Posted on 04/11/2007 10:25:38 AM PDT by teddyballgame
I don't think I've ever had more response to an online journal than yesterday.
As you may know I called for the firing/resignation of WFAN/MSNBC morning host Don Imus. This after he and his morning "Crew" referred to the Rutgers Women’s basketball team as, among other things, "nappy-headed hos." Ugly racism and sexism at its worst.
Based on the passionate responses we got from people on both sides of the issue, it seems we still, after all this time, have a long way to go in our country when it comes to race.
And, by the way, it's not like I hold a deciding vote at CBS, Inc., Mr. Imus' actual employer, or at NBC Universal, the company that owns MSNBC, and my place of employment, NBC News, as to whether Imus and company stay or go.
(Excerpt) Read more at allday.msnbc.msn.com ...
We need to move toward a color-blind society. The biggest obstacle to that is all the black people who see every thing through a racial lens. Skin color is the be-all and end-all to the people I'm thinking of.
Sure, there are some ignorant white folks like Imus who actually make stupid racist comments. They ought to clean up their act. But the big race problem in this country is in the attitudes held by folks in the black community.
Jesse, Al -- take note: you're the problem, not the solution.
The whole world has the same problems. It’s not just us here in the U.S. People need to get real. Arabs don’t like Persians, Koreans don’t like Japanese, Vietnamese don’t like other Asians, Africans don’t like Whites, the French don’t like Italians, Italians don’t like Germans, the Irish don’t like Brits and the list goes on and on. It’s just the way the world is. Get use to it and don’t slam Americans as being the only ones that are this way.
Where’s Bill Cosby when you need him?
Sounds like Al has drawn his line in the sand.
“we still, after all this time, have a long way to go in our country when it comes to race” = “not enough of you horrible racist white people agree with me.”
}:-)4
Sorry, Al, the First Amendment makes no such distinction. Don Imus or anyone else in public life has as much right to make a fool of him/herself on the public airways as anyone else - including Al Roker. If rappers may talk about "nappy haired hos" and use the "N-word" without restriction on the public airways, so may Don Imus.
The fact of the matter is that if Al doesn't like what Imus says, he doesn't have to listen to him. And, if enough people decide that they don't like what Don Imus says, the market forces will take over and his network will respond accordingly. This is the magic and wonder of capitalism that leftists never have and never will understand. Roker is obviously over his head and out of his league on this one.
Years back on the Today Show’s morning program, everyone wore costumes. Lauer was dressed as Jennifer Lopez, and Roker was dressed as Puff Daddy. Roker LOOKED like a pimp, and people from middle America who weren’t aware that Roker was dressing like a rap artist, would have assumed Roker was dressing like a pimp.
Roker sounds a bit disingenuous here, with his outrage. It’s fine for HIM to make a tasteless joke, but not another?
“Sorry, Al, the First Amendment makes no such distinction. Don Imus or anyone else in public life has as much right to make a fool of him/herself on the public airways as anyone else - including Al Roker. If rappers may talk about “nappy haired hos” and use the “N-word” without restriction on the public airways, so may Don Imus.”
Not exactly. Don has to answer to employee General Moters and Viacom and not a record label that knows what it is getting when it produces the album. Don has the right to say what he wants but risks getting canned when advertisers pull the plug. There is also the FCC rules. Big difference.
I care as little for fat weatherman Al’s opinion as I do for that of old drunk Imus.
*************
Keep talking, Roker. Let everyone know what a buffoon you really are.
We will never be color-blind. We must strive toward being blind to color.
Yup. Boy, nothing gets by Al.
Since when did Al become the defender of all people of color? Was I making a sandwich in the kitchen when this came on the TV?
“We still have a long way to go” in this country with regard to race. Oh, for Heaven’s sake, take a breath, Al. you’ve done pretty well in this racist country, haven’t you?
Once again, another swell example of that now age old axiom of Hollywood: “I’m famous, therefore, I am smart.”
Don’t try that line on a cave man.
You don’t think CBS and MSNBC knew what they were getting?
And as far as I know, the FCC isn’t involved in this.
May I fix this for you?
“not enough of you white people agree with me so you must be horribly racist.”
Better?
Al Roker isn’t fit to lick Willard Scott’s shoes clean after a walk through Willard’s Virginia farm. If Al wasn’t an Equal Opportunity hire, he should have been because he’s no weathercaster.
Now Willard Scott?
Now THERE was a weatherman!
Call me when he protests this week’s Top Ten rap songs, which include far worse, and most of which are promoted by companies that are owned by the same company that owns his network....
All this noise in the media condemning Imus is by design misdirecting the issue away from the bigots who hired Imus to make millions off of his denigration of society and coarsening of our culture.
I’ve read all the posts and I agree most with CCG.
And the reference to Chris Rock wasn’t lost on me, either. Who does complain when the ‘honkey cracker’ jokes come out?
I think Roker was on the right track, but he should’ve emphasized the avoidance of crassness and not just racial epithets.
I mean, making fun of Rosie O’Donuts is fun, too, but it’s not NICE.
You have FReep mail
Stevie Wonder
Well, maybe it was the "ho" part....cause I don't remember anybody chastising Stevie for his lyrics!
I seem to recall Imus and company saying ugly things about Al for quite a while. They seemed to enjoy denigrating the Today Show and all associated with it. Their emnity for Al seemed to revolve around him being fat.
So, who’s laughing now?
People have written in asking why haven’t I spoken out against others who have made similar transgressions. The answer is simple; one that I’m not particularly proud of: It wasn’t in my “house” and it wasn’t so profoundly blatant.
***
Was Al Roker or someone in his “house” tuned in to Imus that day? Somehow I think not. And if not, then he should make no comment, under the same grounds he has not written a column, to my knowledge, about hip-hop slop.
He knows he’s being a hypocrite about the whole thing.
Sit down Al!...your grits are ready....
How was anything at all stripped away from them? You say you don't allow "it" in your house but you also call for Imus to be fired. Sounds like you don't know whether you want to control your own remote or give it to the government.
The question is, Al, "What are you actually going to do about it?"... You got the soap box, Al, what are YOU going to do? Answer: I'll try to burn Imus (white) but absolutely nothing to the others (black).
Al "I See Nuth-thing" Roker is going to do nothing other than run his yap about racism because it "didn't happen in my house".
What a complete fool. Go back to sleep, Al. Al Bundy has more credibility that you.
I have said this time and again “ The first person that screams racism is usually the racist”
It might be wothwhile to read my post in its entirety. You, apparently, didn't make to the last paragraph of my post which read in full: "The fact of the matter is that if Al doesn't like what Imus says, he doesn't have to listen to him. And, if enough people decide that they don't like what Don Imus says, the market forces will take over and his network will respond accordingly. This is the magic and wonder of capitalism that leftists never have and never will understand. Roker is obviously over his head and out of his league on this one."
No worries. Poverty Pimps & Race Hustlers, Inc. is doing a booming business.
Boy, he's got that right. Elected officials in America can suppress evidence that would clear members of one race, for the purpose of getting elected by members of another race.
What do you think about racially-tinged abominations like that, Mr. Weatherman?
((* crickets chirping *))
I would also submit that, within the context of Roker's argument, that going on the public airwaves is a privilege and not a right and he can't say that on the public airwaves in spite of the fact that Roker acknowledges his First Amendment rights to say what he wants. FCC rules have little to do with First Amendment rights. The FCC has previously ruled that obscene language such as the "F-bomb" may not be broadcast over public airwaves unless (in an updated ruling) it's use is part of a news story.
While many people don't like what Imus said and/or the context in which he made his statement, there was nothing in his comment that has been defined or upheld as obscene. IOW, the FCC is a non-player in this debate. Roker is simply trying to toss a red herring into the debate with the whole privilege nonsense. Broadcasters aren't privileged people, they are employees whose job provides them access to a microphone and/or a camera and a high power transmitter.
When those two POS’s go to Duke and apologize on camera, then I MAY care what they say, nah, I never will.
The Men in Black do need to monitor Al more closely.
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