Should Don Imus Be Taken Off The Air?

By: Lee Diamond
Published On: 4/12/2007 5:36:12 PM

Don Imus's comment about Rutgers womens' basketball team was cruel and thoughtless.  Clearly, it was a racist statement.  I condemn his hurtful remark.  I do not assume, however, that Don Imus is a person doomed to be cruel and racist forever.  Imus's statement should be condemned and he should atone for it.
People do make mistakes.  We're all human.  I think Imus feels bad about what he said.

People all along the political continuum in this country are guilty of intolerance and an unwillingness to forgive people for their mistakes.  That is wrong.

I am tired of living in a culture where there are so many TV/Radio personalities, organizations and other forces looking to elevate the mistakes that fellow humans make without considering the full costs of their reactions.  We should not want to live in a world without a willingness to accept someone's apology and effort to atone for wrongs done.

I wrote this post because True Majority sent out an alert urging people to sign a petition calling for Don Imus to be fired.  I do think this is a petty, stupid action on True Majority's part.  I also think that with a new scandal emerging in Washington just about every day, True Majority should use their time and money wisely.  It is not to say that racism is unimportant, but we are talking about something that one individual did.  We're witnessing another instance of good old media saturated overkill.  Lets take our airwaves, our conversations, our priorities and our thoughts back from the thoughtless organizations, pundits etc. seeking to  tell us what to think.

Comments



You have good point, but... (KathyinBlacksburg - 4/15/2007 5:32:08 PM)
I agree that things have gotten really out of hand when almost weekly there's a move a foot to get someone fired.  It really is outrageous that people spend so much time trying to ruin someone, however badly they behave.  But having said that, Imus wasn't a first or second or even third-time offender.  There's a very long list.  Moreover, the man adds nothing to political discussion and just nasty, bitter and mean-spirited commentary.  He took up valuable space on "MSNBS." 

There's a real bias in favor of abusive, nasty "personalities" who do not really add anything of substance.  A few of them should lose their jobs.  But, personally, I don't think it's a good thing to spend much time advocating for them to do so, unless it's someone really extreme (and if you take all of his outrageous racist and sexist comemnts together) Imus is extreme.  I find it interesting that most of those defending him are male.  The stuff he garbages doesn't affect them. Who are they to judge the impact of Imus's ongoing degrading comments about women and minorities?

Almost weeekly, the radical right is trying to ruin someone or get them fired.  WE don't want to be like that. You are right, people are human.  Except for the most outrageous (Coulter, Limbaugh, Savage  and a handful of others), who should not appear on the television airways, we should appeal to their better natures, and then get back to work.



The insidious problem with people like Imus (Andrea Chamblee - 4/15/2007 7:04:29 PM)
is that they make it "okay" to be ignorant and racist.  Although burying one's head in the sand despite all the available info might just be an accomplishment, instead of relishing and brandishing that accomplishment, it should be a shameful thing. Fans of Imus, Rush, etc. should be embarrassed.  Perhaps they are. That's why they turn to the anonymity of talk radio. Their friends and family have all told them to STFU.

I had my first government job when Reagan took office, and his neo-cons, back in power today, figured out how to make "liberal" such a dirty word that Dukakis was afraid to embrace it and he lost the debate and the election. Now we have to call ourselves "progressives."  They've done the same demonizing thing with the programs championed by the New Society: Aid to Families with Dependent Children ("welfare"), environmental activism ("tree-hugging"), etc., etc.

While these people enjoy wallowing in ignorance, ironically, immigrants come here to improve themselves and their families and get tarred and feathered for it.  On this side of the proverbial immigration fence, the fear and ignorance of change prevals.  Maybe we could swap?