tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21063785.post7806028515842903578..comments2023-04-01T18:59:13.960-07:00Comments on Blogging Intro to Political Theory: More on ImusRic Carichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715258697811131789noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21063785.post-11635361562079323102007-12-13T18:25:00.000-08:002007-12-13T18:25:00.000-08:00Let me start of by saying that when you take Don I...Let me start of by saying that when you take Don Imus seriously as a political guru then you have serious problems. If anyone has ever listened to his show you would see that there is no difference from him or any other political comic such as john stewert or lewis black. He said some bad comments what is the big deal? People lughed that is the job of a comedian. And if the black community was so outraged by Imus' comments then they might want to look no further than evrey black comedian who has ever performed! Rap music is another example of how african american women are degraded on the daily. If you don't like what he is saying then simply turn the channel. You know you have that option. Freedom of speech is very important to me and when i see it violated like in the Imus case where a man who makes a living for years entertaining people by saying such comments for years and one day we say no thats not OK. I say its ludacris! Why is it just now that he was backlashed? What about we he made comments on the gays and the handicaped such as the author suggested? Now its a problem that something was said about an african american? CNN should be the ones to blame for allowing for so long if it was truly a problem. Which they didnt seem to care becuse in their eyes and mine he was doing his job and that is to entertain. Not make political policy or teach or care for people who are sick. But simply to entertain people and juding by his succes over the years i would have to say he did a pretty good job. He didnt hurt anybody directly, he has made fun of a lot of people over the years and now it seems that this is just a big copout by CNN by firing Don Imus who did nothing more than express his opinion BY MAKING A JOKE. The biggest mistake Imus made in my opinion was apologizing!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21063785.post-49231820089399157082007-05-03T09:46:00.000-07:002007-05-03T09:46:00.000-07:00Imus was not fired for exercising his right to fre...Imus was not fired for exercising his right to free speech. He was fired because, in crossing the line, his offensiveness may have stopped being profitable and started to hurt the image (and profitability) of the networks he airs on.<BR/><BR/>John Stuart Mill advocated free speech in all cases except harm. Imus is more of an annoyance than a harm, although he propagates long-standing prejudices which aren't productive, he's not hurting anyone in particular. Offending people is not a crime.<BR/><BR/>But Mill also defended the right to speak wrongly because it still foils and aids the truth. When I hear Imus using terms that degrade people based solely on race, sexuality, etc.--it affirms me in knowing he's an outdated relic and speaks wrongly. It's a good thing we have him, both demonstrating the need for freedom of speech for the sake of the law and for bringing the issue of racism into the public forefront. By using racial slurs, he's barely furthering racism, while his comments appear in the mainstream news and are put in context by right-minded people.spiegelglanzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15355508838713321941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21063785.post-64482593230550386102007-05-02T22:31:00.000-07:002007-05-02T22:31:00.000-07:00Don Imus definitely crossed the line when he criti...Don Imus definitely crossed the line when he criticized the Rutger’s Basketball Team, and I’m glad he was fired. I think you can get away with attacking a political figure, even in bad taste, as the horrendously cruel Janet Reno joke he made (posted on the blog) illustrates; what you cannot do is attack non-political figures. The Rutger’s Basketball Team had everything to be proud of at that moment. They came in second in a NATIONAL tournament, which is a huge accomplishment in its own right. On top of that, Rutger’s is a pretty prestigious school as far as I’m concerned. They were just great athletes and this should have been their moment to shine. Don Imus stole that from them, and it was cruel and nasty—using racist and misogynist slurs to attack the talented, smart, and classy team of athletes. He crossed the line, and he should have had to pay. MSNBC did the right thing. The team really demonstrated how classy they were by forgiving Imus after he said those horrible things. What frustrates me about this whole thing though is how people are diverting away from it by criticizing Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson for not attacking rap lyrics which illustrate the same sentiments. First, both Sharpton and Jackson have criticized racist and misogynist lyrics in rap music, Sharpton did so recently at James Brown’s funeral; Second, two wrongs don’t make a right. Imus was wrong regardless of what Jackson, Sharpton, or any rappers have to say.raiden5060https://www.blogger.com/profile/12632438366032468324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21063785.post-47541869263293847982007-05-02T21:36:00.000-07:002007-05-02T21:36:00.000-07:00Noting all of the offensive things that Imus has s...Noting all of the offensive things that Imus has said in the past, it is beyond me why this specific incident sparked so much drama. If he wasn't fired for all of the other bigoted, sexist comments he made, why should he be fired for this one? I'm not a fan of censoring, we do not have a right in the country not to be offended. However, if he was hurting the ratings of the networks by making these kind of statemtents, they by all means, they have every right to terminate him. I don't agree with the things he says, however, he does have a right to say them. It's simply a matter of whether or not a network will sponsor him knowing that these kinds of things will spew forth from him.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21063785.post-19350600126196800122007-05-02T20:05:00.000-07:002007-05-02T20:05:00.000-07:00Previous to the Rutgers incident, I had never even...Previous to the Rutgers incident, I had never even heard of Don Imus (and was probably better of having not). What is wrong with this man? The sad thing is, my grandfather was probably a faithful listener to his show. He’s just a crazy man. I don’t even think he has a soul. He’s kind of a freak. Does he ever have anything positive to say about anything relating to women, gays, blacks, the handicapped, etc.? What an asshole. I can’t believe that people were actually arguing that he shouldn’t lose his job. Granted, in this country we do have the right to free speech. I guess I could see how people would say that he should be able to keep his job. He’s a liability to the companies that he works for, though. His commentary of Hillary Clinton cracked me up, “buck-toothed witch Satan”. Where does he get this stuff? He also went on to call her fat. What a freak.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03656169135342703337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21063785.post-12438769495210146262007-05-02T19:43:00.000-07:002007-05-02T19:43:00.000-07:00I have heard such comments about Don Imus, such th...I have heard such comments about Don Imus, such things like, he says what everyone else thinks. But, I can be the first to say that's not right. I've been and played on different basketball teams all my life and learned vital life lessons from doing so. Such things like teammwork, dedication, acting professional. Therefore, when Imus came at the Rutgers' women's basketball team, I knew he didn't know the soul of their basketball team. He didn't take the time to evaluate that team before making such an outlandish comment. Being called a 'nappy-headed ho,' by someone who doesn't even know you is degrading to your character and humiliating towards your team. I hadn't really followed the story that much, only just a few news clips here and there, but I didn't know that he made such horrible comments, about blacks, women, gays, and even the handicapped. What kind of man should be on public radio that discriminates and verbally abuses people that he doesn't personally know. For that fact, who is he to judge anyone. Maybe one should grab a mirror and point at him, so he can start judging his own character. I'm not even sure that would even make a difference though. Matthew 7: 1-5 says, "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, "Let me remove the speck from your eye"; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." (NKJV) We should all learn from this....don't be like Imus. Leave the judging to God.DemocratLovehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04269861774232196291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21063785.post-81201514662585025602007-05-02T14:36:00.000-07:002007-05-02T14:36:00.000-07:00I believe that the comments made by Don Imus about...I believe that the comments made by Don Imus about the Rutgers basketball team were completely unacceptable. A man who has so much power in the media should have a little more class and maturity. However, I do believe that he did have the right to say it under the first amendment of the constitution. If we start censoring now, we will eventually have to start forfeiting other rights. I do not think that he should have been fired for his comments. I believe that a public apology would have sufficed. Imus has made many other remarks about minorities in the past. Why was Imus not fired for these statements? There are many other television hosts that have made distasteful remarks about minorities. If we fire Imus, then we should also fire Ann Coulter and Howard Stern. Although, I do not agree with Imus's statement but I do not think he should be fired for it. Many people say hurtful things that may not be right but they are still allowed to say them. These are our basic rights given to us as American people. They should not be allowed to be infringed upon.east_kyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11747006334553546685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21063785.post-57244955699443307912007-05-01T14:57:00.000-07:002007-05-01T14:57:00.000-07:00After reading all of these posts I just want to sa...After reading all of these posts I just want to say that I agree with some of them and disagree with some of them. Well, Don Imus certainly has said things in the past that offend people. But I feel that freedom of speech protects his right to say whatever he wants. All of the post talk about conservative radio hosts being racists and saying things they shouldn’t. Well what about Howard Stern. He is not conservative and his show is disgusting and I am sure he offends people all of the time. So why is there never a question raised about why he is still on the air. I listen to Mike McConnell a radio host on 700WLW radio station out of Cincinnati. I also listen to other talk radio shows. I feel that people only put blame on these people because they are conservative. But many liberals offend me, so we are even. I am not defending Imus but he had the right to say whatever he wanted to say. He used the right that the constitution gave him.GreatAmericanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00748279204671543408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21063785.post-58955242177924928382007-04-29T16:12:00.000-07:002007-04-29T16:12:00.000-07:00In response to retro_liberal’s comment…I agree wit...In response to retro_liberal’s comment…<BR/><BR/>I agree with what you had to say. Sure, Don Imus made a career-changing comment (on a story that would’ve generally been a footnote in any news program) and finally got what he deserved after years of bigoted, ignorant commentary that everyone has basically ignored until now (I mean, honestly, who had heart of Don Imus before his comments on the Rutgers women’s basketball team?), but there’s certainly bigger fish to fry. I think the reason that this caused so much ruckus is that he attacked college students; most of his comments are about adults and thereby overlooked. He has said things that aren't even posted on the blog.<BR/><BR/>Coulter doesn’t get more than a light slap on the wrist for any of her comments, before the flaxen-haired Komodo dragon crawls back into her hole for another few months; that is, until she has a new book coming out or simply wants to add something “witty” or “relevant” to society. As we all know, it’ll be a statement obnoxiously outrageous and ignorant beyond belief, that Fox News will play around the clock now that Rosie O’Donnell is leaving The View this summer.<BR/><BR/>I don’t even know what to say about Limbaugh that hasn’t already been said before. His lack of relevance and media attention, though, is the ultimate punishment for his commentary and hypocrisy throughout the years.<BR/><BR/>I do not think that this is the end of Don Imus, though. Some format (whether it be Sirius, XM or a fledgling network that sees an opportunity to have its name on the news) will pick him up and his return will be the top story on the evening news for weeks on end, until the next big scandal erupts and Imus goes back to making comments that no one hears.<BR/><BR/>There was an interesting point made by Whoopi Goldberg on an episode of The View shortly after Imus was fired. As a solution, she proposed that Imus not be fired: instead, he should be forced to teach a course at Rutgers for a year, which would most assuredly teach him a lesson.browneyedsoul06https://www.blogger.com/profile/11927268004436200275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21063785.post-14464205283738664862007-04-13T11:59:00.000-07:002007-04-13T11:59:00.000-07:00Well I believe in freedom of speech. My biggest fe...Well I believe in freedom of speech. My biggest fear of this whole Imus ordeal is that we are constantly afraid of offending people. When was it against the law to be offended? He has routinely making these comments. I am in no way defending his comments and as a person who has siblings who are different ethnic backgrounds I find them morally reprehensible. Not so long ago, if someone said something about the “church” then that was offensive and you could get thrown in jail or worse. My concern is that if we start worrying so much about what we say and how to say it then we are imposing restrictions on ourselves. Then where do we go from there? Freedom of speech is the direct regulator of government activity. Without it we have no real say over what happens. Everything would be hush hush and we would be out of the loop on everything without the ability to question our government.<BR/> <BR/>At the same time I support boycotting of Imus’ show. He's a bigot and I do not plan to listen to him. I do support those who are boycotting sponsors of his show. And if that leads to his dismissal then so be it. Its unconscionable to me that we are heading news about a bigot’s remarks when this stuff happens routinely. Only when individuals let the people know that they don’t want to hear racist jokes, they don’t appreciate it, we are all brothers then we can move on. Imus is more of a sexist than a racist as well. And with Al Sharpton (who has said bigotry things in the past especially against Jews) it has gotten confused. As people like Don Imus leaves and my generation comes in, I firmly believe we are heading to the idea color blind society and hopefully my grandchildren when they come into the workforce, it will be completely colorblind and opportunity based on merit with all things equal such as educational opportunity.MaxTurmoilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17882505196868382562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21063785.post-4750274202577812102007-04-11T18:59:00.000-07:002007-04-11T18:59:00.000-07:00Don Imus has been dropped from MSNBC, and, it look...Don Imus has been dropped from MSNBC, and, it looks like CBS will drop his syndicated radio program as well. Many people I know, and several media pundits, keep asking why his comments caused such a stir when other radio hosts such as Rush Limbaugh get away with racists and sexist comments on a daily basis. I’ve been giving this specific question a lot of thought, and have some theories.<BR/><BR/>I believe Don Imus isn’t just a “shock jock” radio host, but that he is a pseudo-serious political commentator who reverts back to his roots when it is beneficial to him. He has gotten away with saying such horrible things as listed in the article above by saying “I’m just a shock jock, it’s a comedy show.” However, on many occasions he also promotes how influential his show has been in the careers of politicians and other media personalities. If you have ever watched or listened to Imus in the Morning, it becomes clear that he wants to be taken seriously as a political commentator. His show, until recently, appeared on MSNBC and was clearly promoted under the guise of a news program with political analysis as well as commentary.<BR/><BR/>The Rush Limbaugh’s and the Ann Coulter’s of the world have gone so far to the extreme with what they say that it’s to be expected of them, however, Imus typically hides his racism, sexism, and other bigotry under the guise of semi-serious news and political analysis. His list of guests gave him a certain amount of media credibility, and his history of being a shock jock gave him an excuse when he crossed the line. In the end, he finally crossed one line too many. But do not fear for Mr. Imus, should CBS cancel his morning radio show I’m sure Sirius or XM will be waiting in the wings with a lucrative offer for him.retro_liberalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15913332750690077593noreply@blogger.com