Don Imus and the Cancer of Communications

There is too much hatred, derision, disrespect, smearing, slander, polarization, division and bigotry that has infected American politics and American media.

What Don Imus said about the Rutgers women’s basketball team was only the latest example of a sickness that is spreading — and in certain corporate boardrooms even encouraged as good for business.

This problem is far larger than Imus, the idea that it’s profitable, beneficial or cute to spit hate, venom, or ugliness in our politics and media.

It starts at the top. In my view, the sickest hour in the history of American national politics was when George W. Bush used his Republican National Convention to hand out little toys to demean the Purple Heart. How sick can it get? Here was a collection of politicians who never served in the military, using their convention to make fun of those wounded in war, to demean a political opponent awarded Bronze and Silver Stars for valor.

When Ann Coulter attacked 9/11 widows as harpies who were probably pleased their husbands were dead, where was our “war president” who perpetually exploits 9/11 for partisan purposes, when he should have defended the honor and dignity of those women Coulter slandered?

It’s not only the right, it’s also the left. It’s not only television, it’s blogs and talk radio and all other means of political discourse.

In the last campaign a racist and bigoted ad was run against Tennessee senatorial candidate Harold Ford Jr. (D), and the punditry class treated it as business as usual. The bigoted ad was repeated on network news again and again.

I don’t often quote Al Sharpton, but on this he’s right. We can’t keep having these endless cycles of sickness in the major media, followed by the contrite apology, followed by business as usual, followed by the next example, which follows the same pattern.

Many argue, with good reason, that Don Imus should be fired. Let me suggest an alternative. No matter how reprehensible Imus’s words were, and they were, he has never shown evidence of bigotry before and in fact is one of the more generous and charitable public figures.

How about this as an alternative to firing: Imus should offer to give one full year’s salary, matched by MSNBC and CBS Radio in full, to any charity designated by a vote of the Rutgers women’s basketball team.

Let the women on the team be empowered to choose and let MSNBC, CBS and Imus write gigantic checks that go light-years beyond the standard-issue apology.

Perhaps Imus should be fired, which would lose me no sleep, but if so, there is a long line of others who should have been fired long ago.

Beginning with Imus and going forward, those who do this should be fired — or, at a minimum, should do what I call extreme penance.

Once upon a time in America, when our troops were under fire our leaders in politics and media had the idea that “we are in this together.”

Enough is enough.

Either Imus goes, or he should do extreme penance that will show genuine remorse and pay a substantial price, one commensurate with the wrong he committed against a great basketball team of honorable and talented women.

There is a cancer in some segments of the media, and the cancer will spread, until it is removed.

– By Brent Budowsky, The Hill

Popularity: 3% [?]

American media is based on riling people up on talk shows or lulling them into submission on entertainment shows. My advice to get of your homes and walk to the piazza and talk with your neighbors….

We’re thinking similarly regarding a suitable punishment for Imus. My thoughts are for him to donate to charities, picked by the Rutgers team, one third of his net worth. An individual with his resources typically has an accounting firm keeping track of his finances. It wouldn’t be hard therefore to get a certified statement of his net worth. And go from there. I also like the idea of CBS and MSNBC each matching his annual salary.

I have watched Imus for years, and I know the man’s heart. He is full of “bluster and sarcasm” when the opportunity presents itself, and loves to good-naturedly get things going at times, with his “choir of sidekicks,” but they really do mean no harm! When they do ‘get going’ (like this recent banter) the language that they use is actually BORROWED FROM THE BLACKS THEMSELVES! They openly ‘mock’ their humor at times, their slang, just because THEY ENJOY IT, and use the words from it for comical effect! I think it’s time that Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, and others begin to “police their own” — where do they think the term “ho’s” came from? Listen to any rapper/hip-hop artist any day and you will hear this over and over (among even much worse terms that I can’t write in here)! Imus and company are just referring to women in the vernacular of the present day blacks themselves! It ’sounds funny’ when not meant in a malicious way — Imus refers to his own wife as “The Green Ho” — (she’s an environmentalist) and it is practically an ‘endearment’ when he does it! Yes, slang is sometimes hurtful and can be malicious — but this time, the words Imus used weren’t meant in that way at all! And everyone that listens to him or watches him knows that! Underneath it all, Imus is a thoughtful, good-hearted ol’ cowboy with a sharp wit and tongue to go with it, that sometimes gets ‘edgy’ or (in his own words) ‘goes too far’ with his humor. BUT HE LITERALLY LOVES & ADMIRES THE BLACK PEOPLE, which is always evident if you tune him in long enough! (Case in point; he practically worships Tennessee’s former congressman Harold Ford)! Imus was his main supporter during the last election! The black population will have lost a good friend in Imus, if he disappears from the broadcasting media. Sharpton should accept his apology and then go on Imus’ show — that gesture would be worth more good (among the adversaries of our country, and the world as a whole) than they either one could imagine! A peaceful amd forgiving end to all of this would be such a lesson to everyone! They should BOTH TURN THE OTHER CHEEK, and stop calling for ‘blood’! A lot of good could come from it if they would! Anyone out there agree with me?

Wait a minute. It’s OK for Al Sharpton to falsely accuse people of committing heinous crimes, call Jews “diamond merchants” and user terms like “white interlopers” and when a white person uses a racial slur suddenly Sharpton is a moral authority? It’s time to clean out your crack pipe bucko. Imus has made a huge mistake, it is inexcusable. Perhaps he should be fired from his radio show. If that’s the case, so should Al Sharpton who has made a living out of disparaging people who through no fault of their own were not born black.

Ditto for the “Reverand” Jessie Jackson, now protesting in Chicago over Imus’ remarks.

They should be held to the same standard that they are demanding others be held to.

The worst part was the way Imus treated Sharpton like he was his Daddy. All I’ve got to say is Tawana Brawley. Imus got carried away as usual with his “rap”(say what?) but Sharpton is not a moral authority on anything at all and is deserving of NO respect.

I have tried several times over the years to “get into” Imus In The Morning, but it just never “took” with me.

I guess I just prefer the humor of someone like Garrison Keillor to that of Don Imus and his equally offensive side-kick, Bernie. Watching the Imus show is like being in a high school locker room, and that just doesn’t interest me.

There’s so little creativity involved in this show, unlike some other forms of comedic entertaining. I mean, just being crude and insulting wears very thin over time.

I would like to see more uplifting humor on talk shows, especially those that touch on political news. I just prefer taking a higher road than Imus and his cronies have chosen, which seems to resort to a very low form of humor.

Admitedly, what Imus said was in bad taste, but he was making a joke, you can hear it in his tone and because of the previous statement from his “producer?”.

As for his “pennance,” I don’t think he would have a problem with that–the higher ups however probably would.

I understand that what he said could be considered offensive, what I don’t understand is the response. Actually I do. It was said as a joke, and there is even reference to a movie in the statement. If someone like Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, or even Carlos Mencia had said the same thing, people would have just laughed it off just like when one of the above make a “generalized statement” about anyone else.
I think that “because Imus is not a ‘comedian’ and that he is white, he is considered automatically unfit” to say anything that may “offend”!!

quotations provided and you may quote me!