Can I Just Tell You?... Our blog entry below has generated some spirited comments in response to this whole Don Imus flap.
Lend your ear to this commentary and hear my thoughts on the issue...
(This was recorded before the MSNBC suspension, and so on...)
2:05 PM ET | 04-12-2007 | permalink
I am dissapointed in the Imus mess because I have watched his show off and on in the mornings for a couple of years. I thought he was rude sometimes and yet his guest would open up and say things that I never heard them say on other programs or in print. I felt like I was listening in to a long conversation, like a Charlie Rose interview, but very informal. I was also made more conscious of issues of charity that he was involved in that made me get involved in them.
Most talk show host don???t do that. I hope his charities make it with out his TV help.
Your's is going to be a radio show I will not be able to do without. Let's not even listen to racist radio. It is simply oppressive. Thanks for your candor.
who's the ho? right on.
I tuned into NPR today, longing for some intelligent thinking after finally deciding that I can no longer listen to the Wendy Williams of the world. I am so thankful that I latched on to,Tell Me More. I love the comment "who's the ho", during the Imus commentary. You've given me a new home. Can't wait to hear you on a regular basis. Good Luck
I would like to say Imus has already appologized enough for what he has said about the Womans Basketball players. Jessie jackson has had a child out of wed-lock and was asking for forgiveness. and Al sharpten is a racist against white people. I do not whatch Imus and do not listen to anyone who has racist show. I am a mother of 4 Beautiful bi-racial chldern and they have had more racism against them in the black community than anything because they are to light. I hope one day that people can love each other and get along for our childerns sake.
I think this is a great opportunity to have a larger discussion about the use of derogatory language by rappers and other personalities (e.g. Talk Radio hosts). It high time that people who contribute to the coarseness and debasement of human beings account for their behaivor. We are all guilty of allowing this to happen in our great nation. Doesn???t matter if you don???t participate in it???turning a blind eye is just as bad. We need to take this moment and air some dirty laudry and clean house of this scourge!
HYPOCRITICAL OUTRAGE FROM SHARPTON AND JESS. IMUS APOLOGIZED SINCERELY OVER AND OVER, NOBODY LISTENED. WHAT HE SAID WAS HORRIBLE I AGREE. THE PROBLEM HERE THAT SHARPTON & CO. SHOULD WORK ON IS THE TREATMENT AND DEGRADING OF BLACK YOUNG WOMEN FROM THEIR OWN. DEMAND MORE RESPECT FROM SO CALLED RAPPERS OR ANY BLACK MAN. WOMAN HAVE TO STOP ENCOURAGING THIS CONDUCT,STOP BUYING THIS DREADFUL MUSIC AND IGNORE ANYONE DISRESPECTFUL TO YOU. YOU MUST DEMAND BETTER. I AM A 71 YEAR OLD WHITE WOMAN, I BELIEVE THESE AFRICAN AMERICAN GIRLS ARE BEAUTIFUL LADIES. SHARPTON LOVES THIS NOTORIETY BUT IN THE END HE WILL DO NOTHING FOR YOU. YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN, YOU GO GIRLS!!
Michel,
I can't agree with you more about the elite media and political personalities that have appeared on his show. They should not have used their otherwise good names and clout to dignify his sleaze. If they prostituted their names and reputations for the purpose of boosting book sales and visibility, then their the ho's!
It was nice was talking with you in studio about this topic this evening (segment link is coming). Meeting you and your staff was heaps of fun!
On Imus, just say you don't watch the show and you have a personal grief him and recuse yourself, I expected more from NPR than a knee jerk demonization. I was left uninformed by your comments and expecred so much more.
So Al Sharpton found another case in NJ....guess he is too busy to publicly apologize to the students at Duke? I am tired of watching the rights of AMERICANS being destroyed in this 'reverse racism'! I do not condone Imus' comments, but, didn't like Imus's comments...stop listening! People only scream to people who will listen.
If one listened to the entire program then one would realize that although his comments were degrading to a "type", they were not degrading an entire race. He spoke about the other team having very attractive women.
Let me drop this in the blogosphere. Question:
What about Rock N' Roll? Is this genre not riddled with obscenities and lewdness just as (if not even more than) Hip-Hop? Are they held accountable or "responsible" for the ills of the white society?
If I offend someone of another ethnicity, do I then have the right to say his/her offense is a "double standard" because "Nine Inch Nails said it all the time..." (for YEARS, by the way)? Should it soften the offense?
Marilyn Manson famously wrote, "Who said date rape isn't kind?"
My point? What is wrong is wrong. Period. All other factors are mutually exclusive.
(My post from below)
Who's the ho'? LOL! What will be interesting is to see whether this really does lead to a wider conversation about the standards we expect in public discourse, and about the media consolidation that gives some individuals the kind of power you allude to. (How many of Imus' guest were there to cross-promote projects for another part of NBC or CBS's oligopolies?)
I've raised a similar question: Who's the whore here? I'll link your blog to mine, if that's OK. Here's my blog address: http:ershipp.blogspot.com
In time, I believe Imus's firing might come to be seen as a Rosa Parks moment -- a time when many of us Americans saw through to the heart of an injustice and finally agreed, "Enough!"
I am a white woman of a "certain age," who has been listening to Imus daily for many years -- often wincing over the locker-room wisecracks as I waited to hear from the day's guests. As many have observed, Imus's irreverence often provoked insightful, refreshingly candid remarks from the likes of Tim Russert, Dick Gregory, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and all the rest.
I will miss waking up to this radio family. However, I strongly support Imus's firing. Yes, he is a complex man and should be applauded for his many philanthropic efforts. But he doesn't seem to get that this is not a zero-sum game. Running a cattle ranch for kids with cancer doesn't balance out firing off loathsome characterizations for laughs. That's not comedy, Imus. That's arrogant, testosterone-fueled cruelty.
As an intelligent and thougtful Black woman--(yes!I capitalized Black, because I believe it's a proper noun--that is, I am proud of my heritag--and my hair!)I am outraged at his idiotic comments and outraged at White people who put up with this kind of stupidity. Black women are in a marginal group often looked down upon by others to be exploited and abused--not respoected--unless your name is Oprah or Condeleeza--it's time for society to see our 'nappy heads' as none of your business--god blessed us with our own unique beauty . So don't objectify us--
Read Angelou or how about Berber's I and Thou.
I would like to provide the following comment. We have two issues currently that are some what the same. Mr. Imas and the Rape casn at Duke. Not one comment has been made about how the white boys at Duke were trashed by so many and reason was requested by so few. You as a fair handed news co. do not have the gut to compair and point this out. You are just like all the others. Trash the White Man with no reguaed for the truth. Were is the calling for the arriest of the black woman by REV. Sharpton and Rev. Jessi. Were is the call for the firing of all the others who trashed the young men From Duke. Were is the call to close Duke for the damage to the White Boys. What about the Coach who lost his job at Duke. WERE IS NPR?
Yes, Imus was wrong for what he said. He deserved what he got. BUT, I believe that the African-American community should put the efforts they used to get Imus fired into more important issues like the racist language used in our society (no matter what color the persons skin is who speaks such language). Examples include, but are not limited to; the hip-hop community and comedians.
How many songs and music video's are out there in the hip-hop world that show, or talk about, women as sex objects (ho's, sluts, B#@$*) or use the "N" word? Oh, but it's ok to say such comments just as long as there's a hardcore beat behind it. Or how many comedians are out there who make fun of people's race or gender. Everyone wants to put Imus out on the corner for saying an inappropriate comment, but throw millions of dollars entertainers such as 50 Cent, Ludacris, and Carlos Mancia. If your going to throw the book at Imus, then throw the book at every person in the entertainment industry who says anything racial. Or better yet, throw the book at anyone in America who's ever said anything racist or sexist, whether they meant it or not, in their lives. That seems to make more sence than firing a "shock jock" personality and calling it good.
Seems to me that the answer is to be "bigger" than the so-called offender. Why is it necessary, who says we are entitled or obligated to react?
It also seems that the most vividly offended cried a bit too loud. The truth is that they leapt out in rage at their own actions and style of expression, seen as unwelcome and not cool when someone else reflects it back to them.
Time to be bigger than all that and clean up our minds and our mouths. Ghetto jargon and slurs of this kind have a strange kind of acceptability in some places, but that acceptance in its circle is unconvincing. It's not cool really, no matter who says it. It is even more obviously out of place on the radio from an elderly white man who should know better.
This is why it's hard to have much sympathy for Imus; his prominent accusers are equally transparent, outraged at seeing their own distorted mirror image. There is no other real explanation for this sensitivity.
Don Imus called Arabs Ragheads and palestinians as animals. I am surprised that the media is quiet on those racial slurs and no mention at all. Are there two different rules on this subject for the citizens of America?? I was surprised to hear Daniel Schorr omitting this slur from his analysis!!!
It seems that the outrage with Imus, when others have made similar sexist and racist remarks is justified because Imus aimed them directly at specific individuals. Racism and sexism are justifiable, but losing a job because one directs remarks so specifically is justfied. Maybe we will begin to focus on the others whose remarks are not as focused but perhaps just as thoughtless.
First, let me say I'm NOT a Don Imus fan. What he said is typical fare on his show. I do not use or condone that kind of slander. I think his apology was necessary and suspension was well,
"face saving for CBS / MSNBC. My real gripe is the double standard. I don't hear Sharpton or Jackson apologizing about their rush to Judgement in regards to there comments about the Duke Lacross players. They only inflamed the community. But then again,
that's what they are good at. They talk about racism. They only add to it.
I have a few of problems\concerns that I want to express here:
1] I reluctantly support Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton in their efforts regarding this issue- I just wish that these so-called 'leaders; of my community were not tainted with their past debacles, personal issues, and misguided media-campaigns [politically and otherwise]. I do find it interesting that people like Don Imus and other MSM critics will lampoon these 2 men, but immediately turn to them when they want to appear 'sincere' in their efforts to court the black community.
2] I think that A LOT of Don Imus' supporters, defenders, and hangers-on suffer from a subconscious guilt over this incident. A sort of "that could have been me" reaction that they try to cover with explanations of how everyone is over reacting, or other people have said worse with little response from the public. Case in point- read Alec Baldwin's piece in the Huffington Post. Unfortunately, these defenders almost always forget or gloss over the HISTORY of Imus' language and behavior.
3] The eagerness to assign some blame to RAP music. I am not talking about Hip-Hop; I specifically mean RAP music. I think everyone is ignoring the fact that a] there is a difference between the two, and b] CAPITALISM controls RAP music, not the artists themselves. Remember the late 80's and early 90's? Very Afro-Centric and positive music in the hip-hop genre. Then, the record labels saw what was selling most [in the white\mainstream markets]: hardcore, foul-mouthed, violent RAP. Who signs these artists? Who develops them? Who releases their albums? Who advertises them to the masses?
I have noticed that no one is talking about the REST of the Imus episode; specifically the part where they refer to the 2 women's teams in comparison to the Spike Leee movie: Do The Right Thing- a musical piece where the women are dived between two groups that are disparaging one another over their appearance. I don't hear anyone getting upset about THE NAME of one of those groups, and I assume it is because there is context involved. Also, I assume that people recognize that section of the movie as social commentary. Hmmm, so Spike Lee can use words in his artistic work that are not socially acceptable in common use, but music artists should be prevented from doing the same thing? One person's social commentary is another person's gratuitous misuse... Just ask Quentin Tarantino about the use of the N-word in Jackie Brown.
I think Don Imus getting fired was justified. I would have been embarrest to listen to such a comment even if it was said in private. I fill sorry for people with such biggotted thoughts. For him to have the ear of so many people and waste it on such garbage is a shame.
As an attempt at an answer to the complex question from Lee Hill above:
The answer has always been to turn the dial or listen to something else if the music or whatever is offensive. There must be lots of rock with ugly lyrics. I'm not aware of much of it in spite of being a musician and avid listener to many kinds of music. This is probably the result of turning the dial, moving toward what sounds good to me instead of immersing my mind in what sounds grating.
The rock lyrics I'm aware of often have the quality of a sexual come-on, a boast, or a promise of (shall we say) "satisfaction." There are no doubt exceptions.
If we may be relentlessly honest... willing to ignore the color dimension and who our "friends" are on this or that side of the imaginary divide... we will have to concede that much of what is put into words in hip-hop takes the "opening" and the freedom of expression from the blues and rock; and blasts it wide open into degrees of misogyny, vulgarity and descriptive cruelty.
When it was The Beatles, you knew something naughty was up. Now, to hear some of these lyrics, it's like listening to a crime being committed. It's a question of degree and we should be willing to put forth the effort to distinguish matters of degree.
Sanitizing all speech is unfeasible. What is needed is tolerance and unreactivity, an ability to let petty stuff roll of our back. There is no need for us to react to offense; in fact the more we react to offense the more others will test us with offenses, to see just what is our problem.
The other problem is that vulgarity and lowest-common-denominator speech pays, and draws massive media attention: one of the most craved commodities in existence. This is another excellent reason to use the power not to react, and the power of turning the dial.
Robert, "There is no need for us to react to offense..."?? Creepy, dude!
Is it so much THAT we react, or is the issue, rather, HOW we react? The latter seems to be more the concern here.
It's illogical to think that we, as humans, do/should not react. (heck, even the animals do!). We react to everything...compliments, offense and certainly, we react to pain. We react to others, as well as ourselves. This is psychology (stimulus/response) 101. Our world and our physiology commands reaction...
And rock...Nine Inch Nails...specifically talked/sang...whatever...about putting a "hole" in someone's head with a weapon...so you CANNOT put this phenomenon of explicit lyrics on Hip-Hop. There's a significant residue of other fingerprints on the scene...
AND, Imus is a 67-year-old man. He has lived life well enough and long enough (more than these musical "artists") to know what IS and IS NOT decent. He screwed up and (I suggest) all the "cruel" Hip-Hop lyrics in the world can neither offer explanation, nor justification for those :51 seconds of airtime.
Communities will move on from this (and so will I...we're becoming oversaturated with this ordeal). I hope he will, too.
btw - I've heard a lot of Hip-Hop....till this day, still haven't heard a rap artist ever refer to women as "nappy-headed hos." Sorry.
imus is a tool and a jack of all asses. he should have been off the air long ago. but all this talk about his comments seems a little weak. he is a lucky man that worked his ,well, self into a beyond great radio person. The women on the team are riding the media train and should be saying "We cant believe were caught up in this thing"
maybe we should just go and get our degrees change the world and lives and leave old uneducated folks alone
That was the smartest response to the whole mess that i have heard. Right On!!
Well said, Michel. Stanley
Sharpton sez that because Imus' comments were on public FCC controlled airwaves he had to go. The Comedy channel it as well ... hopefully Chappell (sp?) soon too based on the same logic.
I, as a 24 year old Christian black man, feel that present day hip-hop culture is one of the vilest forms of self hate to ever wander onto the American social landscape. The messages and values it promotes are extremely harmful to our society, and even more so to the black community. That being said, the attempts to parallel the words of "artists" with the words of Don Imus are absolutely ridiculous. I'm actually surprised to hear "educated" people put forth this argument. Even the most rudimentary analysis of this situation reveals glaring differences.
Artists (writers, musicians, actors, etc.) have always had more range with respect to subject matter and language than most. Their work must be put into its proper context (the artist, the medium, the audience, the message). Imus is NOT an artist and I highly doubt he is a hip-hop connoisseur. He is a 66 year old white man, which means he predates hip-hop by at least 30 years. Rappers didn't empower him or make him feel comfortable using the language he did, this country's roots in racism and sexism did. Images of blacks in this country have largely been controlled by whites. We have gone from being lazy, shifty, and cowardly to violent, aggressive, and oversexed. Rappers have only internalized and commodified it.
Lastly, to the people who believe Reverend's Sharpton and Jackson are hypocrites and lack moral authority, I say this:
Hypocrisy is this country's oldest principle. It's older than democracy, freedom of speech, or the electoral college. The founding fathers spoke of equality yet held slaves. Black troops served in WWII and fought against Nazi Germany, yet they and members of their race were actively oppressed and denigrated by the very people and institutions (local, state, federal government) that extolled America???s virtues to those overseas. That stain on our country???s collective conscience certainly hasn???t stopped us from exporting democracy to other regions of the world. People NEVER totally reflect the standards and principles they claim to live by.
In all of the furor over Don Imus, there are some important points that have been missed.He is not now, nor to my knowledge has he ever been a racist.I have been a long time listener to Imus and can relate numerous instances of his concern for people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds.
For example, Imus raged on for months about the aftermath of Katrina,stating often that he felt the reason people were fogotten in New Orleans was not just because they were poor, but mostly because they were black. He repeated this many times and usually added that racism was still with us and could be seen in the shamefull treatment of the remaining residents of New Orleans. I happen to agree with his assesment.
I also listened to him tell the story of his young son asking why the kids that came to the Imus Ranch for Kids with Cancer were not all white skinned. They come from all walks of life and from all ethnicities. His answer to his son was that Don and his wife both had pickup trucks, but the trucks were different colors. He explained that the trucks had exactly the same engine, same number of wheels,same everything but just different colors.Very simplistic answer of course, but perfect for a very young boy.
Then there is the Harold Ford Jr.race in TN.Imus was a huge supporter of Harold Ford in that race and was bitterly disapointed that Ford lost ( via some very suspect politics he said ) and again said it was sad but true that racism was still alive in America.
Lastly, we have the incident of several weeks ago, as Imus was flying back from the ranch in New Mexico to New York, he had his jet stop in Atlanta to pick up and fly a young African-American boy to New York for cancer surgery.
And regarding the charge of sexism, he has many close female friends and numerous female guests on his show.
Anyone who has listened to The Don Imus Show over the years knows all of these things to be true.Sometimes he is crude, sometimes he is completly out of line, as he was with the Rutgers team.But he is anything but a sexist or a racist. He deserved to be suspended, but not fired.He will be missed.
I am a 56 year old white male who was introduced to Imus over 30 years ago when a neighbor and daily listener suggested I tune in to "Imus In The Morning". I heard nothing funny, nothing informative, and never listened to Imus again. Whatever Imus was thinking was not in sync with what I was thinking. So be it. The fact that he has been commercially viable ever since the day I wrote him off as a waste of my time is surprising to me, but then I don't understand the huge success of rap music either. Somehow popular radio has morphed from themes of peace and love to the exaltation of violence and hate. I have not "voted" for this regressive shift with any of my dollars, but I am learning that I need to find ways to do more.
Imus said it was a "Joke", right? Well, I was taught from an early age that it's only a "Joke" if BOTH sides are laughing! There's your benchmark, Imus!
It is certainly valuable to call out racism when it appears. However, I was a little surprised by the attention given to this incident since I have heard Howard Stern say comments that in my opinion are far more racist. I guess I echo the listener who said, "If you don't like it, don't listen it." To me, Imus, as other radio personalities, should be protected by free speech unless the speech presents an imminent danger to a person or group. Regarding your commentary, I would have liked to have heard what specifically were the racist comments that were part of the "entertainment" he provided at the dinner you attended (so I could make up my own mind about them). The inclusion of a few other well-considered comments about the incident from different commentators or public figures would have also enriched the conversation. Thank you for presenting this forum.
I didn't even know who Imus was or that he even existed until this "scandal". Does all of the media coverage give him credibility?
I agree with many that there is Hypocracy in MR Sharptons comments. I am from Indian origin and solute the sacrifices made by Black leaders and the slaves of this country in getting us the very right that we immigrants enjoy in this country. Having said that, I am also saddened by looking at the Hip Hop prison culture that has taken roots all over. That portrays sex, violence and nothing good in the name of music. I think the post MLK and post MDKCG (Gandhi)era generation takes their freedom for granted. I still fail to understand why not buy books, earn degrees and renounce those hate filled filthy music DVDS, CDS that mocks our freedom.
When talking to with my family about the Imus' comments, my brother brought up the fact that we are not talking about how women interact with each other.He mentioned that he has heard on many ocassions black women call other black women bitch or hoe or nappy headed. I know Imus is old news now, but just wanted to add that to the discussion.If it is still happening.
I am a 26 year old African American woman who is very proud of her heritage and chooses to wear her hair in its natural (or as some may call nappy)state because it is beautiful. I don't think Imus should have been fired for making those comments. First, lets observe the Dave Chappelle Show. Mr. Chappelle throws around "ho", "nigga", and other vulgar expressions and we laugh at it. I teach in a school system that is 90% African American and the students use the word nigga as if it is their name. I do not allow the use of that word in my classroom. I've been challenged several times by the school system for refusing to punish a white child for calling a black child "nigger". I refused to punish the white child when the black child (alleged victim) was just screaming "nigga" to another black child as he passed me in the hallway. That word carries the same meaning regardless of who is using it. I don't agree with Imus' comment "nappy headed hoes" but I don't think he should be fired for something some black people do to themselves. When we as a people must stand up and respect ourselves, teach our children their true identity and to be proud of who they are; when we as a whole learn to love ourselves then will others return the respect and love that we always claim to lack. Second, identify is important. I remember watching an episode of Howard Stern's show when he featured a black woman who claimed to have had a "white" virgina. She actually exposed it to him on air. A comment Stern made to the woman was " you are very pretty for a black girl, I mean you have the facial features of a white girl" That should have offended that woman but she laughed, blushed and actually thought of it as a compliment. We have got to get it together black people. If we don't respect and love ourselves, nobody else will.
I do think Mr. Imus did go over the line of saying those racial comments, but he's still a good man. About.. almost 2 months ago, I was at the Imus Ranch for spring break. Mr. and Mrs. Imus (Don and Deidre Imus) were very strict with everything. From saying "yes sir" and "yes mam" to keeping everything clean in our bedrooms, I was pretty scared to do anything wrong. But I have to admit, I did have a good time at the ranch. I met 9 other kids who've had cancer and it's a memory I'll never forget. If they'd ask me to go back, I'd go back. Mr. Imus just needs to watch what comes out of his mouth.
Comments are reviewed and edited by NPR prior to display. All comments will be read, but not all will be posted.
NPR reserves the right to read on the air and/or publish on its Web site or in any medium now known or unknown the e-mails and letters that we receive. We may edit them for clarity or brevity and identify authors by name and location. For additional information, please consult our Terms of Use.
"Nothing is assumed." That's the unofficial motto of Tell Me More, the new Monday-Friday talk show with host Michel Martin. Grounded in lively interviewing and compelling storytelling, the program seeks to present diverse new voices, cross borders, challenge conventional wisdom and discover how other people think.
If you would like to submit a general comment to Michel and the Tell Me More staff directly, please use our contact form.
