The 'Apology', not Imus, the biggest loser

Here's a different perspective on the Don Imus flap I've been thinking about..


Imus apologized on Friday from his show. He did again on the news. He apologized directly to the team on multiple occasions. And again, while excoriated by the purveyor of all things ethical, Al Sharpton, on Sharpton's radio show.

The players came out on Tuesday and gave their interview, carried live by the entire nation, mind you. What the players didn't do then, nor have done since is accept his apology, or at least let him off the hook. I believe, had they said a kind word (after the obligatory felt victimized interlude), or at the very least accepted his apology, Imus would have kept his job.

So think about this.. what in God's name happened to the apology and the power it once held? America is famous for "second chances". I always considered that to be a virtue.

Yes, what Imus said was offensive, racist, and wrong. No doubt. But have we reached the point in America's future.. or its past, when a few mistaken words can take away your livelihood, and define your personal story? I'm very saddened by this, and points to a society becoming less healthy, not more.

racism and sexism in the USA.

There's nothing more to morph out of this... no true need to attack Reverend Al, et. al.

Imus's abhorrent insult only serves as PROOF POSITIVE that sexism and racism are alive and well in the USA.

We need to talk about these topics and be open with each other:

Sexism and Racism are alive and well in the good old USA.

I wish that discussion could take place.. perhaps that's what is happening now (and hence, the silver lining in all this).

I'm afraid there's too many wounds, mis-conceptions, double-standards, hurt feelings, and on and on and on .. for that conversation to provide real value at this time.

Again, that is very saaaaaadddddd indeed!

How about years of these types of comments that didn't get the scrutiny this one did. There are tons of posts here citing many of Imus' past racist, sexist and other offensive cracks. He had a unique forum...and abused it.

His words hurt people and his "remorse" was with conditions. No matter how he "apologized", he put a qualifier with it...either his charity work or how he had Harold Ford Jr. on his show and he appeared like his contrition was based not on what he said, but on getting caught.

Give people credit...they know a genuine show of remorse vs. one to save one's big paycheck.

But I don't agree with you. He put himself out there. It did no good. What we will surely see less attempts at reconciliation, not more.

Some ministers in the Atlanta area have said that this situation requires a spirit of reconciliation and redemption and have reached out to Imus. So I don't think this is a case of kicking him when he's down.

But I think that a lot of people are defining forgiveness as "Imus keeps his job"

If I get drunk and run kill some of your family and I come to you and ask for forgiveness, should I not experience any consequences? Should my life continue unchanged? I know it's a little more drastic example but it underscores the issue I think.

promptly went back to using racist terms with NO change, I suspect it is not Imus's apology that is the problem, it is that his apologies are empty and his promises false that is the problem.

Edited to add:

What, exactly, do you mean by this, "(after the obligatory felt victimized interlude), in reference to the Rutger players? obligatory felt victimized????

he would still have his talk show and he would not have apologized as quickly as Imus did..the right wing corporate media would have made excuses for him and then it would have buried the issue..

ESPN and Donovan McNabb, remember?

- as

I dont recall him being fired? Was it when he had his TV show on Fox (as in Fox the free TV network back in the 90's)

He lost the gig after saying pretty much that McNabb wasn't so hot and sports guys wanted to hype him so they'd have a black QB to cheer for.

http://espn.go.com/gen/news/2003/1001/1628537.html

That article says he resigned, but let's call a spade a spade here (no pun intended). He was fired, or more specifically quit before they could fire him.

And his TV show back in the day was cancelled because it had next to no ratings to speak of. :)

- as

but his sponsorship now is more like a right wing subsidy..and as I have mentioned before ..somehow the RNC is getting some funding in there to keep his BS on the air......

this is 30 years of words...against blacks, other minorities, women, jews... for the love of God! He seems to have made his fortune doing this kind of thing, why would anyone defend his words. Again, it wasn't just one random mistake...it was years of building his fortune by tearing other folks down. You know, if some guy punched me once and apologized, maybe I'd give him a second chance, and probably a third. But after a while...someone would call me pretty stupid if I forgave again. And the so-called free speech argument is just plain bogus. We are free to think and say whatever we want as long as it's on our dime. This man is an entertainer, that's all he is and he pissed enough people off that he became a liability to the company who paid him the fortune. He was not fired for calling Cheney or Bush names. He was fired for a shocking lack of good taste and good judgment and I am glad of it. If you are going to champion this man then I guess you will do the same for Rush and Anne and Glenn and the others.

Those are good points. It brings to mind the following:


You say, ".. Imus was fired for a shocking lack of good taste and good judment .. not for calling Cheney or Bush names", but the danger I see is this: When does the 'ethical' and the 'political' overlap? Free expression, no matter how offensive it might be, must be carefully nutured, lest we ever find ourselves in a world where political enemies can find angles on our speech, and wield authority over our lives in harmful ways.

I'm not shedding one tear for him.

just another cheap shot at Al Sharpton. This board has been bombarded with newbies & Imus apologists since the story broke. Poor gazillionaire Don Imus, he's really the victim here, right? Don Imus could probably buy his own media outlet if he wanted. Yeah, I feel really sorry for him.
:eyes:

So do we let him out of prison? :shrug:

And we should set him up with a gig at an elementary school.

Because he apologized and would never, ever do it again!

:sarcasm: :sarcasm:

So no, he hadn't apologized to them personally. Maybe after they have a sit-down, Imus will figure out why what he said was truly hurtful and come out and give a real apology. Maybe once he stops blaming everybody else for not kissing his ass because he said 'oops', people will believe he's sincere.

He's had numerous second chances. How many chances would a DUer get if they went around saying "nappy headed ho".

I've heard him apologize 3 or 4 times now. After each one he then says something smart. He should have apologized then shut up. He's the one that called a bunch of college girls some still in their teens ho's. No one else was to blame.

wnated HIM to MEET them. That was an essential part of their interim decision. And it and the press conference were interim. They had a plan and since MSNBC and CBS had already said they were giving him two, plus the rest of the week (for radiothon - nearly three weeks total) and since the meeting with Imus was supposed to be this weekend (it sounded like - no class), etc. Following that they told the world that they would confer and announce. They are a team - they needed to talk to each other.

They were a team, they were abused as a team, they were to confer with each other as a team.

It all made perfect sense - especially the part about HE meeting THEM - so that he would know them.

I thought it was an entirely wise process.

No way was he going to keep his job after that press conference - it was a model of maturity and dignity - whether or not it compared to the Imus and McQuirk cheap, juvenile, lower than the sewer act.

I knew immediately that the entire affair was in the hands of people at a higher level than we mer bloggers or evey a David Gregory or an Al Sharpton.

No one could keep that job after that press conference, especially after years of similar remarks, promises to change, and unkept promises followed by in your face and space and reputation abuse.

NT

As higher class pointed out, the freak has made similar remarks for years.

"In a 1997 interview with “60 Minutes,” he said he chose one white staffer to tell racial jokes on his show. He once referred to the PBS anchor Gwen Ifill as “a cleaning lady.” And in 2001 he took a pledge, guided by the Chicago Tribune columnist Clarence Page, to refrain from making further racist comments on his program."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/07/arts/television/07imus.html


The following is from the 60 Minutes Show referenced above:

"MIKE WALLACE: You told Tom ANDERSON, the producer, in your car coming home that Bernard McGuirk is there to do "nigger" jokes.

DON IMUS: Well I've n-- I never use that word.

MIKE WALLACE: Tom?

TOM ANDERSON: I'm right here.

DON IMUS: Did I use that word?

TOM ANDERSON: I recall you using that word.

DON IMUS: Oh, okay, well then I used that word, but I mean-- of course that was an off the record conversation-- "

http://www.onthemedia.org/yore/transcripts/transcripts_081801_imus.html

I liked the "On the Media" article. I didn't know about Clarence Page asking Don Imus to take an oath in 2001.

with his life?

:sarcasm:

As I understand, per "breaking news", he is meeting with them at this very hour for the first time.

And they do not owe him a "second chance". Imus has had dozens of chances over the years. As a woman, I am offended by his show on a near daily basis.

I appreciate his guests and some of the interviews, but the bigoted, racist, sexist comments were not only not funny, they were highly offensive and had no business on our public airwaves.

Good day.

...to accept apologies at face value anymore, especially from public figures. It is no longer enough for a celebrity to apologize, they must grovel for forgiveness.

Oh brother.

:eyes:

another apology from a public figure again.

The "apology" question is the biggest joke of this whole thing, with all the good white people hem-hawing that "he apologized...shouldn't that be enough?" People repeat day after day: he's forgiven, but he should still be fired. This doesn't compute with many white Americans, because they think racial questions should be limited to the symbolic domain.

That question seems to have very little to do with Don Imus. It seems to have everything to do with establishing a social protocol that maintains white privilege. Yes, yes, they say. We can hash over these issues in the symbolic realm, but that should be the limit of it. It shouldn't affect my real conditions. This is, in fact, the state of race in America since the waning of the great civil rights struggles: change at the symbolic level, grinding repetition of racial power at the level of real conditions.

This is why the issue of the "apology" has taken on such power. An apology should be enough because these disputes are waged purely at the level of the symbolic. The gasping horror that white America seems to feel about Imus actually getting - Oh MY! - fired over this tells us everything we need to know. That would be a consequence at the level of real conditions, not merely a symbolic consequence. And for a white America that maintains white privilege at the level of the real, that's utterly unacceptable and horrifying.

This should be clear enough: every attempt to institute change at the level of the symbolic is heartily applauded (for instance, that asinine movie Crash). On the other hand, any attempt to institute change at the level of the real is fought tooth and nail (say, school funding, or affirmative action programs). The first can be assimilated. The second actually threatens white privilege ("But if there are 2 million more qualified applicants...! Gasp gasp gasp!"). This context is wrapped up in the "apology" issue.

This is the point that "white people", after reading your response, sort of give up, or else respond in some lame fasion, but I'm going try and sincerely engage you, and I hope it is bears fruit.

By your response I assume you're not a "white person". Is that correct?

You use the term, "white People" 7 times (I counted). The first challenge anytime racial topics come up, or a discussion about injustice is that, in today's America, with so many shades of gray, differing backgrounds, multi-racial identities, and with such as diversity of historical experience, the terms "white" and "black" are rendered almost meaningless (IMHO). You speak about white people like anyone with caucasion bloodlines surely must have ancestors that lived on a plantation somewhere, or held slaves. Or, if not slave owners, then surely you, as a "white" person, have benefited over the years due to Jim Crow laws and the like. But in reality, we are just everyday folk like yourself. If you saw me, you would say, that guy's a white guy.. dark, but white nonetheless.. "he's a white guy". However, two generations ago, my family that immigrated to the Los Angeles area lived in a neighborhood that was highly discriminatory against them. I, too, have injustice in my family's history, hard as that may be to accept. In fact, I'm willing to bet the majority of non African-American people reading this post have real injustice in their lives in one way or another, or have family in the not too distant past that experienced real bigotry and discrimination.

Therefore, it becomes very difficult to caste dispersion and point fingers at "white people". Pardon the expression, but it's not a black-and-white deal, but instead, a shade of gray :}

And your point about whether we're dealing with symbolism or reality, ask Don Imus if what he's going through is symbolic? Ask the "white boys" at Duke if there situation felt symbolic or not. In today's world, "white people" must check themselves at the door whenenver a conversation about race ensues, or there is a real chance a storm will hit them hard.

Irish-Italian, working class NYC, white.

And your point about whether we're dealing with symbolism or reality, ask Don Imus if what he's going through is symbolic?

Well that's my point, isn't it? Instead of counting my use of "white people" and doing the usual two-step of talking about systemic problems with personal anecdotes, perhaps you should have read my post for meaning. There are racial divides in America, however hybrid may be contemporary culture. There is also a social fact (which is to say, the objective existence) of white culture (and white privilege). Your personal, individual stories, of course, notwithstanding.

Please give me your definition of "white privilege" and "white power".

You lost me on your symbolism vs. reality concept. Can you restate?

White privilege is twofold. First, it is the structural economic conditions that prevent black people from succeeding. These conditions are rooted both in the history of racial oppression and segregation, and in continuing policies having to do with funding of schools and other matters. Now, you might say that that's just a class issue, and is not primarily a matter of race. It certainly is an economic effect, but - and this is the second point - it is tied to a racial imaginary (the same kind that causes resumes with "black names" to be ignored, or that causes people sporting signifiers of black culture to be followed around clothing stores). Now, does this mean that there aren't OTHER signifiers that operate similarly (i.e., Southern, rural, or working class accents, or class markers that operate similarly, or similar demographic obstructions to education, such as those experienced by poor whites in, say, Appalachia, or rural Alabama)> No, of course not. Race, class, gender and se3xuality are highly coded, and white privilege does not mean that ALL white people are privileged. It does mean, however, that most (not all, mind you) black Americans who attain economic "success" do so by burying (if strategically and temporarily) social signifiers of African American culture (linguistic, stylistic, rhetorical, etc.). And then they still get pulled over arbitrarily. For a great primer on white privilege, see Mos Def's song, "Mr. Nigga":

Who is cat eating out on the town
And make the whole dining room turn they head around
Mr Nigga
Nigga Nigga
He got the speakers in the trunk
With the bass on crunk
Who be riding up in the highrise elevator
Other tenants who be praying he ain't the new neighbor
Mr Nigga,
Nigga Nigga
They try to play him like a chump
Cause he got what they want

He under thirty years old
But already he's a pro
Designer trousers slung low
Because his pockets stay swoll'
Could afford to get up and be anywhere he go
VIP at the club, backstage at the show
(Yes y'all) the best crib, the best clothes
Hottest whips on the road
Neck and wrists on froze (say word)
Checks with O's o-o-o-o-ohs
Straight all across the globe
Watch got three time-zones
Keep a digital phone up to his dome
Two assistants
Two bank accounts, two homes
One problem
Even with the O's on his check
The po-po stop him and show no respect
"Is there a problem officer?"
Damn straight, it's called race
That motivate the jake (woo-woo) to give chase
Say they want you successful, but that ain't the case
You livin large, your skin is dark
They flash a light in your face

Now, who is cat dining out on the town
maitre d' wanna take a whole year to sit him down
Mr Nigga,
Nigga Nigga
He got the speakers in the trunk
With the bass on crunk
Now, who is the cat at Armani buying wears
With the tourists who be asking him, do you work here?
Mr Nigga,
Nigga Nigga
Nigga Nigga

Yo, the Abstract with the Mighty Mos Def
White folks got it muffled across beneath they breathe
"I didn't say it.."
But they'll say it out loud again
When they deal with their close associates and friends
You know
Sneak it in with they friends at the job
Happy hour at the bar
While this song is in they car
And even if they've never said it, lips stay sealed
Their actions reveal how their hearts really feel
Like, late night I'm on a first class flight
The only brother in sight
The flight attendent catch fright
I sit down in my seat, 2C
She approach officially talking about, "Excuse me"
Her lips curl up into a tight space
She don't believe that I'm in the right place
Showed her my boarding pass,
And then she sort of gasped
All embarrassed; put an extra lime in my water glass
An hour later here she come now walking past
Talkin' bout "I hate to be a pest but my son would love your autograph"
(it's Mr. Nigga...he's that famous nigger)

They stay on Nigga patrol on american roads
And when you travel abroad they got World Nigga Law
Some folks get on a plane go as they please
But I go over seas and I get over siezed
Like, London Heathrow, me and my people
They think that illegal's a synonym for Negro
Far away places, customs agents flagrant
They think that dark faces smuggle weight in they cases
Bags inspected, now we arrested
Attention directed to contents of our intestines
Urinanalyis followed by X-rays
Interrogated and detained to damn near the next day
No evidence, no apology and no regard
Even for the big American rap star
For us especially, us most especially,
A Mr Nigga VIP jail cell just for me
"If I knew you were coming I'd have baked a cake
Just got some shoe-polish, painted my face"
They say they want you successful
But then they make it stressful
You start keeping pace, they start changin' up the tempo

Now, who is cat riding out on the town
State trooper want to stop in his ride, pat him down
Mr Nigga,
Nigga Nigga
He got the speakers in the trunk
With the bass on crunk
Now, who is the cat with the hundred dollar bill
They gotta send it to the back to make sure the shit is real
Mr Nigga,
Nigga Nigga
Nigga Nigga Nigga

You can laugh and criticize Michael Jackson if you wanna
Woody Allen, molested and married his step-daughter
Same press kicking dirt on Michael's name
Show Woody and Soon-Ye at the playoff game, holding hands
Sit back and just bug, think about that
Would he get that type of dap if his name was Woody Black?
OJ found innocent by a jury of his peers
They been fucking with that Nigga for last five years
Is it fair, is it equal, is it just, is it right?
Do they do the same shit when the defendant face is white?
If white boys doing it, well, it's success
When I start doing, well, it's suspect
Don't hate me, my folks is poor, I just got money
America's five centuries deep in cotton money
You see a lot of brothers caked up, yo straight up
It's new, Y'all living off of slave traders paper
But I'ma live though, yo I'ma live though
Putting up the big swing for my kids yo
Got my mom the fat water-front crib yo
I'm a get her them pretty bay windows
I'm a cop a nice home to provide in
A safe environment for seeds to reside in
A fresh whip for my whole family to ride in
And if I'm still Mr Nigga, I won't find it surprising

That's a very interesting perspective.

A couple of thoughts:



I like the lyrics, but is it not absurd for a guy, able to afford to "get his mom the fat water-front crib" to be cry'n about respect, when some "white" guy down the street is living some miserable existance? It's hard for me to take his thoughts seriously, knowing he's living the dream like that.



As for your thoughts on race, you made a couple of my arguments for me, as economics certainly have a greater effect on people in today's America than race does.. I think any honest person would have to agree, as we survey the contemporary landscape of pop-culture.

Is it fair that the poor Apalacian white boy fails to gain the same "affirmative" advantage that people of color.. to use the latest venacular, get at some colleges? Does the fact that Michael's Jordan's college-bound kid, who gains extra admission points, when the working-class "white" kid doesn't bother you? Shouldn't, perhaps, they both get a bump?

I use this example because I think it illustrates two important points. One, If your answer to my question is yes, then where is the line drawn? Who's grievances count enough to be on the right side of this line? And second, the simple fact that we're talking about "preferences" at both schools, as well as the workplace, not demonstrate that your "structural economic conditions" have been, at least to some extent, rectified?

Nothing's been rectified. And if you think class trumps race, then you entirely missed the point (Mos Def's and my own). It seems that you read what you want to read, and see what you want to see.

Good luck with that.

I'm not saying things don't happen, but ask a few wealthy black people if they would trade places with the poor white shlock at work. In today's world, economics have a far greater effect on one's quality of life than race. Just one opinion from a "white" guy.

just one man's opinion. Opinions are social.

:thumbsup:

Or will they inveigh in serious tones about the need for accountability...

:rofl:

NT

A bigger irony, though, is that Jackson and Sharpton, two "Reverends," seem to have never heard of the word forgiveness...unless they need it when they screw up.

You gotta mean it, and I don't see any reason to think Imus does. It aint exactly the first time he's bared his ass, ya know?

An apology is offered as compensation for wrongdoing.

It doesn't wipe any slates clean. If I give you a million bucks for running you down when I was driving drunk and leaving you paraplegic, you don't stop being paraplegic, even if you accept it.

An apology can be accepted without the person accepting it having any obligation to pretend the wrongdoing never happened.

It is the person who was wronged who deserves the apology. That person is entitled to the apology. The person who committed the wrongdoing deserves nothing, and has no entitlement to anything, in return for the apology.

Just as you don't deserve, or become entitled, to get your driver's licence back just because you've paid me compensation for my injuries.

Imus does not deserve to be on radio or television; he is not entitled to occupy the public airwaves. In fact, he never did and never was; no one deserves or is entitled to such a thing.

By the rules of common decency, he deserved to lose his show, and he became disentitled to a space on the airwaves, by virtue of his own misconduct. No apology, no matter how sincere or how demonstrative of genuine desire and resolve to change -- and nothing else he has ever done or ever will do -- affects that.

It is perfectly reasonable for people to say "I am truly sorry, I now know that what I did was very wrong, I understand that I hurt you badly, it is my intention never to do such a thing again, and I would be grateful if you would give me another chance". Usually, we have no way of knowing whether someone saying that is truly willing and/or able to honour that commitment. If what we stand to lose if the person fails to do so is significant, it simply is not wise to grant the wish. And if what the person is actually asking for is a 29th chance, and not a 2nd chance, it would probably be downright dumb.

In any event, there simply is no obligation to give further chances, and there are often very good reasons not to do so. A drunk driver may be as contrite as all get out, and perfectly credible in his/her pledge never to do it again, but we just can't let drunk drivers get off with an apology; we can't afford the pretty obvious consequences of doing that. In Imus's case, the need to send a message to the world in general that this kind of conduct is intolerable is a pretty good reason to say sorry, thanks for the apology, we're done now.

This is more like his 5th time.

Doug D.

NT

sufficed. I think him losing both his jobs is most definitely over the top and the product of over-reaction. But he did say something atrocious, even if blown out of proportion. Sometimes some are forgiven, other times not. I feel for him a bit here because I don't think he deserved this, but at the same token his loud mouth and years of talking abusively about others can only make my sympathy go so far. Still though, his apology should've been accepted a bit more readily by some but I think it's also understandable why some simply are fed up; not just with him but those sorts of things in general; to the degree that forgiveness is just simply no longer an option.

...if they were already mad at him and this is just the last straw?

It is the the insincere, boiler plate apology that is the loser. It is analagous to the situation with those types of Christians who offend, then say "I accept Jesus", and in their legalistic interpretation of scripture believe that the mere stating of such absolves them of all sin, error, or wrongdoing. In public life, too many people have found it too easy just to say they are sorry, when their actions show they don't really mean it. The apology has become too cheap and meaningless these days. Perhaps this will SAVE the true apology, and rid us of the cheap one.

I guess I sort of agree and disagree a bit with your conclusion.


Sincerety is no doubt in the mix here, but this starts to get really subjective.. That is, the apology that I'm sick of are when people apologize in a very general way.. "I regret that someone got hurt", or "I'm sorry about the circumstances of yada yada". Or people who hide behind lawyers or PR people. That's what I'm tired of. Someone who exposes themself like Imus did should be commended, in a way. I don't think he had to handle this by going public. The story only became out of his control when he went on Sharpton's program. Imus could have ducked and weaved this.

The point is that it is far better to avoid the name-calling and boorish behavior that characterizes Imus in the first place. (never mind the racism).

The athletes from Rutgers were probably reluctant to accept the apology because it rang hollow. Imus repeatedly says things that are designed to offend.

There would be more truthfulness to the apology if Imus were to announce that he had thought deeply about his career and has decided to start on a path of reconciliation rather than being a radio bully.

I usually graciously accept apologies. However, in the case of an un-repentent schoolyard (radio) bully, there are times that it is wise to demand more evidence of contrition than a simple apology.

If America's ideal is what is portrayed by shock jocks like Imus and Stern, we've debased ourselves to an absurd level. It's time for Americans to speak up and demand ethical conduct from those who are on the airwaves.

Sure, it's fine to discuss controversial subjects -- but it's imperative that it's done in a manner that displays fairness to all concerned.

I agree strongly with your sentiment about the shock jocks and the debasement of society. But does that not just scream out that, if we're going to have some standards of decency in how we treat one another, then how can we allow the debasement of women and others so prevelant in rap and other artistic expressions to be left mostly unopposed by society? How can we be so indignant about Imus, but care less about other things?

"I don't understand what the problem is, really," the talk show host told his 2.25 million weekly listeners on 70 stations. "People gotta relax, really. Calm down."

More at http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/04/10/don_imus/index.html?source=rss

Maybe belated apologies as a PR move don't have quite the impact that they used to, given it's become the obligatory crisis management tactic. Maybe apologies for continued racist comments (not just a "few mistaken words") years after he publicly vowed not to do that kind of "humor" anymore ring hollow. And the more Imus apologized the more it was evident he regarded himself as a victim.

And as for the young women on the team...the "obigatory felt victimized interlude?" "Obigatory?" Did they have any reason not to genuinely feel as if they'd been undeservedly the target of unwarranted demeaning sexist, racist comments on a program broadcast nationally by major media corporations? Being held up to national public ridicule for what reason? Because Imus had the power of his "bully pulpit" as others have called it and he could verbally shit on them at will?

Imus had the power of a national venue and he abused it by his own choice (continually, not just this one time) to engage in racist, sexist humor, supported and enabled by major corporations and the media and political elite. And yet you appear to suggest the young women of a college basketball team are responsible for his firing? Because they didn't accept his apologies fast enough? Because they wanted to meet with him first to discuss the matter face to face? Blame the victims? Please.

Perhaps what is sad is that some people apparently are inclined to feel more sympathy for rich and powerful celebrities who can do and say what they want without significant consequence as long as they say "I'm sorry" rather than ordinary folks who just happen to be their "collateral damage."

that imus lost his job?

on the sole basis that he's a no-talent asshat. That he is a racist no-talent asshat is almost beside the point. He's one of the only radio personalities I've ever heard who CAN'T EVEN FUCKING TALK.

For years I've watched this mumbling halfwit's career in shocked amazement. I honestly cannot understand most of what he says. That the powers that be also chose to put his ugly mug on TV is even more incredible.

Don't worry about Don. He'll go the way of the Greaseman and get another job in a medium-sized market somewhere. And still, I'll be amazed.

Do you think this is the first time for Imus?

you are named Sharpton or Jackson. They can make as many "mistakes" as they want and never get fired. Jackson even refused to cut the kids in the Duke case a break instead talking about how bad they were to have a woman dancing naked in front of them. He of course refused to answer Cooper's questions and of course they let him slide on it. In reality I can't think of two other figures offhand who get involved in so much controversy and keep getting let off the hook. Their involvement in this also hurt the real issues of race and sexism that we "Could" have discussed as a nation but now we won't get that chance because all everybody mentions is Sharpton and Jackson is every sentance with Imus. Shame.....

I think the real villian here is the 24/7 news cycle we now live under. There is no room for apologies in this new era because if they are accepted and people get 2nd chances the most they will get is a trip to Oprah's couch. Its far more in the networks interest to keep the fires burning bright so the story can live on and take on a life of its own.

Did you listen to the Girls on the team talking about what the past week was like? Having their lives disrupted, having to turn off their phones. Now of course its not their fault but who was calling them? How many hundreds of reporters all with fangs out, saliva dripping?

Wow.

Shame.....Say more then Wow...Tell me where I am wrong. Tell me you belive that Sharpton and Jackson do not get cut loads of slack after some pretty big misdeeds. Comment on what I said about the news media, and I how I belive the 2 mentioned individuals actually hurt the discussion we should be having..But do better then "wow"

If it weren't for Sharpton, Imus would not be fired. The talented young women referred to as whores on national TV, do they have anything to do with this, or is it all about Jackson and Sharpton to you?

PS I did read it all.

What people around the "water cooler" are talking about, what I read about in the papers and listen too on the radio and watch on the news networks. Of course its about the girls on the team and I would much rather have the coach speaking to the media every 10 minutes then Sharpton and Jackson. Just because I am progessive doesn't mean I have to like and agree with every other Progressive. So many people ARE talking about Jackson and Sharpton now that I feel it hurts the discussion, not help it because they are so quick to jump into every issue. Hell the girls on the team and the coach did a great job on their own! They didn't need any help and the message was so much more powerful coming from them! Do you see what i mean? You see I already "get" it and don't need people like Sharpton and Jackson telling me how things should be. Even though I disagreed with the firing because I would rather have let the listeners abandon him or let him atone publiclly on the radio for his misdeeds, I was disgusted by the joke. Its just my belief that Sharpton trying get some more publicity does not help this disussion at all.

Maybe they are not to your taste as spokesmen, but here they are. And I believe they accomplished much this week. Take care!

Why do certain White people only see Jackson and Sharpton when an issue like this comes up and not anyone else within our community?

Bruce Gordon, Past President of the NAACP and a current board member of CBS, called for Imus's firing.

Al Roker, whom I've never heard speak an ill word about anyone, called for his firing.

And these were just 2 of many, many leaders within our community who thought this was an issue that demanded some type of response.

Are White people so fixated on AL Sharpton and Jesse Jackson that they cannot see that we have a diversity of leaders and views within our community? Or is it easier to avoid the feelings of our community by focusing solely on those 2?

to excuse this racist fuck on here.

:hi:

Where on God's green earth is there a rule that whenever an apology is offered, it should automatically be accepted and all is forgiven and things become right with the world?

A major problem I have with your assessment is that it overlooks a key component in the process of forgiveness and healing: TIME. Imus and these young ladies haven't even looked each other in the eye yet. All their dialog has been through the media. It seems that an apology would at least require the parties involved to at least look each other in the eye.

People who rail on and on how it's a shame this apology hasn't been accepted remind me of a guy, who upon being caught screwing his sister-in-law, apologizes to his wife and then becomes pissed when things aren't back to normal the minute he does.

Pain and hurt often require some time to heal.

His words reflected badly on his employers and his sponsors. People get fired for behaving inappropriately at work all the time. If Imus wasn't a celebrity, there wouldn't be anything shocking about it.

I feel badly for Imus, just as I feel badly for anyone who is unable to conquer crippling personal demons. But rather than seeing Imus's firing as a sign that our culture is cruel and unforgiving, I see it as a sign that our culture has finally reached a tipping point, and from here on out racism and sexism will no longer be tolerated with winks and giggles. It's about time.