Imus fired over derogatory comments...

[Wyldfire]

Unless you live under a rock you've probably heard about Imus referring to the Rutgers women's basketball team as "Nappy-headed hos" last week. He got fired from his radio show and the tv simulcast over it.

Here's the thing...Imus has been hating on every group for over 30 years now, and while he is terribly offensive, rude and sounds like he hates everyone...he does an incredible amount of charity work. He's raised over $40 million dollars through his now cancelled radio show to help kids with cancer, veterans, kids with autism, research for sickle cell anemia...just to name a few. He even operates a ranch for terminally ill kids. Sickle cell anemia only affects black people. If the guy was truly a racist/bigot then he would not be raising money for research for that.

If you listen to any rap music the lyrics are way worse than what Imus said, and I'm not defending what he said...it was way out of line...but I don't think he should be fired over it...especially with how sincerely the guy has been apologizing for almost a solid week.

I think it's horrible that all these charities are going to suffer because of this crazy lynch mob mentality that is being directed at Imus. This is just so sad. I hope the Rutgers basketball team comes out and makes some kind of statement to attempt to stop the madness and lynch mob crap. The world needs to show a bit more forgiveness.

 

[DJDamage]

Howard Stern was smart switching to satalite radio, very smart.

This is kinda scary actually a person getting fired from saying the wrong thing and is not allowed to appologise, it sounds like a modern day lynch mob. Being PC is actually another form of hate.

 

[Wyldfire]

Well, "ho" is slang for wh*re. So yeah...it is offensive to call a woman that. He also called a college basketball team that. These are young black women who are working hard to make something of themselves. Those names are hurtful when you say them to anyone, but even moreso if you're working hard so you are considered a fine, respectable lady and you are still called those derogatory names.

There's going to be a huge backlash over this, I'm certain. Rap music is going to be targeted full force and you will see radio stations and record labels pressured into censoring musicians. It was Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton pushing for Imus being fired...and in the end, the black community is going to end up blaming them for the fallout. It's going to get very ugly. However, if they are going to go after Imus over this they have no business complaining when rap music gets the same treatment. If it's not okay for Imus to say it then it's not okay or anyone else to say it, either.

 

[Wyldfire]

You know what I found way more offensive and disturbing than this...when Bill O'reilly said that maybe Shawn Hornbeck liked being held hostage by the pedophile who kidnapped him and held him for over 4 years. If anyone should have been fired it should have been him. And all the personal attacks on that 17 year old kid, Sanjaya, on American Idol...just as ugly and hateful.

Why this comment and why Imus as the scapegoat? That's what I'm really wondering about...

 

[Drum&Bass]

DON'T BE A JERK OFF, YOU GET TO KEEP YOUR JOB simple as that...Imus losing his job is no one else's fault but Imus's.

I think it's horrible that all these charities are going to suffer

I agree that SUX BIG TIME !! He was in a position where he had things to lose and he blew it.

I hope the Rutgers basketball team comes out and makes some kind of statement to attempt to stop the madness and lynch mob crap.

You are an idiot for suggesting something so foolish. Rutgers should do no such thing, there hands are clean from the whole incident, they were minding their own business.

The world needs to show a bit more forgiveness.

or how about forget Imus, he reaps what he sows...but the world should support more charities

This is kinda scary actually a person getting fired from saying the wrong thing

If you are a radio jockey wouldn't common sense tell you making racist comments on the air is NOT the best of ideas ??? What is so scary about having common sense ??

I don't know why but I don't even think "nappy haired hos" is even a racist statement. I mean, their hair is nappy isn't it

scum

 

[Wyldfire]

You are an idiot for suggesting something so foolish. Rutgers should do no such thing, there hands are clean from the whole incident, they were minding their own business.

I heard the team speak out once already...and they are very graceful and intelligent ladies who said they would meet with Imus privately to let him apologize in person as he requested. I don't think they wanted it to go this far. If someone makes a huge mistake and acknowledges it and tries to make it right, that should be rewarded. This lynch mob mentality is just going to discourage people from bothering to attempt to take responsibility for their mistakes in the future...bad idea. Forgiveness is a very important virtue.

If you are a radio jockey wouldn't common sense tell you making racist comments on the air is NOT the best of ideas ??? What is so scary about having common sense ??

The thing that bothers me most is that Imus has been saying crap like this for 30 years...and WAY worse things, too. He honestly has made his offensiveness "equal opportunity". He's said things over the last 30 years that make this last comment sound like a compliment. While I think it's really great that so many people agree that what he said was horribly wrong...it's not cool to be accepting of his behavior and comments for 30 years and then one day rip into him like a pack of rabid wolves over something he said that doesn't even come close to being the worst thing he's said. I agree it was a horrible comment...yet he honestly has said FAR worse and no one complained.

 

[DJDamage]

If you are a radio jockey wouldn't common sense tell you making racist comments on the air is NOT the best of ideas ??? What is so scary about having common sense ??

I wasn't talking about radio jockey I was talking generally about today's workforce. Haven't you ever told a joke at work? I am sure it wasn't as bad as Imus did but those days people are so easily offended that if you say something funny and someone takes offence to it, you could get fired. It doesn't have to be racial, it could be personal (like saying that women shop too much for example, a hardcore feminist can take a real offence to it and will say my comment are hurtful and discriminatory and my question is - WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE?). It all depends how much noise a person is willing to go about it and most companies rather get rid of the problem then risk lawsuit and get a bad publicity. 3 years ago Imus could have made the same comment and get away with it.

 

[ryannath]

The black man will always feel like the white man owes him something, and that's just the way it is, sorry to say.

 

[Drum&Bass]

(like saying that women shop too much for example, a hardcore feminist can take a real offence to it and will say my comment are hurtful and discriminatory and my question is - WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE?).

Have you ever worked in a professional environment before ?? People don't make derogatory jokes, and those that do take a BIG risk, that is reality, its not a bad thing, you just have to have a respectful state of mind when you are dealing with a variety of people. It is not necesary to draw a line, just be a good respectful person, leave the low brow humor outside of any professional establishment.

He's said things over the last 30 years that make this last comment sound like a compliment. While I think it's really great that so many people agree that what he said was horribly wrong...it's not cool to be accepting of his behavior and comments for 30 years and then one day rip into him like a pack of rabid wolves over something he said that doesn't even come close to being the worst thing he's said. I agree it was a horrible comment...yet he honestly has said FAR worse and no one complained.

3 years ago Imus could have made the same comment and get away with it.

EXACTLY !!!! He got away with saying bad things in the past...you know what that means ??!? It means he should have lost his job A LONG time ago..like when he 1st stepped out of line with his 1st racial insult.

You know what it doesn't mean !! That we should slap him on the wrist and say.."well he's been doing it for so long why should anyone care?"..it took long enough but for 30+ years he was asking for trouble he pushed his luck too far and now his actions finally caught up with him.

 

[BBX]

personally hate him, he should of died a long time ago

 

[Wyldfire]

The black man will always feel like the white man owes him something, and that's just the way it is, sorry to say.

That's not true...you're stereotyping. Some of those defending Imus the loudest are black people because of all those charities. One black woman (don't know her name but she was on a news show) said that even though Imus was very wrong in what he said we can't judge him based only on his mistakes, that we should look at the complete picture.

I've been around long enough to know that this is really the first time that Imus has tried so hard and been so sincere in attempting to make this right. And the one time he is authentically and genuinely sorry for something he said is the one time everyone is going straigh for his jugular. The mob mentality, to me, is just as ugly as what Imus said in the first place. No one has been so morally perfect to justify this "crucify Imus" mob mentality...it's just so ugly and hateful...and hypocritical. Going after Imus this harshly sorta makes him just as much of a victim in this debacle as the Rutgers basketball team, and it shouldn't be like that. The focus should be on gaining mutual understanding and respect, not further divisiveness. Crap like this does more to hurt race relations than it does to help...and there was a real opportunity to help that has been wasted and lost by all the additional hate-mongering.

 

[Wyldfire]

Does anyone know what else he's said? Just curious.

He's made some very disgusting comments about Jews, women, homosexuals, muslims...you name the group and he has said something extremely offensive. Sadly, that is why his radio show has been as successful as it has...because people like to be shocked. It's unlikely he honestly believes the comments he makes, because his charity work indicates that he is actually a very kind and giving person. I think he only said that stuff because that is what his audience wanted to hear....political incorrectness to the extreme. It's messed up that those things sell best, but they do.

 

[Wyldfire]

Have you ever worked in a professional environment before ?? People don't make derogatory jokes, and those that do take a BIG risk, that is reality, its not a bad thing, you just have to have a respectful state of mind when you are dealing with a variety of people. It is not necesary to draw a line, just be a good respectful person, leave the low brow humor outside of any professional establishment.




EXACTLY !!!! He got away with saying bad things in the past...you know what that means ??!? It means he should have lost his job A LONG time ago..like when he 1st stepped out of line with his 1st racial insult.

You know what it doesn't mean !! That we should slap him on the wrist and say.."well he's been doing it for so long why should anyone care?"..it took long enough but for 30+ years he was asking for trouble he pushed his luck too far and now his actions finally caught up with him.

What about Isaiah Washington's anti-homosexual hate comments and name calling? Should he be kicked off of Grey's Anatomy for that too? What about all the rappers who say the same stuff and worse in their music? Should they be taken off the radio and TV as well?

Going after Imus has set a precedent, and those who have been calling for Imus being fired are likely to be very unhappy with where this is going to go from here. This is not just about Imus...it's way bigger than that. The best thought that comes to mind is to be careful what you wish for, you might just get it.

This is the end of "gangsta rap", South Park, Family Guy, comedians, etc., etc...it's the end of entertainment as we know it.

 

[Drum&Bass]

What about Isaiah Washington's anti-homosexual hate comments and name calling? Should he be kicked off of Grey's Anatomy for that too? What about all the rappers who say the same stuff and worse in their music? Should they be taken off the radio and TV as well?

They should ALL be punished !!!! You commit the crime be ready to do the time. Anyone with a public voice that spreads negative and hateful messages SHOULD SUFFER consequences. Good people come in all nationalities, genders, cultures and orientation, good people don't deserve dis-respect, I'm all for eliminating ignorant peoples abuse of power.

This is the end of "gangsta rap", South Park, Family Guy, comedians, etc., etc...it's the end of entertainment as we know it.

I have no problem with that !!! I don't find any of those things entertaining at all...except comedy. Sure many people won't like it, but who cares..now they will be forced to be more productive with their time with less ignorant distractions. The media is one of the worst things about this country, getting rid of low class media may do Americans a bit of good in the long run.

 

[Wyldfire]

Well...at least you're consistent.

While I find those kinds of comments extremely offensive as well, I'm very opposed to censorship. You can't just punish people for saying things you don't like or that offend you and expect that just because you don't hear them say it that it means racism, sexism, homophobia, etc no longer exists. It will actually become worse because there will be no dialogue. Resentment and anger is already building over this and I find that to be extremely sad.

 

[mahon83050]

It is a shame he got fired.

Al Sharpton is the biggest bigot of them all and a trouble maker. He HATES white people and doesn't care about the facts. He obviously invited Imus on his radio show after the incident to try and set him up even more.

If Imus has to be censored, what about Chapelle, Chris Rock and others who make derogatory comments about whites.

 

[spider_007]

Opie & Anthoney ware having a field day for last two days defending the guy.

The whole world is going down the ****ter.

this goes along the lines of 'wrap averybody in buble wrap' thing that's been going on for quet a while. God fobid, we offend anybody.

 

[bigjohnson]

.... I'm not defending what he said ....

Then I will. People in this country are just too damn touchy. If you don't like what he says stop listening. Sheesh.

 

[spider_007]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=FVJ14uL22R4
http://youtube.com/watch?v=rdVjrBY5-F0


I think that's much worse then "nappy headed hoes"

 

[Wyldfire]

Then I will. People in this country are just too damn touchy. If you don't like what he says stop listening. Sheesh.

Most people who are offended by what he said wasn't listening...but the media has been repeating it for a week constantly. His comment WAS very hurtful as hateful comments always are. I don't think he should be fired or there should be a lynch mob going after him...but I think his comments are wrong (not just this time, but all the hateful things he says and that others say). Firing people doesn't solve anything, though...it just makes matters worse. Talking about it and helping people to see how their comments make other people feel would go a lot further.