http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=AP&Date=20070411&ID=6733959 Stations: Note contents of second graf (AP) - ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- A Pennsylvania radio station has fired its long-time morning D-J -- after he encouraged listeners to repeat the words that got Don Imus in so much trouble. A station official says Gary Smith told his listeners on eastern Pennsylvania's W-S-B-G F-M to call in and say, "I'm a nappy-headed ho" for yesterday's "Phrase that Pays contest." The official says three of the listeners were given tickets to a NASCAR promotion at a local club. Station management reviewed a tape of the "Gary in the Morning" show, and fired Smith. The station's owners say Smith was fired for using the slur in a premeditated manner, knowing full well what the reaction was when Imus used it. Imus has been suspended for two weeks, but civil rights groups have demanded that he be fired.
When whites become an oppressed minority subject to suppression of civil rights, lynchings and discrimination, I'd agree. Until then it isn't a double standard. It is actually one standard that says groups in greater positions of power and authority are under greater scrutiny because their words carry greater force as a member of the group with power than groups with much less power.
You can not be serious. He was up there cracking jokes. He was so out-gunned intellectually that comedy was his only defense. He is a simple minded, hypocritical extortionist and opportunist who preys on white guilt towards past treatment of blacks.
That is not an accurate representation of his performance in the debates - and by the way, it's sad that the frontrunners were so easily upstaged. Look, he is not a cultural messiah, he is flawed, etc, and I am not saying we turn over the keys to the country to Al Sharpton. But, statements like "He is a simple minded, hypocritical extortionist and opportunist who preys on white guilt towards past treatment of blacks" are overly-simple, antiquated and thoughtlessly dismissive responses to his increasingly-popular and increasingly-reasonable perspective. Shoot the messenger if you like, but his message and his style have evolved, and he is frequently substantive. I am not going to defend everything he has ever said, but I'll give credit where credit is due; at least he is candid and has balls to say what he believes the truth is. He was certainly better than Joe Q. 2004 Democrat Presidential Candidate that smurfed out a bunch of lukewarm political brochure text.
Wait... Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton are outraged and are leading this attack on Imus... The "civil rights leaders" claim that anyone who makes racist statements should be fired right away... Shouldn't Jessie have stepped down from his "Rainbow/Push" organization for calling NY City hymietow... shouldn't Al step down from whatever job he created for himself for calling a Jew a "white interloper" and calling Jews "diamond merchants" Sharpton: "If the Jews want to get it on, tell them to pin their yarmulkes back and come over to my house." After this there was a riot and a Jew was killed. Compared that to what that crack Imus said. What Imus said was pretty bad, but shouldn't people be more outraged when supposed civil rights leaders say something racist, instead of going nuts when some crazy talk show host makes a dumb comment? Al Sharpton needs to shut up and stop playing the race card to get attention. If Al wasn't black and people weren't scared of the guy he would be living in exile somewhere. This is the best article on Al you'll ever read: http://www.weirdrepublic.com/episode35.htm
"nappy headed hoes" ... who really played the "race card". black should give up on this game, clearly we're no good at it ...
Increasingly popular? He got less than 1% of the delegates at the convention. That is less than Howard Dean, post-scream! If you think his behavior in the Imus 'story' is making him increasingly popular, you are off your rocker. There is a HUGE silent majority that wouldn't dare to say a word about how much they view Sharpton as an extortionist and opportunist, for fear of being branded non-PC. No cred...
I'm not defending Imus. He deserves what he got. I just don't see why Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson are allowed to be the ones running this campaign and going to the FCC. It's hypocritical. Imus is a moron and what he said was awful. I never would deny that. Sharpton and Jackson just don't have room to talk and I think we have a double standard in America. Jackson and Sharpton got away with making racist statements and they are civil rights leaders; Imus made a racist statement and he's just a crazy, mad at the world radio host but he will never get away with it. Sharpton and Jackson deserve the same treatment that Imus is getting.
no, the people who cry "Racist" never lose their jobs or have thier lives wrecked. There's no cost to someone being PC - in fact, it's usually done for political gain (see Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton) or for people to draw attention to themselves or causes. They benefit at the expensive of other people's lives. We're not trying to silence people, we're trying to prevent libel and false incriminations. There's a reason you can't slander someone and there are laws to protect individuals.
well, the people who accused him of it should apologize but what does that have to do with Al Sharpton?
Seriously, If Jesse and Al want to take on language use in media concerning african americans - maybe they should start with those in their own race who create the language. Rappers, movies directors, etc. It's a double standard to attack others for mimicking the language African Americans use themselves.
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=local&id=5201099 (New York - WABC, April 11, 2007) - MSNBC said Wednesday night it will drop its simulcast of the "Imus in the Morning" radio program, responding to growing outrage over Don Imus' racial slur against the Rutgers women's basketball team. NBC News, in a statement, said: "This decision comes as a result of an ongoing review process, which initially included the announcement of a suspension. It also takes into account many conversations with our own employees." The decision also was announced on air. "Once again, we apologize to the women of the Rutgers basketball team and to our viewers. We deeply regret the pain this incident has caused," the statement went on to say. Imus triggered the uproar on his April 4 show, when he referred to the mostly black Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos." His comments have been widely denounced by civil rights and women's groups. NBC's decision came after a growing list of sponsors, including American Express Company, Staples Inc., Procter & Gamble Co., and General Motors Corp., said they were pulling ads from Imus' show for the indefinite future. A CBS spokesperson says Imus' two-week suspension on the radio still stands, and that there's no change in the radio program's status even after the MSNBC cancellation. Meanwhile, People from all across the area are rallying behind the Rutgers women's basketball team after the racially and sexually offensive comments made by Don Imus. A large rally was held on campus Wednesday afternoon, amid the growing outrage. New Jersey reporter Anthony Johnson has more. There were actually two different rallies at two different Rutgers' campuses today. One was in New Brunswick and another in Newark. Pressure is mounting, and many advertisers have pulled their sponsorship. "I am not a ho," protesters chanted. "Imus must go!" More than 200 students, faculty and social leaders gathered on the Douglass College campus to express their outrage over what they call Don Imus' racist and sexist remarks. They are expanding this debate to include anyone who makes profits or thinks it's a joke to put down women. "Everybody needs to take a stand outside of this," Rutgers Dawn Hall said. "This should become an everyday objective. This should not just only happen when someone is called 'nappy-headed' or a 'ho.'" Speaker after speaker called the two-week suspension of Don Imus an insult and said he should be fired. "But we also ask that the sponsors no longer sponsor a show that promotes ignorance and promotes injustice," Rutgers NAACP Representative Chidimma Acholonu said. Now, more sponsors have announced that they are pulling their advertising from the Don Imus program. They include General Motors, American Express, Proctor and Gamble, Ford, Staples and others. Several others say their future ad buys are in jeopardy. "By those sponsors pulling out, they are sending a message that they're not going to tolerate his ignorance," Rutgers student Janae Desire said. While this protest was taking place in New Brunswick, another rally was being held on the Rutgers Newark campus. The debate is expanding to focus on other radio stations that play music that demean women. "And all of these radio stations, broadcasting misogynist, violent lyrics have got to be stopped," said Reverend William Howard, of Bethany Baptist Church. At both rallies, students were urged to keep fighting for an end to racist and sexist language on radio and TV. "If we continue to do this, next week this time, both {executive producer Bernard} McGuirk and Mr. Imus will be unemployed," Rutgers women's basketball spokesperson Revernd DeForest Soaries said. "God bless you." And at this point, the negotiation for the meeting between Don Imus and the members of the women's basketball team is taking place. The hope is that the meeting will take place by the end of the week.
MSNBC Says It Will Drop Imus Show By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 6:40 p.m. ET NEW YORK (AP) -- MSNBC said Wednesday it will drop its simulcast of the "Imus in the Morning" radio program, responding to growing outrage over the radio host's racial slur against the Rutgers women's basketball team. "This decision comes as a result of an ongoing review process, which initially included the announcement of a suspension. It also takes into account many conversations with our own employees," NBC news said in a statement. The decision also was announced on air. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Imus-Protests.html?hp=&pagewanted=print
I don't know about Jesse Jackson, but Al Sharpton has definitely spoken out against the language in rap music. He might not concentrate on it or call out individual rappers, but he definitely has complained about it.
"Ho" or the alternative "hoe" is in the vernacular and I don't think it's primary meaning is slut or even prostitute anymore. It's become a more generalized term of derision. It's a comedy show for God's sake. Imus has been a shock jock for a long time. You are taking something said on his show, attributing it to him and you go on to characterize this as but one in a long line of instances of his racism. I watch him about every morning for the last 8-10 years and this is the first hint of scandal about something like this. And you are ready to pillory the guy? My bad then. I was jumping on your inclusion of Joe. Well, nobody said the N word so it is a little difficult to follow your ellipse. No you don't get it. You just paint with a broad brush to see what you want to see. Get realistic. Imus said three words of controversy and you want to flush his career and his reputation. FYI, my 5- and 7-YO daughters spent last Friday afternoon lunching and then frolicking with the 6-YO daughter of a black-white couple on the banks of a stream in the mountains of NC. It was pastoral. I was about to freak, I'm telling you. The racist rage in me was about to boil over. HA-HA. Sorry to disappoint you; gimme a break...
