts by various members of this board to downplay Imus' statements. Let's go over the diversions from this simple topic we've seen so far:
-- they've tried to say there's no racist intent in his comments
-- they've tried to say that they're comparable to other speech by non-white people and thus negligible
-- they've tried to say that it's a known shock jock making a shock joke thus negligible
-- they've tried to assassinate the character of certain figures raising the complaints to negate the complaints
-- they've tried to say the complaint is negligible because it is a low entry in the larger list of racist transgressions
-- they've tried to say that calling for Don Imus' removal is a violation of free speech*
Did I get them all? If it was really as simple as you say, wouldn't we just have a page or two of people agreeing and saying, "Yeah -- fuck that guy. The sooner he's off the air the better." I, for one, thought it was as simple as you say, which is why I didn't bother making a thread about it. Racist white guy makes racist statement, gets in trouble -- what's to discuss? Apparently a good amount.
*I probably think this one is the absolute stupidest of them all
Yes and people like Sharpton blowing shit like this totally out of proportion hurts that argument. He's what most people think of when they think of black leadership. He makes more legitimate complaints(sorry not being able to get an apartment or job is MUCH worse than a one liner insult) seem ridiculous to outsiders because of his constant whining. I'm sorry but that's all he really does. Whine whine whine. He never makes an effort(nor does most of the black leadership these days) to reach out and find the roots of the racism. Instead he uses forced apologies and humiliation as tools for his own self-promotion.
No, white people refuses to acknowledge racism, because it involves acknowledging their privilege, is probably what hurts the argument the most. Why is Sharpton the popular face of black leadership? Because other leaders don't generate the scandal he does, which in turn leaves them out of the loop. We live in a sensationalist culture and Sharpton has become a media pet for his sensationalism. Plus he's an easy punching bag for the right in topics like this, which helps avoiding the actual topics that he raises.
I don't deny that racists should be publicly unacceptable but that's not the only answer. Deeper solutions require real dialog and hard work. Much pleasure as it gives me this public drawing and quartering of Don isn't going to help a damn thing in the long run.
Why won't it do a damn thing in the long run? It will get a racist off the national radio. I really fail to see how that's a bad thing. Can anyone explain why that's a bad thing? You say it's because it undermines legitimate complaints, while saying this is a legitimate complaint. If it's a small, simple, tidy little matter, why not just kick him off the air and be done with it? Because it's not a small tidy matter, because there are still lots of white people who have a hard time accepting why someone would be offended by this man's comments.
Why aren't we attacking the problem at its roots? All we ever do to "fight racism" in America is identify a scapegoat, paint a big bullseye on thier back, then let all the black community's "leaders" take shots at him. It really gets so much done. Yay us.
Precisely, this is nothing but media opportunism.
Ignoring problems doesn't make them go away. It's pretty simple.
Oh, so if the news fails to overhype one douchebag's comment. suddenly we're ignoring racism? WTF?
Is that honestly your solution? That in order to fight racism, all racial spats, big or small need to be reported on and on till the end of time? Racism is still a huge open wound in this nation and all we're doing is pouring salt on it. I'm not saying ignoring it is the solution. What I am saying is the whether or not the news media under/over reports this incident doesn't affect whether or not Joe Whitebread feels comfortable around his African American neighbors across the street.
Its such fucking hyporcricy When it comes to social issues, should we not be blind to race? Is that not the ultimate goal? I submit to you then that all this shit does is nothing but constantly remind the public:
BLACKS AND WHITES: OMG DIFFERENT!!
Racism is an issue that is not going to be solved by some idiot reporter's insightful article or news report. It's not going to be solved by some magic bullet legislation dreamed up by some wannabe politician. All you can do is do your best that we are all treated equally under the law. You can't make different races be BFF. They have to hash their shit out on their own time, and not under the media microscope.
All the media is doing is picking at scabs to increase their reader/viewership
(1) His song is not about a specific group of successful student athletes.
(2) There are many people who do criticize those type of lyrics, and many of them are the exact same people who are criticizing Don Imus.
(3) The FCC probably wouldn't let a song like that be played on the air, either.
(4) There are lots of other forms of media which carry similarly sexist messages, why is hip hop the only one under examination?
(5) How does DJ Quik's sexism excuse Don Imus' remarks?
I agree with the "much ado about nothing." comment. It's under his rights to freedom of speech for Don Imus to say what he said.
I don't agree with racism, and the comment itself seems out of nowhere, but I don't think saying racist things is completely out of the ordinary. Honestly, him having to apologize for his own comments seems something straight out of the "apology culture" topic I made a few weeks back. He has full right to say what he said. Is Al Sharpton blowing it out of proportion? Yeah. I don't think Imus deserves to be fired for continuing to do what he's always done. He's trying to see how far he can push the line between "free speech" and "hate speech."
Either way, he has the full right to say whatever he wants to say about anyone. Whether or not that affects his future popularity is up to his listeners/viewers. I personally don't give a shit. I'm more concerned with Iran and recent hate crimes against gay people than this hullabaloo.
Oh, so if the news fails to overhype one douchebag's comment. suddenly we're ignoring racism? WTF?
Is that honestly your solution? That in order to fight racism, all racial spats, big or small need to be reported on and on till the end of time? Racism is still a huge open wound in this nation and all we're doing is pouring salt on it. I'm not saying ignoring it is the solution. What I am saying is the whether or not the news media under/over reports this incident doesn't affect whether or not Joe Whitebread feels comfortable around his African American neighbors across the street.
No, the critics of Don Imus are not calling for the media to "overhype" his comment. They are calling for a racist to be removed from his position as a nationally syndicated radio host, but hey, way to completely mis-characterize the topic at hand to serve your point.
Its such fucking hyporcricy When it comes to social issues, should we not be blind to race? Is that not the ultimate goal? I submit to you then that all this shit does is nothing but constantly remind the public:
BLACKS AND WHITES: OMG DIFFERENT!!
Racism is an issue that is not going to be solved by some idiot reporter's insightful article or news report. It's not going to be solved by some magic bullet legislation dreamed up by some wannabe politician. All you can do is do your best that we are all treated equally under the law. You can't make different races be BFF. They have to hash their shit out on their own time, and not under the media microscope.
All the media is doing is picking at scabs to increase their reader/viewership
So you're not saying that we should ignore racism, but you're saying that we should ignore race? I'm confused.
I agree with the "much ado about nothing." comment. It's under his rights to freedom of speech for Don Imus to say what he said.
I don't agree with racism, and the comment itself seems out of nowhere, but I don't think saying racist things is completely out of the ordinary. Honestly, him having to apologize for his own comments seems something straight out of the "apology culture" topic I made a few weeks back. He has full right to say what he said. Is Al Sharpton blowing it out of proportion? Yeah. I don't think Imus deserves to be fired for continuing to do what he's always done. He's trying to see how far he can push the line between "free speech" and "hate speech."
Either way, he has the full right to say whatever he wants to say about anyone. Whether or not that affects his future popularity is up to his listeners/viewers. I personally don't give a shit. I'm more concerned with Iran and recent hate crimes against gay people than this hullabaloo.
Not a single person has said he doesn't have the right to say what he did.
WHY THE FUCK ARE WE REPEATING THIS EVERY SINGLE PAGE*?
Then to go along with that, you're basically saying that it's your opinion that a known racist should be employed by CBS and MSNBC and broadcast nationwide as long as that racist finds his audience, no reason to apologize for that. That would be weak-willed on CBS and MSNBC's part, saying their sorry for paying a racist's paycheck.
THEN
you're saying that his popularity is up to his future listeners/viewers, which is the whole point. Imus' critics have, in this instance, successfully organized his audience to demand his removal.
SO BASICALLY
you made a whole goddamn post to say absolutely nothing, except that you've completely failed to understand the issue under discussion, you don't care, and that the current solution is entirely acceptable to you. Good show.
Fuck the critics of Don Imus, I'm not talking about them. Way to hijack my point to make yours.
And hey, if you can't understand the duality of the situation of race, how its important, yet at the same time, gets overblown way too fucking often. It's not my fault you can't comprehend complex subjects.
And hey, if you can't understand the duality of the situation of racism, how its important, yet at the same time, gets overblown way too fucking often. It's not my fault you can't comprehend complex subjects.
No, I can get down with that, I was just confused by your statement that we shouldn't ignore racism, but we should ignore race. I'm curious to know in practical terms how that would works out for you, or for us, or for the people being discriminated against, etc..
I agree with the "much ado about nothing." comment. It's under his rights to freedom of speech for Don Imus to say what he said.
I don't agree with racism, and the comment itself seems out of nowhere, but I don't think saying racist things is completely out of the ordinary. Honestly, him having to apologize for his own comments seems something straight out of the "apology culture" topic I made a few weeks back. He has full right to say what he said. Is Al Sharpton blowing it out of proportion? Yeah. I don't think Imus deserves to be fired for continuing to do what he's always done. He's trying to see how far he can push the line between "free speech" and "hate speech."
Either way, he has the full right to say whatever he wants to say about anyone. Whether or not that affects his future popularity is up to his listeners/viewers. I personally don't give a shit. I'm more concerned with Iran and recent hate crimes against gay people than this hullabaloo.
Not a single person has said he doesn't have the right to say what he did.
WHY THE FUCK ARE WE REPEATING THIS EVERY SINGLE PAGE*?
Then to go along with that, you're basically saying that it's your opinion that a known racist should be employed by CBS and MSNBC and broadcast nationwide as long as that racist finds his audience, no reason to apologize for that. That would be weak-willed on CBS and MSNBC's part, saying their sorry for paying a racist's paycheck.
THEN
you're saying that his popularity is up to his future listeners/viewers, which is the whole point. Imus' critics have, in this instance, successfully organized his audience to demand his removal.
SO BASICALLY
you made a whole goddamn post to say absolutely nothing, except that you've completely failed to understand the issue under discussion, you don't care, and that the current solution is entirely acceptable to you. Good show.
*white people, I'm looking at you
Basically, I don't give a shit about this issue and the fact that it's so important to you utterly beguiles me.
Hey guys, racist witch-hunt! Let's go fire every single racist employee - even if they bring in money to a certain company/service - that exists in practically every company in America, in some form or another!
Let's make sure to target white people. We'll celebrate afterwards with a round of <insert beer that white people don't drink>!
Some of the dumbest butt to happen in this country in a long time, I'm not surprised Al Sharpton has a part in it.
I also don't think nappy-headed is any way shape or form a racist comment. But maybe that's just the way the word nappy is used around here, all to do with hair, nothing to do with race.
While much of this is of such double standardized pontification, I really only have one hope....
White Entertainment Network, where all the whites may feel a little better about them selves by refering to themselves in degrading terms... And then when some person of any other skin color calls some white group by a semi-racist term we can demand heads on platters, romping about barking about dignity, self-pride and the racism spewing from the networks.
This pretty much sums it up. I'd throw in the "you can't have equal rights when you fire white people for saying things a black DJ can say without even breaking a sweat" argument but that line of thinking has been beaten to death.
So instead I'll end this with LOL @ POLITICAL CORRECTNESS
Which prominent black DJ says things like what Imus has been saying?
None that I know of, but rappers occupy a far greater portion of the public eye and say far, far worse. I know for a fact that there are plenty of women who hate being thought of as objects and/or "hoes". And yet I haven't seen a rapper get fired over these kinds of issues. And they shouldn't, because they have a right to express how they feel, even if they're a douchebag. It's an unfortunate side effect of free speech, but one that needs to remain unless we want to go down the slippery slope into a nanny state.
Basically, I don't give a shit about this issue and the fact that it's so important to you utterly beguiles me.
Hey guys, racist witch-hunt! Let's go fire every single racist employee - even if they bring in money to a certain company/service - that exists in practically every company in America, in some form or another!
Let's make sure to target white people. We'll celebrate afterwards with a round of <insert beer that white people don't drink>!
You know what? If they would just fire the guy I wouldn't give much of a shit about the issue either. They've fired the guy, that would pretty much wrap it up for me.
Only there's people repeatedly coming in this thread to mock, downplay, and belittle the complaints of the people who are upset with Don Imus' comments. How exactly is this a "witch-hunt" if the man is a racist? In case your getting your metaphors mixed-up, a "witch-hunt" generally implies when you're chasing after an innocent person. So are you saying Don Imus is innocent of making racist remarks? Because that's what your characterization of the situation seems to imply.
And you know what? Being openly racist in the workplace is illegal. Did you know that? Yeah, it's actually against the law to sit around your workplace talking about the nappy-headed hoes from Rutgers who are going to the NCAA championship. But no, the fact that someone would care about racism apparently "beguiles" you, so I can't imagine why I would expect you to understand any of the finer points of the topic to boot.
None that I know of, but rappers occupy a far greater portion of the public eye and say far, far worse. I know for a fact that there are plenty of women who hate being thought of as objects and/or "hoes". And yet I haven't seen a rapper get fired over these kinds of issues. And they shouldn't, because they have a right to express how they feel, even if they're a douchebag. It's an unfortunate side effect of free speech, but one that needs to remain unless we want to go down the slippery slope into a nanny state.
While much of this is of such double standardized pontification, I really only have one hope....
White Entertainment Network, where all the whites may feel a little better about them selves by refering to themselves in degrading terms... And then when some person of any other skin color calls some white group by a semi-racist term we can demand heads on platters, romping about barking about dignity, self-pride and the racism spewing from the networks.
You should totally set up a Caucasian Celebration Society at your college.
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Also I've said it repeatedly -- it's absolute moronic to say that calling for censure of Don Imus is the equivalent to supporting openly racist politicians. It is possible to do both.
I've also said repeatedly that the fixation on attacking the blacks for their "victimhood," or trying to point out other instances of racism or sexim does nothing to (a) absolve this, or any of the other comments of its racist content, or (b) explain why we should be comfortable with a pretty clearly established racist with a loose mouth as the host of a nationally syndicated morning talk show.
It seems that some people are being made uncomfortable and turning defensive at the fact that a white man is being called a racist and facing real consequences for having misspoken. Yes, sorry, we live in an era where there are many people who won't tolerate public bigotry. Is that really so difficult for you to swallow?
MSNBC mornings certainly have never been anything special. Their evening punditry is pretty good though. They tend to keep things nicely balanced.
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A big part of the problem is white people's refusal to acknowledge legitimate complaints of racism, much like they've done in this instance. It's paternalistic and insulting when white people tell black people (or any minority) they have no right to be offended, much like they've done in this instance. What black people have discovered is that the only way for their complaints to ever be acknowledged is to be steadfastly demanding and unrelenting in their pursuit of it, much like they've done in this instance.
They've even done studies where they asked black people how often they feel they've suffered minor incidents of racism. They actually report suffering many more than they ever call attention to, which in turn leads to them often reacting very strongly (or over-reacting) when they finally do decide to register their complaint. Can you see how the fact that this is then met with doubt, skepticism, criticism, and suggestions that they shouldn't get so "uppity" doesn't really help settle the situation?
So really, can you explain to me why people shouldn't be mad here, when their legitimate complaints are ignored, they're used as an opportunity to attack black culture itself, and a whole lot of nonsense is spouted, little of which seems like honest remorse for the fact that an established bigot is the host of a nationally broadcast radio program?
But that's off-topic.
He makes a damn good case for Jason Whitlock being an Uncle Tom.
A shock jock makes some mildly offensive statements? Oh Em Gee News at 11 !
This pretty much sums it up. I'd throw in the "you can't have equal rights when you fire white people for saying things a black DJ can say without even breaking a sweat" argument but that line of thinking has been beaten to death.
So instead I'll end this with LOL @ POLITICAL CORRECTNESS
Name me one.
edit: or a prominent black one that blasted white folk. Go, name who it was.
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You don't want to go down the road of comparing what black people say about their own people (or anyone else's for that matter) in trying to say this was a travesty.
If a rapper referred to anyone as a "nappy-headed ho" I'd probably think it was a term of endearment it's so light.
This story amounts to a jackass saying something stupid, albeit a rich and well known jackass, and causing a massive uproar. He's fired and dropped by his advertisers, and that is about as far as it needs to go. In and of it self this is rather uninteresting.
Of course, it is such a big deal because we are afflicted by the legacy of slavery, which will probably taint race issues for many years to come. As such we will get pointless conflicts like this proxying the deeper disease. It shouldn't be surprising why many people are apathetic about it, because the race issue has no clear right (although a lot of wrongs) and is complicated and commonly resistent to individual influence.
Which prominent black DJ says things like what Imus has been saying?
I already commented on this guys history. At the onset, were those calling for his dismissal - including Sharpton, Jackson and the CBS exec - aware of this history, and basing the judgment calls on that?
That, and this country absolutely REFUSES to deal with it, and instead goes for pot-shots like this. Sharpton and his cronies would rather go after easy media'ed targets than actually do anything relevant and non-partisan.
Does it just have to be a DJ?
Yes and people like Sharpton blowing shit like this totally out of proportion hurts that argument. He's what most people think of when they think of black leadership. He makes more legitimate complaints(sorry not being able to get an apartment or job is MUCH worse than a one liner insult) seem ridiculous to outsiders because of his constant whining. I'm sorry but that's all he really does. Whine whine whine. He never makes an effort(nor does most of the black leadership these days) to reach out and find the roots of the racism. Instead he uses forced apologies and humiliation as tools for his own self-promotion.
I don't deny that racists should be publicly unacceptable but that's not the only answer. Deeper solutions require real dialog and hard work. Much pleasure as it gives me this public drawing and quartering of Don isn't going to help a damn thing in the long run.
Well, he said DJ, so I said DJ, but if there's a racist media personality you want to fire, you think I'd give a shit? Why would I? But for some reason, people are upset that this racist is getting shit, though.
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This man has DJ in his name:
http://www.ohhla.com/anonymous/dj_quik/quikname/swtblack.djq.txt
P.S.- This might not be what you are refering to, and I will take it down if it is off topic.
Edit: I don't listen to rap so...
Edit2: Nothing said in 4 posts so I am leaving it up while I log off.
When did being a "shock jock" make being a racist douchebag and getting paid for it ok?
As an aside, MSNBC hired Tucker Carlson after Jon Stewart handed him his ass on Crossfire (which was promptly canceled). To pretend that shows like that are 'balanced' is silly. They're commentators who sling talking points back and forth without actually enriching the debate in any meaningful way.
Which is why I'm not terribly hopeful for a journalistic renaissance occurring because of Imus' departure. Also, it's good to see CBS has some onions in the bag, even if it took a while to find them.
-- they've tried to say there's no racist intent in his comments
-- they've tried to say that they're comparable to other speech by non-white people and thus negligible
-- they've tried to say that it's a known shock jock making a shock joke thus negligible
-- they've tried to assassinate the character of certain figures raising the complaints to negate the complaints
-- they've tried to say the complaint is negligible because it is a low entry in the larger list of racist transgressions
-- they've tried to say that calling for Don Imus' removal is a violation of free speech*
Did I get them all? If it was really as simple as you say, wouldn't we just have a page or two of people agreeing and saying, "Yeah -- fuck that guy. The sooner he's off the air the better." I, for one, thought it was as simple as you say, which is why I didn't bother making a thread about it. Racist white guy makes racist statement, gets in trouble -- what's to discuss? Apparently a good amount.
*I probably think this one is the absolute stupidest of them all
Why won't it do a damn thing in the long run? It will get a racist off the national radio. I really fail to see how that's a bad thing. Can anyone explain why that's a bad thing? You say it's because it undermines legitimate complaints, while saying this is a legitimate complaint. If it's a small, simple, tidy little matter, why not just kick him off the air and be done with it? Because it's not a small tidy matter, because there are still lots of white people who have a hard time accepting why someone would be offended by this man's comments.
Oh, so if the news fails to overhype one douchebag's comment. suddenly we're ignoring racism? WTF?
Is that honestly your solution? That in order to fight racism, all racial spats, big or small need to be reported on and on till the end of time? Racism is still a huge open wound in this nation and all we're doing is pouring salt on it. I'm not saying ignoring it is the solution. What I am saying is the whether or not the news media under/over reports this incident doesn't affect whether or not Joe Whitebread feels comfortable around his African American neighbors across the street.
Its such fucking hyporcricy When it comes to social issues, should we not be blind to race? Is that not the ultimate goal? I submit to you then that all this shit does is nothing but constantly remind the public:
BLACKS AND WHITES: OMG DIFFERENT!!
Racism is an issue that is not going to be solved by some idiot reporter's insightful article or news report. It's not going to be solved by some magic bullet legislation dreamed up by some wannabe politician. All you can do is do your best that we are all treated equally under the law. You can't make different races be BFF. They have to hash their shit out on their own time, and not under the media microscope.
All the media is doing is picking at scabs to increase their reader/viewership
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(2) There are many people who do criticize those type of lyrics, and many of them are the exact same people who are criticizing Don Imus.
(3) The FCC probably wouldn't let a song like that be played on the air, either.
(4) There are lots of other forms of media which carry similarly sexist messages, why is hip hop the only one under examination?
(5) How does DJ Quik's sexism excuse Don Imus' remarks?
I don't agree with racism, and the comment itself seems out of nowhere, but I don't think saying racist things is completely out of the ordinary. Honestly, him having to apologize for his own comments seems something straight out of the "apology culture" topic I made a few weeks back. He has full right to say what he said. Is Al Sharpton blowing it out of proportion? Yeah. I don't think Imus deserves to be fired for continuing to do what he's always done. He's trying to see how far he can push the line between "free speech" and "hate speech."
Either way, he has the full right to say whatever he wants to say about anyone. Whether or not that affects his future popularity is up to his listeners/viewers. I personally don't give a shit. I'm more concerned with Iran and recent hate crimes against gay people than this hullabaloo.
So you're not saying that we should ignore racism, but you're saying that we should ignore race? I'm confused.
WHY THE FUCK ARE WE REPEATING THIS EVERY SINGLE PAGE*?
Then to go along with that, you're basically saying that it's your opinion that a known racist should be employed by CBS and MSNBC and broadcast nationwide as long as that racist finds his audience, no reason to apologize for that. That would be weak-willed on CBS and MSNBC's part, saying their sorry for paying a racist's paycheck.
THEN
you're saying that his popularity is up to his future listeners/viewers, which is the whole point. Imus' critics have, in this instance, successfully organized his audience to demand his removal.
SO BASICALLY
you made a whole goddamn post to say absolutely nothing, except that you've completely failed to understand the issue under discussion, you don't care, and that the current solution is entirely acceptable to you. Good show.
*white people, I'm looking at you
And hey, if you can't understand the duality of the situation of race, how its important, yet at the same time, gets overblown way too fucking often. It's not my fault you can't comprehend complex subjects.
EDIT: situation of race, not racism
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No, I can get down with that, I was just confused by your statement that we shouldn't ignore racism, but we should ignore race. I'm curious to know in practical terms how that would works out for you, or for us, or for the people being discriminated against, etc..
Hey guys, racist witch-hunt! Let's go fire every single racist employee - even if they bring in money to a certain company/service - that exists in practically every company in America, in some form or another!
Let's make sure to target white people. We'll celebrate afterwards with a round of <insert beer that white people don't drink>!
I also don't think nappy-headed is any way shape or form a racist comment. But maybe that's just the way the word nappy is used around here, all to do with hair, nothing to do with race.
I am ashamed to be American the past week.
White Entertainment Network, where all the whites may feel a little better about them selves by refering to themselves in degrading terms... And then when some person of any other skin color calls some white group by a semi-racist term we can demand heads on platters, romping about barking about dignity, self-pride and the racism spewing from the networks.
None that I know of, but rappers occupy a far greater portion of the public eye and say far, far worse. I know for a fact that there are plenty of women who hate being thought of as objects and/or "hoes". And yet I haven't seen a rapper get fired over these kinds of issues. And they shouldn't, because they have a right to express how they feel, even if they're a douchebag. It's an unfortunate side effect of free speech, but one that needs to remain unless we want to go down the slippery slope into a nanny state.
Only there's people repeatedly coming in this thread to mock, downplay, and belittle the complaints of the people who are upset with Don Imus' comments. How exactly is this a "witch-hunt" if the man is a racist? In case your getting your metaphors mixed-up, a "witch-hunt" generally implies when you're chasing after an innocent person. So are you saying Don Imus is innocent of making racist remarks? Because that's what your characterization of the situation seems to imply.
And you know what? Being openly racist in the workplace is illegal. Did you know that? Yeah, it's actually against the law to sit around your workplace talking about the nappy-headed hoes from Rutgers who are going to the NCAA championship. But no, the fact that someone would care about racism apparently "beguiles" you, so I can't imagine why I would expect you to understand any of the finer points of the topic to boot.
You should totally set up a Caucasian Celebration Society at your college.