Way to go, Al Sharpton. Let's see if MSNBC replaces his show with one in which the host advances so many of your views such as impeaching Bush and blaming Katrina on "racism", or if now zero talk hosts advance those views. And let's see if now the mechanisms are in place to eventually get you canned from your broadcasting job for "insulting" some group of people.
Barack Obama now advocates firing Imus because he'd fire any of his staff for making those remarks. Shall we now have fired all TV and radio hosts who say things that would result in Obama firing them from his senatorial or election staffs? Is that the standard we now want to govern our TV and radio shows? Say nothing on TV or radio that would get a politician's staff member fired.
RIP morning TV's only intelligent discourse, all because it included barroom humor offensive to polite company and sensitive ears. Now with Imus gone, see if you can tell any difference among the other shows as you flip around; see if you can find anybody pushing any boundaries, asking tough questions of important political figures, and probing and nakedly criticizing those in power.
2007-04-11
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Even if another cable operation will trade its undetectable morning ratings for an Imus simulcast, I wonder if he can still get the guests that would matter. If this happens, I do hope that he tones down some of his jokes. Perhaps we will find that the people who won't ever appear on his shows were the less interesting guests.
I hope that MSNBC uses this chance to give a black broadcaster chance to host a news talk show, and that in any case that show covers the topics the way that Imus did.
If MSNBC and all his corporate sponsors had kept Imus, the Sharptons of the world would cite this as evidence of wide spread anti-black racism in the US. Now that they've all dumped him, will these "offended" people now use this as evidence of less racism than they thought?
Paul,
This is a great day for America.
Justice is being served and the unjust are angry and afraid.
There is still wide-spread racism in America and probably always will be.
But the actions of MSNBC and the corporate sponsors who pulled out of Imus' show demonstrate that public expressions of hate over the public airways will not be tolerated.
America is evolving.
We're not perfect but we are striving toward perfection.
As a conservative white male, you seem to feel that us "offended people" should just get over it and toughen up.
Suppose the major networks, cable TV news shows, and print news opinion pages were dominated by black militant/nationalists who hammered away at the evil and pathology of whites?
What if MSNBC had Malik Zulu Shabazz as talk show host who caricautured and demeaned white people on the regular and incessant basis that Imus did?
While chummily chatting and conversing with some of the most powerful political and media figures in America?
You'd be the first one complaining.
Be for real dude.
I will posting this on Nadir's blog as well so if you block it, please expalin why.
My views on this matter, Steve, have nothing to do with my "race", and I'm not a "conservative": I support abortion rights, drug legalization, full separation of church and state, making fun of Christianity and Jesus, the right of Americans to set fire to American flags in public, and Bill Mahr and Ward Churchill keeping their jobs.
Now that you and Sharpton have succeeded in getting Imus fired, how do you prevent other groups from getting Sharpton and Churchill fired?
If the airwaves were full of black folks talking ugly about white folks (if they merely "exposed the [actual] evil of whites", I would join them!) I would not try to get any of the ugly-talking black folks fired. As it happens, though, the airwaves are not full of white folks talking ugly about black folks. The airwaves are overly full of white folks, I agree, but only a few ever say anything ugly about blacks, and those that do equally say ugly things about everybody, including themselves and various groups of white folks.
I do not want Al Sharpton fired, even though he has on his radio show profoundly "offended" me by using those airwaves to get Imus fired; I do not want Sharpon banned from speaking at universities, or banned from serving on faculties.
I support free speech, which makes me different from most people like you and Nadir on the left, and most people on the right as well.
I certainly agree that the US on average in most areas is moving towards perfection, but with this Imus situation I think we've taken a step backwards. I suppose now its time for people on the right to get some leftie fired for "offending"them, perhaps for something that you and Nadir applaud.
"Now that you and Sharpton have succeeded in getting Imus fired, how do you prevent other groups from getting Sharpton and Churchill fired?"
You guys kill me with this.
What are you going to fire Sharpton from?
Sharpton is an activist and his money comes from donations from private supporters to his organization.
That's what frustrates so many white people about the Sharpton's and Farrakhan's.
You don't own them and can't really do anything to them.
They draw all of their strength from black people.
"The airwaves are overly full of white folks, I agree, but only a few ever say anything ugly about blacks, and those that do equally say ugly things about everybody, including themselves and various groups of white folks."
This is absolute nonsense and shows how totally removed you are from reality.
On any given day I can pick up the editorial page of the Wall St Journal, Washington Times, NY Post and several other publications and find a racially offensive column by some rightwinger.
Fox TV is a cesspool of racial hatred.
The panelists on shows like Inside Washington and the McLaughlin Group regularly engage in anti-black bigotry.
"I suppose now its time for people on the right to get some leftie fired for "offending"them, perhaps for something that you and Nadir applaud."
You just don't get it, do you?
If some lefty directed an ugly racial slur toward a conservative on the public airways then they deserve to be fired.
However, as demonstrated by Imus, Limbaugh, Boortz and Savage, racial hatred is a staple of rightwing yappers.
By your definition, Steve, everything said by a white person in favor of tax cuts and school vouchers constitutes racial hatred.
"If some lefty directed an ugly racial slur toward a conservative on the public airways then they deserve to be fired."
Only "racial slurs"? How about Imus calling Ann Coulter a skank? Imus is a lefty by many measures.
How about Al Frankin calling Coulter various names?
"Only "racial slurs"? How about Imus calling Ann Coulter a skank? Imus is a lefty by many measures."
Coulter is a skank.
And how is Imus a lefty?
Name ONE liberal position he takes.
Imus' lefty positions:
1. Characterizes Ann Coulter as a skank.
2. Characterizes Bush and Cheney as lairs and war criminals who should be impeached and imprisoned.
3. Supported Harold Ford Jr. in his bid against a republican for US Senate. Nadir says that Ford isn't a real lefty, but in that contest I assume that all lefties voted for Ford.
4. Characterizes those famous anti-Ford campaign ads as racist.
5. Attributes the poor federal response to Katrina to anti-black "racism" by whites.
6. Supported John Kerry against Bush.
7. Loathes Jerry Falwell and Rush Limbaugh, characterizing them both as fat, biased lairs.
8. Loathes Fox News, characterizing it as biased in favor of republicans.
9. Opposed the Iraq invasion from the start.
10. Believes that global warming is occurring and is caused by humans.
I believe that there is more...
Steve: Please list your reasons for categorizing Imus as a righty.
11. Imus opposes church in state.
13. Imus lampooned creationists.
14. Imus lampooned Jesus.
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