Merged: The Imus threads

Re: Best Imus take I've read

I liked the column and I liked Jmacg's and Ridgeway's comments. Good thread. Good debate. Sorry I'm not taking a side, I guess I'm still taking it all in ...

 

Re: Best Imus take I've read

This is going to curl some toes, but I think Jason is becoming one of the most important and relevant voices in America, regardless that his venue is sports.

 

Re: Best Imus take I've read

As a whitie, I'm scared to say it for fear or being labeled racist, but great column. My favorite line was "That is a (freaking) shame."

 

Re: Best Imus take I've read

Talk about finessing the argument.
Couldn't you say the same about Nelly or Jay-Z?
When Imus said what he said, he was not talking about a colleague or co-worker. So what place does that have in the discussion?

 

Re: Best Imus take I've read

Also, as someone pointed out above, it's Imus' JOB to say offensive things -- about people, about events, about life in general. The real culprit is the culture that has made a celebrity out of somebody whose job description is to be as big an a-hole as possible, over and over again.

 

Re: Best Imus take I've read

My guess would be that the idea is along the lines of: a movement, for better or worse, is judged by its most visable participants.When you go out of your way to make yourself the most visable member, you have an obligation to lead that isn't being followed through on, in his view, by Sharpton and Jackson. Or something along those lines (Don't think I'm articulating it very well).

 

Re: Best Imus take I've read

I'm not finessing anything. If you can't say those things in the hallways at CBS or MSNBC, per their employee handbooks, why should you be allowed to say them on the air?

 

Re: Best Imus take I've read

There is no movement toward civility.

Just African-American constituencies making big noise.

If the comment had just been bull dykes or cracker hussies the issue dies, because no Sharpton or Jesse.

There is NO civility shift.

 

Re: Best Imus take I've read

Does Stern contact Imus, I wonder.

What a show that could be.

 

Re: Best Imus take I've read

If I recall correctly from "Private Parts" (the book, not the movie), Imus and Stern can't stand each other.

 

Re: Best Imus take I've read

Jason's column is a good read, but I'm not sure I agree with it. I don't know that Sharpton or Jackson are significant to anyone anymore except to racist white guys who want to apologize for saying something insensitive. However, Stringer had every right to be angry and, as Jason's column points out, there are many black athletes who are causing problems, so to insult a group of inspiring, dedicated and hard-working young women based solely on their physical appearance is an affront to women everywhere and Whitlock give Imus a free pass.

 

Re: Best Imus take I've read

Some of the best writing I've seen by a sportswriter in some time (even if the topic was off-sports). Whitlock's beginning to remind me of the outstanding Leonard Pitts as an independent thinker who could care less if their views conform to any expected line of thought.

I liked his observation how, by demanding the destruction of Imus for the type of offensive comment that would be tolerated without consequence if made within its own community, African-Americans commit the error of expecting a higher standard from a hack like Imus than themselves. And he's right on the money about Jackson (who once had my respect) and Sharpton. These 2 have evolved into nothing more than glorified high-rent shakedown artists who're polluting the legacy of great leaders like MLK and X by pretending to be something analogous.