This new racism debacle of Imus in the Morning is actually kind of funny.

We behave as if people don't say these things "off sides".  I don't know where/why/how we got so sensitive. We are giving this shit way more power than it deserves, and the underlying assumption is that nobody thinks this stuff anyway.

http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2007/04/09/imus-jiggaboos-and-nappy-headed-hos/

Imus should be able to say what he wants without having to apologize.  The people should decide whether they want to listen to his crap.  It's not like protesting or forcing an apology will change anything.

>We are giving this shit way more power than it deserves

Who are you, and what have you done with sharkfish?

Obviously, public shaming of Richards didn't deter Imus.  We live and learn.  We need to try something else.  Like ignoring these fuckers.

There ARE things that are agreed upon to be 'beyond the pale'.  And those things do change over time.

The FCC got 'more strict' with what they would and would not allow on the radio after the Jackson 'clothing incident'.  The "Don and Mike" show toned down their stuff after that (not without complaint).

The "Grease man" in DC got kicked off the air for verbal mis-behavior at one time too.  I would not be surprised if Imus had to at least apologize for this one.

Public shaming of Richards was uncalled for, too.  Guy will never work again.

I loved the "shocked" reactions of all the black people that the various talk shows rounded up, though.  "Oh my gosh I just can't believe he said that.  My children blah blah blah."

SHUT UP

"My children blah blah blah."

I think kids need to hear this stuff.  The hidden, undercover racism is a more difficult thing to deal with. Put it out in the open, then its more useful.

The best thing that ever happened to the "majority" is the whole "PC" thing.  As if not saying something makes it go away.  It doesn't. And members of the majority who would ordinarily be outed for what they really are get to hide behind a wall of bullshit, and the rest of us get called fools for believing that racism exists among the elite.

We need to let this shit come out.

I never said racism doesn't exist among the elite.  I said that some people (like you) vastly overestimate the existence of racism, until they blame the entire state of their lives on it (like you.)

That's just you exaggerating again.

That's your modus operandi, being a "writer" and all.  That's how you think.  Everything is all or nothing.  Can't allow someone to argue a perspective because it lacks drama and entertainment value if you don't take it all the way to its proper apex.  Now you can poke the finger at me, even when we agree, for your own entertainment.

I've accepted that about you, muppet.

And here I'm the one who thinks you exaggerate.  That's hilarious.

"Can't allow someone to argue a perspective because it lacks drama and entertainment value if you don't take it all the way to its proper apex.  Now you can poke the finger at me, even when we agree, for your own entertainment. "

Err.. Shark.. you're the one who takes everything to hyperbole.  You act and speak as though racism is universal and ubiquitous and there does not exist a single non-racist person on the face of the Earth.  What I do is poke holes in your hyperbole and call attention to the fact that not everybody hates niggers.

You invert reality to make yourself feel more secure in your positions, and I've accepted that about you.  I will continue to mock you for it, however.

Just saw Imus on the news.  Apparently he is apologizing.

The problem with "just let it out" is that Imus doing what he did, if not criticized for it, allows a few million others to feel justified in thinking the same thing, and a few hundred thousand others to say the same thing.

For evil to succeed only requires good men to do nothing.  If you, in your good intent, allow or even approve of what Imus is doing, since in your point of view "it's what they think anyway" -- you are enabling the continuation of the very evil you oppose.

For an activity to be stopped, like slavery, or even prejudice, requires many steps.  First, it must be made illegal.  Second, activities which support it must be discouraged.  Third, words which promote it must be stopped.  Eventually, the thoughts that lead to those words will no longer be thought.

But, if you insist that the words must be spoken (especially publically) if the thoughts are still there, you're going in the wrong direction.

"...millions to feel justified..."

To be fair, I doubt whether Imus has millions in his audience.

To be fair, I don't think you, muppet, are in Imus' audience, yet you've heard what he said, no?

Actually I still haven't seen the full quote, no.

I heard Howard Stern allude to it this morning but had to get out of the car before he elaborated.  Sharky's post is my first clue about it today.

"If you, in your good intent, allow or even approve of what Imus is doing, since in your point of view "it's what they think anyway" -- you are enabling the continuation of the very evil you oppose. "

Except that the vast majority of people despise folks like Jesse Jackson for taking action on this very issue.  Yeah, someone is going to chime in and say Jesse is despicable for a myriad other reasons, but he is the brunt of ridicule for the longest whenever he stands up for people, not when he is out womanizing or taking money.

It's because of the manner in which he "stands up for people", not because of the fact of what he is doing.  It always seems to be all about Jesse, even when it isn't.

I see him on TV, saying the reasons why Imus is wrong and what the potential problems are with this sort of speech.

I fail to see what "manner" you are speaking of.

Well, we all view the world through our own filters, sharkfish.

Plenty of people find Jesse Jackson pompous and self-serving.  It just happens that most of the people who find him that way are not black.  Must be that all non black people are racists, I guess.

Do you think OJ is innocent?

I disagree that "the vast majority of people dispise Jesse Jackson".

I find it hugely ironic that you both complain about racism, then stand up for those most viciously racist, because that seems to support your world view.

I also find it tragic, because that approach is so self-defeating.

That's because Sharky doesn't hate racism, she only hates racism when it's not in blacks' favor.  However, since it's not germaine to say so, she just calls it "racism."

Racism against majority members is fine in her book, as they deserve it anyway.

In any case, I love how Imus tried to excuse his comments by saying that his cancer ranch for kids is attended by some (10%) black people, and that he has black friends.

:-)

First of all, his comments were innocuous and silly.  Deliberately absurd.  That he's apologizing is evidence of how tenuous his grip on his career has become (or has always been.)

>> Yeah, someone is going to chime in and say Jesse is despicable for a myriad other reasons, but he is the brunt of ridicule for the longest whenever he stands up for people, not when he is out womanizing or taking money. <<

I won't say that.  I'm all for womanizing.  :-)

But I will say that he's dispicable for his behavior of finding a parade, and running to get in front of it.  If it wasn't for his blatant self-promotion, he'd get a lot more respect.  Coretta Scott King really really disliked him for this.

OK, Imus apologized.

Now can we fire him for just generally sucking?

I think it is funny.  You remember that Seinfield episode when Seinfield wanted to date this Indian (Native American) girl and got in trouble for using words associated with Indian so he wouldnt say anything.

It is kind of like this.  We are going to to skate around PC terms so much that we are going to get so confused and scared as to how to identify people (at least white people are, black people can do whatever they want, see Chris Rock/Eddie Murphy Raw, etc, etc).

I can imagine the CNN reporter trying to report a crime, the accussed is black.

"Well Lisa, we are on the lookout for aaaa...male...aaa...male.....offfff...darker skin ... I mean ...uhhhhh ... a male that isn't white"

"Could you be more specific"

"Well, the assailant is uhhh (sweating...), he is F**KING black ok, yea I said it, I said it".

Are the terms Imus used supposed to be ethnic slurs then? I've never even heard them before, other than wannabees and hos and those aren't ethnic. Is nappy head a slur? What's it mean?

PE, where are you from?

"Nappy head" -- well, I was going to describe this, but if Sharky doesn't want to do it then I'm sure I'll screw it up.  Look it up on wiki, for heaven's sake, your fingers ain't broken.

Nappy head? That was it? Damn, I'm black every morning.

shark, I'm from the US, is that what you're asking? So nappy head is common?

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=nappy+head

Not too many votes and only one definition and it's getting thumbs down, so I don't think this can possibly be a widespread term. The definition there is 'childish'.

Considering that Al Sharpton is the black man's answer to Bill O'Reilly, Imus deserves sacking for being stupid enough to go on the program anyway.

Though my favourite 'racist' story is that of the black mother in Toronto who is worried about the psychological effect on her kid of finding that their new living room suite is colored 'nigger brown'.