Congrats, Censors!
Media Matters for America, founded by David Brock, is crowing from the sorta-left (can you really trust an ideological traitor?) about Imus’ firing. MM is even distributing a hit list of right-wing talk show hosts and others who they want to see fired for spewing what they deem to be offensive language.
Over on the probably-right are outfits like BeliefNet, that are using Imus’ firing as a staging ground for attacks on popular music. Tipper Gore, call the batcave! Here’s what BeliefNet’s latest email says:
Don Imus Controversy
With Imus Gone, Let’s Clean Up Rap
“Imus got what he deserved, but the root of the problem is our vulgar culture. As a black woman and a child of God, I ask, Why don’t Christians stand up to rap artists?”
Poll: Should Imus Have Been Fired? | Discuss
His Apology: Accept It | Not Enough
Talk Radio Is the Real Culprit
“It’s time to stop handling these rappers with kid gloves and letting them run free every time they cry “I’m innocent.” Young minds are at stake every time they turn on the television and see a man disrespecting a woman, sliding a credit card down the crack of her backside–thanks, Nelly–or just allowing women to exploit themselves in a music video for a crummy paycheck. (Yes, the women agree to be in these videos by their own free will, but when will they decide they don’t want them to sell themselves to the highest bidder anymore?) Young ears are being flooded with the poisonous lyrics of today’s rap music. Stop conveying the message that it could ever be appropriate to call a woman a “‘ho” or a “b*tch”–regardless of what you personally know about them. It’s not okay, ever–whether you’re an African American rapper or a white talk-radio shock jock. “
Charmers all around, I’m sure.
Well, congratulations. It took you 30 years to notice that he told tasteless (and often funny) jokes, many of which relied on racial and gender stereotypes, but he’s gone. Hurrah!
Meanwhile, the Rutgers women he offended have seen their lives improve not…one…bit. Their fathers and brothers still risk getting pulled over and searched and beaten and raped and murdered by police for no reason whatsoever. African-American team members whose parents live in inner cities spent their spring breaks in areas that have been abandoned by city and state governments that don’t care what happens to them. Their own job prospects are limited by their skin color. But hey, at least they got that loud-mouth talk show host fired. Yay for racial justice!
No one is crowing louder than the left. There’s just one, or maybe two problems: One, it’s not like Imus will be replaced by, say, me. (I’m keeping my phone open just in case CBS calls, though.) Two, he was one of the most progressive voices on talk radio.
Obviously, Imus’ “hos” joke was stupid. But an apology was more than sufficient. He didn’t deserve to be fired. Could it be that the P.C. soft-liberal “left” has played into the Republicans’ hands–again?
18 Comments.
If you are America's BS detector, I hope you can do as well as Nick Von Hoffman did for years before the W. Post pulled the plug (1970s?). Von Hoffman's bona fides included years of working as an organizer for Saul Alinsky in the back of the yards. He saw how Democratic pols work close up and personal.
Your assuming that pro-censorship types are Republicans is not a good start, IMHO. I know, you said I wonder or some such as a qualifier. Virtually all censorship exists in, and emanates from, college campuses and with their graduates in the media who preside over what is and isn't broadcast, and the slant that's given what is.
I'm sure that's not news to you, but find me a Republican among those suits.
You are absolutely right. What Imus said was a stupid continuation of a bad joke. I think we would all be hard pressed to find that he intended to say hurtful things directed to the girls. He was makeing a bad joke in the vernacular.
I am disappointed, but not suprised by the "pile-on" of those seeking to use this unfortunate event to their own gain. Obama, what are you thinking?
Don Imus is (was) an intelligent voice in the gutter of talk radio.
Apparently in the good ol' U.S.A., it's a crime for Imus to be tasteless
(yet funny), while much of black culture (I speak of rap music and videos here) can be as misogynistic and misanthropic as possible without getting called out by the liberal elite. What Imus said was absurd and wrong. Now go check out the video to Nelly's Tip Drill. Awesome, catchy writing and music that shows great talent. But pay attention to the message. Why isn't he being vilified and castigated?
"If you stand on the tracks, you'll be run over. You either move forward – or get out of the way.", or "You're part of the problem, or part of the solution." Whatever your take on it, I think many of us have to realize that rap is part of America – and part of the world culture now. Better to try to corral cats than try to censor rap artists. While I dislike much of its content, I wouldn't raise a finger to censor it, and this is because it truly represents America. Rap represents a large cross-section of American culture – this is how many American people think, communicate, and spend their money. It is part of what America has become, and it shows the rest of the world what the lowest-common-denominator is in the US. Having said that, it's the same LCD as most of the rest of the world – money. The big difference is that it can happen here. We have the freedom to express ourselves more than anyone else in the world. (Sorry Frank Z, – it CAN happen here) While I feel sorry for Imus, I still can't say that anyone can expect their employer to hold the same standards, or feel that their job is ensured because they can hide behind the label of "shock-jock" or the cartoon characters that are used as finger puppets. Slap me in the face with your finger-puppet, and I'm likely to assume the hand inside was yours….
But as far as "nappy-headed hos"? I can see the politically-incorrect use of "ho's" as a reference to loose women, but "nappy-headed"? Seems fair enough to me as a bald-headed man. What else could I say – Tiny-curled? Afro-spiriculed?
No – I think that Imus's firing was probably more due to something other, plus the first chance that the bandwagon of intolerance placed him in their crosshairs. No conspiracy theory, just business as usual in the US.
After two hundred plus years of being at the mercy of the rich, white land-owners, backlash against them is to be expected now that the oppressed have voices.
In other words, white people have a lot to answer for, so they better be walking tip-toes around the eggshells or they will get slapped down.
Fair? No, but just like affirmative-action, a lot of innocent white people are going to have to take it on the chin to balance out all those years when the women, blacks, asians, etc. had to take it on their backs.
Evil Kumquat
Evil Kumquat, you are retarded. "White people have a lot to answer for." Sheesh.
Tawana Brawley, if you disagree with something someone says, try including an actual rebuttal, instead of Coulter-like name calling. I would like to think that Rall’s readers would be better than that.
Sheesh, indeed.
Anyway, my point was this: the overreaction to Imus' racist remarks, including his firing, is understandable, since for years a remark like his would not only have been shrugged off, but actually encouraged by his fans and his peers. Today, in what is probably a misguided (but again, understandable) attempt at racial equality, it is natural for those who in the past would have had to grin and bear the insult should shout out for social restitution.
I never said I agreed with it; it is just the way things are.
Evil Kumquat
PS. Thanks, at least, for spelling "retarded" correctly. Usually, in posts like yours, it is spelled with two T's.
I do not mind the insult, but bad spelling and grammar is unforgivable.
No, Kumquat, no I think you do mind the insult, you self-important windbag.
Ms. Brawley,
I am not sure how long Mr. Rall will let this go on, since he has to approve anonymous messages here (and this could dissolve into a hijacked flame-fest very quickly), but if this post is allowed to go through, here goes:
What I like about Rall’s writing is during those few times when he writes something about which I do not initially agree, it forces me to ‘step back’ and try and examine the situation from a different perspective. In the current debate on Imus’ firing, my knee-jerk reaction is to just shrug and say, “Good job guys, for getting another racist off the air. Now what about Limbaugh and Savage?” But Rall forces one to admit that the organized actions taken against Imus are little different than the ones taken against Rall a few years ago. As one who would gladly let a thousand flags burn rather than let one drop of ink land on the Constitution, my lack of concern for Imus’ pillorying makes me feel like a hypocrite.
As for your attacks, Ms. Brawley: I am a member of several political and entertainment boards and have been flamed much, much worse by those much better than you. I just hate the fact that so far, one cannot even tell if you are for or against what Rall has posted.
Am I a 'windbag' for responding to comments in here with an actual argument, or simply because I have not responded (as you have) by simply calling you a name?
Am I 'self-important' for taking advantage of this site to actually try and further debate on the subject at hand, or simply because I keep things in perspective and can keep from taking offense at personal attacks on an impersonal (and anonymous) board?
I am a Liberal in almost all matters, but I also pride myself on trying to see both sides of any debate; that is not to say I agree with all arguments- I just remember that all positions have those for and against them and try to treat each side with respect (if earned). If you are also a Liberal (or 'Progressive', as some prefer), it is a shame you cannot treat a fellow Liberal with respect, even if you do not approve of what is posted, especially when the posts in question are free from personal attacks.
Cheers! 🙂
Evil Kumquat
Give me a break. I'm glad Imus got fired. Stop furthering the myth that if we allow people to get fired for what they say on air that we are moving closer to a police state. People are pissed off, and yet some liberals continue to try and hold back their anger in the interests of maintaining the "moral high-ground." Well, morality ain't absolute, and people are capable of putting speech within its proper context.
Oh, bleh. You censor these comment sections.
Imus will probably go back to AM radio or move on to SiriXM radio, but he will be on the air somewhere, even if he has to buy time on one of those religious shortwave stations (WWCR, anyone?)
– Strelnikov
Imus' comment was indeed unfunny, unless there's some cultural reference in it that I'm not aware of.
Racist? Not by my standards. If he'd said 'nappy haired NEGROES', it would indeed have been racist, but at least it would've been funnier, since it rhymes…
It would seem that medias only acknowledge the non-existence of bad publicity when the subject is a right-winger. Or Except for the puzzling case of mr. Coulter, of course.
The soft left has been playing into their hands for decades dude
and now they're going to play into them with the Virginia Tech tragedy
just like they did with 9/11
Hey, Hey, Hey! It's amusing. While "one-two-three" admonished Ted for censoring his own blog – I know that instead of censoring anything, Ted has to try to keep the flamers off his forum – as they just take up space calling each other names and other dialogue gets lost. After all – this IS Ted's space, and maybe he wants to keep some sense of discussion and decorum.
– Getting back to the discussion – I won't reiterate myself. I will always uphold the right of anyone to say what they want, but I have misgivings about their right to use other people's resources to do it. Looking at most of the topics and postings here – they seem be mostly about symptoms of a society that is coming apart at its seams. The USA started its life as a lifeboat for other people. But like any lifeboat, it can only accommodate a certain amount, and it seems to be sinking under its own weight now. Many of the topics discussed here are the result of this. The US economy and military may hold this up for a long time – look at The United Kingdom for an example. Still, the apathy of the American people is distressing – who knows how bad or how long things can go on like this before people are willing to actually make efforts to keep it from sinking more? Has America reached its prime, and is it now sinking just like any other empire preceding it? America has changed radically in just a few years. We made efforts to impeach Clinton for lying about his girlfriend, but we just let Bush senselessly murder our own and thousands of others now to maintain our oil needs. God Bless America – Land of the Free……, but where are the Brave now?
I don't know what you guys think of Chuck Asay, but I think he was spot on with this cartoon (except for the "liberal" media part)
http://images.ucomics.com/comics/crcas/2007/crcas070413.gif
I like off color, un-pc humor, and think it's healthy for people to get it off their chest and to have avenues of expression where they can get it out. It's not for everyone but there shouldn't be any limit to what someone can say. I like living in a world where I have access to David Allen Coe, Ice Cube's early racist albums or gangster rap as a genre, John Waters Films, Bukowski novels, Troma films, etc. Though a lot of the stuff I listed may be offensive to me, I think there's something healthy to having this type of stuff around. I'm not sure what good it can do, but i'm all for a society where artists can push the boundaries.
Let me get this straight – Imus is one of many 'shock jocks' who've made a name for themselves by going as close to the boundaries of 'acceptable discourse' as possible. The usual method of teasing these boundaries is to broadcast tired steroetypes that appeal to the LCD – racial groups, 'liberals', 'rednecks' etc.
Now, you have Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Coulter, Beck, etc filling the airwaves with stupidity, bigotry and hate (along with carefully constructed pro-gov propaganda)and the one among them who got fired *just happens* to be the one that was known to refer to Bush as a war criminal and point out that the Iraq invasion was illegal.
What a coincidence.
That's the great thing about outrage-in-a-can. If one keeps opening up those cans, there's a tendency to lose track of what *is* genuinely offensive, as one focuses on what one can *find to be* offensive.
'Qlippoth' is a good name for it. The qlippoth of communication and argument.