Did Anyone Hear Don Imus' Comments?

kis123 · Apr 10, 2007

drew70 said:
I've never been a fan of his. To me he always sounds like he's on some kind of heavy medication and seems to often struggle with simple speech. In my opinion somebody who has that difficult a time articulating has no place in the entertainment industry. If he's gone tomorrow, I won't miss him. But I refuse to condemn the man for failure to conform to political correction.

How can you compare political correctness and free speech to what this man has said in a public format? Calling young college ladies "nappy headed hoes?" Does he personally know these women, or is he just a racist with an opportunity to hate on black women?

There should be no law on the books that protects that type of language, especially those who make their living speaking in a public format! If you don't like a group of people, that's your business and I personally think a person should keep that to his/her self. Once a public figure makes a public statement, no legal protection covers it. It didn't cover Michael Richards, Mel Gibson, or Andy Rooney (back in the day). It shouldn't cover this clown either!

kis123 · Apr 10, 2007

the wiz said:
Why do everyone thinks Al Sharpton or Jessie Jackson speaks for all the African-American community. True they have done some good things for the community in the 60's and 70's. but their or not our Lord and master, they're like russ limbaugh they have a right to their opinions.

If the media view them as spoke person for our community than the media is at fault.
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Why do people feel free speech mean you have the right to do or say anything you want without being held responsible. They should be conscientious to ones action and words; just no matter what they are radio stars, or some bump in the street. You do not have the right to insult anyone without paying the price. Personally I like the old school method no courts, or police just a trip to the hospital with it all said and done.

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I head people on CNN state the term Nappy Head Hoe originated from the Black community; I strong disagree with this premises. True we use the term, sparingly but it did not originate from us.

I completely agree with your comment regarding Jackson & Sharpton; I'm sick to death of people (usually the caucasian community) thinking the entire black community supports them. I can think for myself and don't need them or anyone else "representing" me! Funny when these threads pop up, the first thing people do is mention them.

I have yet to use the term "nappy headed hoe" in any form. Those were girls who were athletes and in college; they didn't deserve that description by anyone much less someone supposedly educated enough to know better. I'm glad he got busted; sure you can say whatever you want, but be prepared to deal with the consequences when you do.

Another thing; when will people learn that every term used within the black community isn't necessarily for everyone else's use? We have beaten the use of the "N" word to death; if it's said by other blacks it's acceptable (by some because I don't use it at all), but if said by whites, it has a 90% chance of pissing off black people. I don't see this as being any different.

Has anyone realized that this man pubically insulted college athletes that place 2nd in the nation for division 1 women's basketball? These weren't street women, they are college athletes.

This just proves no matter how much we overcome, we're still going to have someone out there ready to beat us down. Can't use the whip anymore, so they use words in a feeble attempt to keep us in what they assume is "our place" which is obviously beneath them! No free speech laws justify this commentary and whatever happens to him as punishment is deserved.

Iggy pop · Apr 10, 2007

Did anyone hear Don Imus' comments live? Is anybody a fan? Does anybody here listen to him on regular basis? . I've yet to hear anybody that do not hear these comments from another source. I've yet to meet a person that is a Don Imus fan. Yet so many people are outraged over a person that they never listened to in the first place.

kis123 · Apr 10, 2007

Iggy pop said:
Did anyone hear Don Imus' comments live? Is anybody a fan? Does anybody here listen to him on regular basis? . I've yet to hear anybody that do not hear these comments from another source. I've yet to meet a person that is a Don Imus fan. Yet so many people are outraged over a person that they never listened to in the first place.

I heard the tape over the news today; it was actually worse than has been advertised around here. He talks about how rough they looked because a lot of them had tattoos. Then he says how hardcore they looked, then came the "those are some real nappy-headed hoes." Look, I didn't say it, he did! What did it have to do with women's basketball? Why couldn't he just stick to format instead of him opening his mouth and letting garbage come out?

This clown was also nailed in Cleveland back in the 70s for playing an anti-semetic song over the airwaves as his Jewish station owner listened in horror. This guy is a friggin' trip who obviously trades off controversy at the risk of his employment. If he was looking for attention, he successully got what he wanted, didn't he?

I never knew him prior to now, but I don't want to learn about anyone's existance like this.

chicago · Apr 10, 2007

TKpervert · Apr 10, 2007

And let us not forget that Imus's fading earning power just doubled and the networks that carry his show will reap big financial rewards when he returns to the air in two weeks. A serendipitous brain fart to say the least.

What really cracks me up is the reaction from Al 'Tawana Brawley' Sharpton and Jesse 'No Direction' Jackson, two under-employed trap door spiders just waiting around for foot steps like these on the ceiling.
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Iggy pop · Apr 10, 2007

kis123 said:
I heard the tape over the news today; it was actually worse than has been advertised around here. He talks about how rough they looked because a lot of them had tattoos. Then he says how hardcore they looked, then came the "those are some real nappy-headed hoes." Look, I didn't say it, he did! What did it have to do with women's basketball? Why couldn't he just stick to format instead of him opening his mouth and letting garbage come out?

This clown was also nailed in Cleveland back in the 70s for playing an anti-semetic song over the airwaves as his Jewish station owner listened in horror. This guy is a friggin' trip who obviously trades off controversy at the risk of his employment. If he was looking for attention, he successully got what he wanted, didn't he?

I never knew him prior to now, but I don't want to learn about anyone's existance like this.

This was sort of my point. If no other news media outlets had picked this story up, you would still continue not to know him. It's not like he is going to loose you or me as listener, because we were never listening to him in the first place. I'm having difficulty in finding anyone that did listen to him.

Sometimes, I think it it is better if things like this are just ignored and not blown up.

unit5610 · Apr 10, 2007

a brief rant

There's no doubt that it was stupid, highly insulting and ignorant of Imus to say what he did, but after 4 days I think it's time for the media to move on to other news, like Iraq, Afghanistan and other news in the US. There must be SOMETHING else going on! NBC committed half of their nightly news broadcast to this story this evening. What are they gonna do when something reeeaally bad happens??

the wiz · Apr 10, 2007

Iggy pop said:
Arsenio Hall was canceled in 1994 because of low ratings. Arsenio Hall was syndicated and not on CBS, but he was aired on many CBS stations. This was until Letterman moved over to CBS, and Arsenio was then dropped from many of those stations. Arsenio Hall certainly was not cancelled after a remark said about Bush.

your completely off base, Arsenio rates was better than letterman and Lino, he audience range from the age of 20 - 40, unlike the other two shows which was 45 and up, and if you take those number divide them by two their rating would be less than his

Iggy pop · Apr 10, 2007

the wiz said:
your completely off base, Arsenio rates was better than letterman and Lino, he audience range from the age of 20 - 40, unlike the other two shows which was 45 and up, and if you take those number divide them by two their rating would be less than his

Arsenio Hall was canacelled in 1994 because of low ratings. His ratings were high in the late 80's and the early 90's. All these links confirm that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Arsenio_Hall_Show

http://www.answers.com/topic/the-arsenio-hall-show

http://www.nndb.com/people/422/000022356/

http://en.allexperts.com/e/t/th/the_arsenio_hall_show.htm

the wiz · Apr 10, 2007

Iggy pop said:
Arsenio Hall was canacelled in 1994 because of low ratings. His ratings were high in the late 80's and the early 90's. All these links confirm that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Arsenio_Hall_Show

http://www.answers.com/topic/the-arsenio-hall-show

http://www.nndb.com/people/422/000022356/

http://en.allexperts.com/e/t/th/the_arsenio_hall_show.htm

I read the links and i will stand by my statements. Not one site have provided the margin share from 1990 - 1995, i down loaded Nielsen rating for that period; there was not mention of the rating for any of the shows. so again without figures showing what you said was true, i will stand by my statement, but i will revise one thing it was 1992 not 1994.

Iggy pop · Apr 11, 2007

wikipedia said:
Jay Leno's taking over The Tonight Show in 1992 and the arrival at CBS of Late Show with David Letterman eventually led to a slide in Hall's ratings. Many CBS affiliates who were carrying The Arsenio Hall Show dropped it when David Letterman came, previously uninterested with other CBS late night offers, such as an inexpensive drama series Crimetime After Primetime, the abortive Pat Sajak Show and The CBS Late Movie. Additionally, many FOX affiliates who had carried The Arsenio Hall Show dropped it for the ill-fated Chevy Chase Show, only to be cancelled after six weeks. The show was cancelled in May 1994 due to low ratings, and it aired its final episode in August.

nndb said:
When Carson retired and Jay Leno was announced as the new Tonight Show host, Hall told reporters he'd "whip Jay's ass," but he didn't. And when David Letterman moved his show from NBC to CBS in 1993, putting both Letterman and Leno against Arsenio, his numbers evaporated further, and his show was canceled.

I have not seen anywhere that Arsenio was cancelled over a remark about Bush.

kis123 · Apr 11, 2007

Iggy pop said:
This was sort of my point. If no other news media outlets had picked this story up, you would still continue not to know him. It's not like he is going to loose you or me as listener, because we were never listening to him in the first place. I'm having difficulty in finding anyone that did listen to him.

Sometimes, I think it it is better if things like this are just ignored and not blown up.

You have the luxury of having this opinion; you never have to spend one day as an "ethnicity" or know what we have to go through in the course of everyday living. Many of us go throughout our day checking what we say or do because we're constantly being judged. Never getting credit or respect for what we produce is very frustrating. If 2-3 of us have a conversation, several white coworkers start spying; maybe they think we're trying to form some sort of coalition or something. There's mistrust on both sides; that's why I said things will never change and try to find a middle ground.

When your teenage daughter comes home to you and tells you her white teammates told her "hey cornrows, get to the back of the bus" and actually found it funny, you can come to me about ignoring negative public statements about blacks. Or if she happens to step in the library and find out someone saying "oh it's okay, she's only half black" referring to her being biracial. Sorry Iggy, this is totally unacceptable behavior and it should be called on the carpet. It's the only way that it gets exposed and dealt with.

Ignoring racism doesn't make it go away; ignoring a public statement made by a public figure only gives him permission to up the anty and push the envelope. I say handle the problem while it's small and hopefully it won't get bigger.

goddess_nemesis · Apr 11, 2007

First off, what he said was terrible. Not just because it was insulting black women, but because it was insulting women in general. But from what I understand he's been offending people for 30 years. Why is it now that people want him fired? Why not when he first made an insensitive comment? He's been calling Arabs ragheads for years and nobody did anything.

If you want him fired for being a dumbass, then the rap artists like Ludacris and Three-six Mafia should be fired from their record labels for rapping about women being hos.

If a black comedian has used that as a joke, nobody would be questioning it. When it comes to racist and sexist and other insensitive comments, there should be no double standard. But there is. It's okay for this person to say this, but not that person. Things are not going to change if there remains a double standard.

Tickle Fiend · Apr 11, 2007

ticklingnemesis said:
First off, what he said was terrible. Not just because it was insulting black women, but because it was insulting women in general. But from what I understand he's been offending people for 30 years. Why is it now that people want him fired? Why not when he first made an insensitive comment? He's been calling Arabs ragheads for years and nobody did anything.

If you want him fired for being a dumbass, then the rap artists like Ludacris and Three-six Mafia should be fired from their record labels for rapping about women being hos.

If a black comedian has used that as a joke, nobody would be questioning it. When it comes to racist and sexist and other insensitive comments, there should be no double standard. But there is. It's okay for this person to say this, but not that person. Things are not going to change if there remains a double standard.

I'm not saying it's right, but that's just the way it is. Women say things about other women that would be taken differently if a man said it and it's the same way when it comes to race. You're trying to compare a dusty old man to rappers. Rappers come across ho's all the time. Don Imus is paid to be funny, not to degrade a group of people. The word ho's wasn't even really the problem. The main thing was when the words "nappy" and "jigaboos" were used on his show. If those words were kept out of the conversation we wouldn't even be talking about this today.

kis123 · Apr 11, 2007

ticklingnemesis said:
First off, what he said was terrible. Not just because it was insulting black women, but because it was insulting women in general. But from what I understand he's been offending people for 30 years. Why is it now that people want him fired? Why not when he first made an insensitive comment? He's been calling Arabs ragheads for years and nobody did anything.

If you want him fired for being a dumbass, then the rap artists like Ludacris and Three-six Mafia should be fired from their record labels for rapping about women being hos.

If a black comedian has used that as a joke, nobody would be questioning it. When it comes to racist and sexist and other insensitive comments, there should be no double standard. But there is. It's okay for this person to say this, but not that person. Things are not going to change if there remains a double standard.

First of all, I don't want the man's job; he said something nasty and he should apologize. He's been doing this nearly thirty years and it's long overdue that he should be taken to task for the things he says. And calling Arabs "ragheads" is totally unacceptable IMO. Unfortunately, there are Americans who feel exactly that way about Arabs; it's sad to see and hear such ignorance.

I like rap music, but mostly the old school version; what goes on today is pretty ridiculous. The only way someone can show their feelings about today's gangsta' rap is simply to not buy the music. What these girls subject themselves to in these videos is appalling; they basically flush their self-esteem down the toilet to dance in a video! Very sad if you ask me.

Bottom line is none of it is okay; I don't know why whites get the heat for the public statements any more than why most people you see in the media gang banging tend to black. There are people who think that blacks comprise most welfare recipients-it couldn't be further from the truth. Take a walk through my neighborhood-it's an eye opening experience to see so many white, hispanic, and asian families in complete dysfunction with welfare, drugs, and gang banging!

I wish the stereotyping and prejudicial broad-brushing would stop, it would make things a lot easier and we'd get along much better. That's really at the core of this issue; we've been saying the same things about each other for decades. It's created a rift of distrust that resembles the old Berlin wall! I don't know what it'll take to change it; I just keep living my life and push forward as best I can and that works for me.

goddess_nemesis · Apr 11, 2007

But if you want things to change, we have to get rid of this double standard. Firing Imus won't stop the next idiot for making a nasty comment about someone else. Sad to say, it's terrible that people get pissed off as soon as the race card is pulled.

Oh, he said something racist, we have to be pissed off about it. And if he had just called them 'hos', who would get pissed off (except for the women themselves)?

If it had been a mostly white group and he called them 'white trash hos', who would get pissed off? If all women had been called 'hos', who would get pissed off?

All nasty comments and insults should be treated the same, whether or not you're a comedian, rap artist, or a radio DJ. How are we supposed to expect people to change if there is a double standard?

kis123 · Apr 11, 2007

ticklingnemesis said:
But if you want things to change, we have to get rid of this double standard. Firing Imus won't stop the next idiot for making a nasty comment about someone else. Sad to say, it's terrible that people get pissed off as soon as the race card is pulled.

Oh, he said something racist, we have to be pissed off about it. And if he had just called them 'hos', who would get pissed off (except for the women themselves)?

If it had been a mostly white group and he called them 'white trash hos', who would get pissed off? If all women had been called 'hos', who would get pissed off?

All nasty comments and insults should be treated the same, whether or not you're a comedian, rap artist, or a radio DJ. How are we supposed to expect people to change if there is a double standard?

Again, I don't want the man's job but if he loses it over this that's something he should've considered before he opened his mouth over the airwaves.

There really is no double standard; look at what happened to Mel Gibson. Jewish people (and many others) were angry at his statements. I held dialogue at my job over Michael Richards with four white women who all thought he was an idiot. I don't care much for Dave Chappelle at all; some of his stuff is funny, some of it is stupid.

And if Imus or anyone else made a stupid joke about "white trash ho's" I would've been just as pissed. Women are women, not bitches, ho's, or anything else derogotory IMO.

Iggy pop · Apr 11, 2007

kis123 said:
You have the luxury of having this opinion; you never have to spend one day as an "ethnicity" or know what we have to go through in the course of everyday living.

"white trash"
"white trailer trash"
"white piece of shit"
"white motherfucker"
"white fucking cracker"
"white motherfucking pussy"
"white inbred piece of shit"
"inbred cracker"
"white inbred ******"
"hillbilly piece of trash"

These are just a few of the long list of names I have had the luxury of being called in my lifetime. I do not what you go through every day, but please do not pretend to know what I go through every day ethier. Everybody has different life experiences.

When your teenage daughter comes home to you and tells you her white teammates told her "hey cornrows, get to the back of the bus" and actually found it funny, you can come to me about ignoring negative public statements about blacks. Or if she happens to step in the library and find out someone saying "oh it's okay, she's only half black" referring to her being biracial. Sorry Iggy, this is totally unacceptable behavior and it should be called on the carpet. It's the only way that it gets exposed and dealt with.

I agreed that this is totally unaccepatable because that interferes with the school day. I use to have a coworker that had bi-racial son, and he went to school that was predominately black, and he was constantly picked on beat up because he looked too white. It was so bad he refused to go to school, and this kid was only in elementry school. Getting picked on and bullied in school is unacceptable for any reason even if race is not involved.

Ignoring racism doesn't make it go away; ignoring a public statement made by a public figure only gives him permission to up the anty and push the envelope. I say handle the problem while it's small and hopefully it won't get bigger.

Don Imus, from what I understand, is a "shock jock", but I can't find anybody that actually listens to him. He's a public figure, but nobody seems to listen. If no other media outlet picked this up, it would be just another jerk saying another stupid thing.

drew70 · Apr 11, 2007

kis123 said:
How can you compare political correctness and free speech to what this man has said in a public format? Calling young college ladies "nappy headed hoes?" Does he personally know these women, or is he just a racist with an opportunity to hate on black women?

They're just words, Kis. How do his words in any way whatsoever injure those women, or anybody else? Words only have the power given them by people foolish enough to care about them.

There should be no law on the books that protects that type of language, especially those who make their living speaking in a public format! If you don't like a group of people, that's your business and I personally think a person should keep that to his/her self. Once a public figure makes a public statement, no legal protection covers it. It didn't cover Michael Richards, Mel Gibson, or Andy Rooney (back in the day). It shouldn't cover this clown either!

Perhaps you'd rather live in China, where speech is controlled and regulated. You don't seem to mind free speech when it works in your favor, i.e. the privilege to openly declare derision or disdain for your president. The fact is, no matter how foolish or tasteless, the man has a right to express his opinions, same as you and I do.

If they're going to fire him for any reason, it ought to be for wearing that stupid hat.

brianspencer66 · Apr 11, 2007

Its now 6:25 pm eastern standard time 4/11 and it was just announced that MS NBC has just fired Don Imus on my local NBC news program.

Tickle Fiend · Apr 11, 2007

brianspencer66 said:
Its now 6:25 pm eastern standard time 4/11 and it was just announced that MS NBC has just fired Don Imus on my local NBC news program.

He's still going to do the radio show, it just won't be shown on MSNBC anymore. Hopefully he's fired from his radio show next.

goddess_nemesis · Apr 12, 2007

drew70 said:
They're just words, Kis. How do his words in any way whatsoever injure those women, or anybody else? Words only have the power given them by people foolish enough to care about them.

I disagree, drew. Words are quite powerful. Remember the Duke Lacrosse team. Just yesterday they were cleared of all charges, they are in fact innocent. But the fact that they were called rapists will stick with them forever. Rapist is just a word. As is innocent. Both very powerful words but they will always be associated with rapist rather than innocent.

So if someone went up to you and called you a rapist, you wouldn't care? And if that same person started to tell your coworkers, your neighbors that you're a rapist, you wouldn't care? When would you start to care? When the police come? Words are very powerful. But then again, we must all be foolish to care.

brianspencer66 said:
Its now 6:25 pm eastern standard time 4/11 and it was just announced that MS NBC has just fired Don Imus on my local NBC news program.

I sure hope Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are happy. Even though firing him won't change anything.
I think they should have kept him on MSNBC and see how his ratings do. If his ratings drop, then enough people were offended and decided not to listen to him. But if the ratings remained the same, then it'll be like everything else. People don't care if someone says something nasty.

drew70 · Apr 12, 2007

ticklingnemesis said:
I disagree, drew. Words are quite powerful. Remember the Duke Lacrosse team. Just yesterday they were cleared of all charges, they are in fact innocent. But the fact that they were called rapists will stick with them forever. Rapist is just a word. As is innocent. Both very powerful words but they will always be associated with rapist rather than innocent.

"Rapist" isn't just a word. It's an accusation of a crime and a very serious one at that. "Nappy headed hoes" is just pure silliness. It carries no felonious accusations.

So if someone went up to you and called you a rapist, you wouldn't care? And if that same person started to tell your coworkers, your neighbors that you're a rapist, you wouldn't care? When would you start to care? When the police come? Words are very powerful. But then again, we must all be foolish to care.

Actually, such an unfounded accusation would only work in my favor, as I would sue the shirt off of such an individual for libel, false accusation, defamation of character, and that's just for starters.

I sure hope Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are happy. Even though firing him won't change anything.

Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are nothing but a couple of publicity vultures, swooping in for the kill. They are the true racists, in my opinion. If Martin Luther King were still around, I think he'd knock both their heads together.

I think they should have kept him on MSNBC and see how his ratings do. If his ratings drop, then enough people were offended and decided not to listen to him. But if the ratings remained the same, then it'll be like everything else. People don't care if someone says something nasty.

It's worse than that, I'm afraid. Far nastier things are said about people, and even groups of people, but the media leaves them alone, because it's not "newsworthy." In this cases of Don Imus and of Michael Richards, the news media all know they can milk it death because for whatever reason, people seem to eat this shit up. It's a horrendously lopsided social standard.

Mr. Blue · Apr 12, 2007

I had thought Don Imus died a few years ago...so it was quite shocking to me that he was making racist statements from the grave, lol. Once I did learn that Imus was in fact still alive the whole thing became rather insane.

Considering we live in a country that needs to concentrate on these issues:

*A War
*Military Stretched Too Thin
*An Education system that's failing our children
*Poverty in America (don't have to look at Africa to find starving children)
*A Huge National Debt
*Social Security
*A Trade Deficit
*....the list goes on and on and on

So, instead of focusing on important issues let's all listen to what an old white cracker has to say about some basketball players. Then let's get Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, the two biggest hypocrites on the planet to go on every tv show asking for the old crackers head on a platter.

Once they're done airing that for 40 days and 40 nights. I'm sure Brittany Spears will show her shaved head or shaved pussy again and we'll live off that for a bit. Oh and don't forget Anna, I'm sure there will be something left over there as well.

People wonder why America is in trouble...

Freedom of Speech...yep definitely...if you don't like Imus, don't listen, and there goes his career.

Did Anyone Hear Don Imus' Comments?

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