Ask Me Help Desk - Don Imus vs Al Sharpton

I think Imus is a stupid S.O.B. for saying something like he did about the girls. But I wonder how many of these girls watch Cris Rock and laugh when he uses the N word and every other word out of his mouth is F**K or Motherf**ker. And Chris is one of Oprah's best friends.

Or if they watch a MTV video or listen to some of that rap out there that is violent towards women.

Now don't go using the B word letmetellu... That's part of the problem in the rap songs we're talking about!! ;)

We are a society that promotes and glorifies TRASH. Then we look puzzled when our kids start using bad words and then we are even more confused when these kids grown up to be adults that use those trashy words. Say something nice you get nothing. Say something nasty and they will pay you to put on a CD. We have become a society that subscribes to filth.

Again I don't agree with Imus and what he said, but people of all races should realize that he is a comic and that is the way he makes his living the same as many other comics that make remarks about all different races. I made the remarks earlier about Chris Rock and his language at his shows. I think it is deplorable, I se nothing funny about it, and still as he is telling his black jokes and down grading the black race, men and women, there is a large crowd that can not get their breaths because they are laughing so hard. Yet if I used the N word to one of the people at the show they would put me down in every way that they could think of, I was not the one that made the N word a bad word, in fact when I was young I thought I was doing a black friend a favor because I called him the N word instead of a negro because we both thought that negro was a negative way to refer to black people. I am not ashamed to be in a crowd that uses the N word and still I really don't understand why. Please don't cuss me out but I would like to ask someone exactly why and when did it become the most hated word in the english language?

Quote:

Originally Posted by letmetellu

Please don't cuss me out but I would like to ask someone exactly why and when did it become the most hated word in the english language?

I would suggest getting this book; Strange Career of a Troublesome Word. It will explain how this word became so vilified.

Well, Imus is off the air - for now anyway. CBS and MSNBC have pulled the plug.
I would be willing to bet that satellite radio will pick him up next week.

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Originally Posted by NowWhat

I would be willing to bet that satelite radio will pick him up next week.

Hello again:

I don't think so. Sirius and XM are trying to merge and are awaiting SEC approval. Hiring Imus wouldn't help that process. Poor racist - his timing is just bad.

excon

Quote:

Originally Posted by excon

Poor racist - his timiing is just bad.

THis made me laugh.:p

Quote:

Originally Posted by excon

Sirius and XM are trying to merge and are awaiting SEC approval. Hiring Imus wouldn't help that process.

Yep. They won't touch this with a 10 ft. pole because they have to avoid any controversy.
So, Imus is out of a job for the first time in 30 years.

Do you think his career is over?

Not at all a "freedom of speech thing" in any sense whatsoever.

You could get fired for wearing flip-flops and a tutu to work. Working is not an absolute right. Sponsors pulled probably due to public pressure, domino effect, canned imus for dinner. Extreme? Sure. Maybe. no. that's for the sponsors to decide and his employers.

How is this different than when jimmy the greek was canned a decade or so ago for stating that black athletes were stronger and faster because slaves were "bred" to be that way? It was the same kind of situation, just more civilized talk. He said a dumb thing in the media spotlight. Poof. Bye-bye paycheck.

Imus has not lost his freedom of speech. I'm free to whistle dixie out my nose. Doesn't mean I'm guaranteed to get and keep a job. Though id bet you'd be in a niche market as a flip-flopped, tutu wearing, nose whistler.

Employeers can dictate a lot more than PC speech from their employees.

Sharpton is a clown. The media loves clowns. Made for each other. If imus had been talking about the mens lacrosse team accused of rape and called them a bunch of "punk-a$$ white bread crackers" where would the public uproar be?

Is punk-a$$ hyphenated?

Anyway... I do, however, agree with what fr chuck said. He's probably done some good too, I imagine, just by being in the spotlight. Lets face it... having this debate isn't necessarily a bad thing, and sharpton helped bring it forward. But he's still a sleaze. I hate to say bad words about a guy who's in bad shape, but even the governor (who was critically hurt on the way to mediate the meeting between the rutgers team and imus)... what the hell? Why does the governor need to step in and mediate? Really? Political grandstanding all over the place.

I do completely disagree with the notion that some words should be fine for one group to use but not another. N-word of course the prime suspect. If you propagate it, and use it to make money (rap, etc) can you really make a logical argument about how some can use it while others cannot?

I understand the reflex. My daughter, half latino, knows there are some words said in her latino circle that are fine within the circle... but probably not outside. She has asian friends who call dressing up their cars the way the do "ricing" the car... again, within the circle, its "fine"...

Well, OK. Whatever. Yes, we need some common sense in our public officials (theoretically) but if you use crap language you shouldn't be "scared for life" (as one player mentioned) when that crap language comes back around.

In a situation like this, where just about everybody is stupid as a wad o gum, my wife and I ask each other if they are playing "I & A". Which is short for a game called Idiots and A$$holes... you get to decide who's being the I and the a... sometimes people are both.

Maybe matel would let me market that game?

Kp, I wish I could rate you for that little speech. You would get a big thumbs up from me.

I do believe, with time, when sirius and xm have managed to do what they want to do, and enough time has passed, Imus will be back, if all this hullabaloo hasn't killed him first.
He has been fired before. This will all be a bad memory in another 6 months to a years time.

I heard there was an article in today's Wall Street Journal, that talked about how Imus met his downfall. Apparently there is a media monitoring group that monitors all broadcasts. They were the ones who first reported the gaffe and started posting e-mails about what should be done. It wasn't until some black journalists started an outcry that Sharpton picked it up.

Hmmm. Very interesting Scott. Most of us who have followed the careers of Imus and Stern, know that the FCC and any monitoring groups have been looking for any and every opportunity to really grind both of them into the concrete. I guess they finally found it with Imus. Now, they can be free to turn their full attention onto Stern. What fun!

An off-topic question (kind of). Does the FCC regulate satellite radio? I wasn't sure. I thought that was why stern went with Sirrus. So he could say whatever he wanted.
Is it different when you are paying for the service? Like cable TV?
Just wondering.

I don't think sirus abides by the same standards... it's like paying for HBO.

I believe karen is correct. So, the bottom line would be that we, the paying audience are the ones that would have a say in content. If we are upset and cancel subscriptions, then it would have the same effect that Imus's sponsers are having now.

But, you can bet anything that the FCC and all these regulatory agencies are monitoring content. If what ScottGem stated is true, they will just find ways around the new system. They will feed what they have heard, to anyone and everyone willing to make a lot of noise, such as the great Rev Sharpton.