Imus Aftermath: Let's Neuter Snoop Dogg!

C Goodman

Now that Don Imus has been canned twice this week and the critics have gotten their way, hopefully we can all move on with our lives -- eventually. But really, where is all of this phoney outrage going to take us? Many predict the Imus affair will have a chilling effect on broadcasters, forcing them to stay squeaky clean. Others think that the hip-hop community should be the next target of the thought police. They say rappers should remove every offensive term from their lyrics. "Send Snoop Dogg to the dog house -- make him clean up his act!" they shout. Wow, wouldn't that be a boring world? Snoop Dogg neutered -- not being able to say "pimp," "ho," or the b-word?

I have to wonder though, if we confiscated the iPods of each of the "offended" girls on the Rutgers basketball team, just how many would have 50 Cent or Ludacris or Akon on their "Most Played" list? I really can't see them listening to Barry Manilow during their morning workouts. "Copacabana" might be good if you're really drunk, but not if you're doing leg presses.

So much has been made in the past week about the Rutgers players and how "they didn't ask for this." They "aren't in the public eye. They're not public figures. They should be off limits to scrutiny and ridicule." Give me a break! These ladies played for the national championship in women's college basketball -- a game that just so happened to be broadcast across the country live on ESPN.That is the definition of a public figure. If we can single the top two scoring players out and talk about their "stats" in sports columns and during the TV highlight reel, they can certainly be made fun of because of their appearance. Did Imus go too far? Of course he did. But to say these women are off-limits, that they're not public figures, is the bogus argument of the decade.

If you're in the news, chances are someone somewhere might make fun of you. What, did these girls not know the cameras were there that night? Shouldn't the post-game press conferences and the questions from reporters have been a hint that people were watching? That the outside world might be interested in their little game?

It's time we stop taking ourselves so seriously in this country. We really have become a nation of victims and whiners. Due to pressure from black community leaders such as Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Jackson, the Rutgers girls went before the nation in their press conference and portrayed themselves as victims. One girl even said that she had "been scarred for life" or something. What? How can a cranky old white man wearing a cowboy hat and playing country tunes scar you for life? Don't tell me that Don Imus has that much power over you. These girls didn't even know Imus existed until they were told about him and forced by black leaders to be "outraged."

But I digress. Again I ask, where will it all end? Should Rosie O'Donnell lose her seat on "The View?" Why is Howard Stern allowed to degrade women every day on the air? Why can't Rush Limbaugh choke on one of his cigars? Wouldn't the world be a better place if Snoop Dogg could just sing "Like a Virgin?"

And then there's this. I believe the thought police might target Ryan Seacrest after seeing this clip.

I rest my case.

Get Your "Nappy-Headed Ho" Stuff

C Goodman

Sometime between the now infamous Don Imus comment about the Rutgers women's basketball team and his termination from both MSNBC and CBS Radio, a new cottage industry sprung up. And of course it had to happen on the Internet. Google stores have been flooded in recent days with "Nappy-Headed Ho" merchandise. There seems to be something for everyone -- well almost. From a teddy bear wearing a "Nappy-Headed Ho" t-shirt to an infant bodysuit sporting the catch-phrase of 2007, someone somewhere is probably gonna make a lot of money on Imus' mistake. The product descriptions include: "Let everyone know you're a nappy-headed ho!," "Nappy-Headed Hos for Imus," and "Show them you're a ho and you support Imus!" So the question now arises, should Imus trademark "Nappy-Headed Ho?"
Here's the link.
http://www.cafepress.com/nappyheadedho

Columnist Says Imus Isn't The Bad Guy

Now that radio talk show host Don Imus has been fired from both MSNBC and CBS, it's time for the analysis to begin. I'll have my own in a few days. Until then, here's an article by columnist Jason Whitlock of the "Kansas City Star." He made several interesting points. It's a MUST READ.

Imus isn’t the real bad guy
By JASON WHITLOCK
Columnist - Kansas City Star

Thank you, Don Imus. You’ve given us (black people) an excuse to avoid our real problem.You’ve given Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson another opportunity to pretend that the old fight, which is now the safe and lucrative fight, is still the most important fight in our push for true economic and social equality.

You’ve given Vivian Stringer and Rutgers the chance to hold a nationally televised recruiting celebration expertly disguised as a news conference to respond to your poor attempt at humor.

Thank you, Don Imus. You extended Black History Month to April, and we can once again wallow in victimhood, protest like it’s 1965 and delude ourselves into believing that fixing your hatred is more necessary than eradicating our self-hatred.

The bigots win again.

While we’re fixated on a bad joke cracked by an irrelevant, bad shock jock, I’m sure at least one of the marvelous young women on the Rutgers basketball team is somewhere snapping her fingers to the beat of 50 Cent’s or Snoop Dogg’s or Young Jeezy’s latest ode glorifying nappy-headed pimps and hos.

I ain’t saying Jesse, Al and Vivian are gold-diggas, but they don’t have the heart to mount a legitimate campaign against the real black-folk killas.

It is us. At this time, we are our own worst enemies. We have allowed our youths to buy into a culture (hip hop) that has been perverted, corrupted and overtaken by prison culture. The music, attitude and behavior expressed in this culture is anti-black, anti-education, demeaning, self-destructive, pro-drug dealing and violent.

Rather than confront this heinous enemy from within, we sit back and wait for someone like Imus to have a slip of the tongue and make the mistake of repeating the things we say about ourselves.

It’s embarrassing. Dave Chappelle was offered $50 million to make racially insensitive jokes about black and white people on TV. He was hailed as a genius. Black comedians routinely crack jokes about white and black people, and we all laugh out loud.

I’m no Don Imus apologist. He and his tiny companion Mike Lupica blasted me after I fell out with ESPN. Imus is a hack.

But, in my view, he didn’t do anything outside the norm for shock jocks and comedians. He also offered an apology. That should’ve been the end of this whole affair. Instead, it’s only the beginning. It’s an opportunity for Stringer, Jackson and Sharpton to step on victim platforms and elevate themselves and their agenda$.

I watched the Rutgers news conference and was ashamed.

Martin Luther King Jr. spoke for eight minutes in 1963 at the March on Washington. At the time, black people could be lynched and denied fundamental rights with little thought. With the comments of a talk-show host most of her players had never heard of before last week serving as her excuse, Vivian Stringer rambled on for 30 minutes about the amazing season her team had.

Somehow, we’re supposed to believe that the comments of a man with virtually no connection to the sports world ruined Rutgers’ wonderful season. Had a broadcaster with credibility and a platform in the sports world uttered the words Imus did, I could understand a level of outrage.

But an hourlong press conference over a man who has already apologized, already been suspended and is already insignificant is just plain intellectually dishonest. This is opportunism. This is a distraction.

In the grand scheme, Don Imus is no threat to us in general and no threat to black women in particular. If his words are so powerful and so destructive and must be rebuked so forcefully, then what should we do about the idiot rappers on BET, MTV and every black-owned radio station in the country who use words much more powerful and much more destructive?

I don’t listen or watch Imus’ show regularly. Has he at any point glorified selling crack cocaine to black women? Has he celebrated black men shooting each other randomly? Has he suggested in any way that it’s cool to be a baby-daddy rather than a husband and a parent? Does he tell his listeners that they’re suckers for pursuing education and that they’re selling out their race if they do?

When Imus does any of that, call me and I’ll get upset. Until then, he is what he is — a washed-up shock jock who is very easy to ignore when you’re not looking to be made a victim.

No. We all know where the real battleground is. We know that the gangsta rappers and their followers in the athletic world have far bigger platforms to negatively define us than some old white man with a bad radio show. There’s no money and lots of danger in that battle, so Jesse and Al are going to sit it out.

CBS Caves To Pressure; Fires Imus

C Goodman

Less than 24 hours after NBC's decision to drop Don Imus from its airwaves, CBS Radio followed suit. Black community leaders, including Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, met with CBS executives earlier today, demanding the company drop the talk show host. Just this morning, Imus was back on his radio show hosting a radio-thon for children's charities. During the program, there were several references to the show possibly being his last broadcast at WFAN. He and his sidekick Charles McCord even jokingly said that they needed to raise "100-million-dollars" this time because it could be their last radio-thon. Imus has been raising the money for different charities over the last 18 years. The funds go to the Tomorrows Children's Fund for kids with cancer, the CJ Foundation for SIDS and the Imus Ranch.WFAN is reporting that Imus' wife Deidre and McCord will take over hosting duties tomorrow morning to continue raising money for the charities.

Just In: MSNBC Drops Imus

C Goodman

MSNBC has announced it will no longer simulcast the "Imus in the Morning" radio show.
The network gave into growing pressure from black community leaders who called for Don Imus' termination. Last week, Imus drew criticsm for calling members of the Rutgers women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos." He has repeatedly apologized for the remark.

Steve Capus went on MSNBC's Hardball to discuss to discuss the decision with fill-in host, NBC White House correspondent David Gregory. Here's some of what Capus said.
"I've received hundreds, if not thousands of emails, both internal and external, with people with very strong views about what should happen. I've listened to those people with their comments. And many of them are people who have worked at NBC News for decades, people who put their lives on the line covering wars and things like that. These comments were deeply hurtful to many, many people," Capus said.

Here's some of the Capus interview.

Rutgers Women Meet The Press

C Goodman

Racist, sexist and deplorable. That's how Rutgers women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer described the comments made by radio talk show host Don Imus about members of her team at a news conference this morning. Last week, Imus drew criticism for calling the predominately black team "nappy-headed hos" and said they were some rough looking girls. Imus has since apologized for the offensive remarks, but that's done little to stop calls for his termination from civil rights leaders like the Reverend Al Sharpton.

But the biggest news to come out of the Rutgers press conference was word that team members have agreed to sit down with the broadcasting legend to discuss the comments. Team member Essence Carson said she and the other players were angry and disgusted but would meet with Imus. They stopped short of saying whether they thought he should be fired for calling the team "nappy-headed hos."

The Imus controversy even found its way to the White House today. Spokeswoman Dana Perino was asked if President Bush thought Imus' punishment was strong enough. "The president believed that the apology was the absolute right thing to do. Beyond that, I think that his employer is going to have to make a decision about any action that they take based on it."

No word on when a meeting between Imus and the girls might happen.

Just In: NBC Suspends Imus For Two Weeks

Five days after radio talk show host Don Imus described members of the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos," NBC has suspended the veteran broadcaster. NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams made the announcement tonight. Imus's nationally-syndicated radio show is simulcast daily on NBC-owned cable news network MSNBC. Executives say the suspension will take effect next Monday.

UPDATE: In a statement, Steve Capus, president of NBC News said that, "This comes after careful consideration in the days since his racist, abhorrent comments were made. Don Imus has expressed profound regret and embarrassment and has made a commitment to listen to all of those who have raised legitimate expressions of outrage. In addition, his dedication - in his words - to change the discourse on his program moving forward, has confirmed for us that this action is appropriate."

The previously scheduled Imus radiothon in support of the Tomorrow's Children's Fund, the CJ Foundation for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome research and the Imus Ranch will air, as scheduled, this Thursday and Friday on MSNBC.

UPDATE: CBS Radio has joined with MSNBC is suspending Don Imus for two weeks. CBS owns New York sports radio station WFAN, which airs the "Imus in the Morning" program.

Fact Check On Rev. Al Sharpton

With the Reverend Al Sharpton once again putting himself in the middle of another controversy, it's only fair that we point out that the civil rights leader has a history of making offensive and sometimes bigoted remarks. Here's some information from Wikipedia.



Controversies

Tawana Brawley Controversy
See also: Tawana Brawley Case

In the Tawana Brawley case, a 15-year-old black girl was found smeared with feces, lying in a garbage bag, her clothing torn and burned and with various slurs and epithets written on her body in charcoal. Brawley claimed that she had been assaulted and raped by six white men, some of them police officers, in the town of Wappingers Falls, New York.

Alton H. Maddox, C. Vernon Mason joined Sharpton in support of Brawley. A grand jury was convened; after seven months of examining police and medical records, the jury determined that Brawley lied about being assaulted by the police. Sharpton, Maddox and Mason were later successfully sued for statements made in connection with the case, and ordered to pay $345,000 in damages. All three falsely accused the case prosecutor, Steven Pagones, as being among those who abducted and raped Brawley. The jury found Sharpton liable for making seven defamatory statements about Pagones, Maddox for two and Mason for one.

Crown Height Riots

The Crown Heights Riot occurred after a car accident involving the motorcade for the Lubavitcher Rebbe killing a young boy Gavin Cato. A riot was sparked after a private Hasidic ambulance came to the scene and, on the orders of a police officer, removed the Hasidic driver from the scene. Gavin Cato and his cousin Angela were picked up soon after by a city ambulance. Caribbean-American and African-American residents of the neighborhood then rioted for four consecutive days fueled by rumors (in part driven by Sharpton), that the private ambulance had refused to treat Cato.

Al Sharpton became the de-facto representative for the Cato family. During the funeral he referred to "diamond merchants" considered a code word for Hasidic Jews, for shedding "the blood of innocent babies" leading marchers shouting "No Justice No Peace". Sharpton did not start the riots but his rhetoric was seen as inflammatory and unhelpful in easing the tension between the black and Jewish communities. A visiting rabbinical student from Australia by the name of Yankel Rosenbaum, 29 years old, was killed during the rioting by a mob shouting "Kill the Jew".

Freddie's Fashion Mart

It is also alleged that after calling a Jewish shopkeeper a "white interloper," he looked on while an associate of his suggested the man's shop should be burned down. When a black member of the crowd did so, killing several people and himself, Sharpton initially denied having been present. When confronted with a video tape showing his presence, he said: "What's wrong with denouncing white interlopers?"

While Sharpton has every right to call for radio talk show host Don Imus' termination over remarks he made about the Rutgers women's basketball team, Sharpton's record of controversial statements and outlandish behavior shouldn't be forgotten or ignored.

Imus Appears On Sharpton Radio Show

C Goodman

Radio talk show host Don Imus is good at putting other people in the hot seat. But Monday, it was his turn.


He appeared on the Reverend Al Sharpton's radio show to address last week's controversial remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team. Last Wednesday, Imus described the predominately black team as "nappy-headed hos." Imus later apologized for the remark, but that hasn't stopped Sharpton and others from calling for his resignation.

Before his appearance on Sharpton's show, Imus again addressed the controversy on his nationally-syndicated "Imus in the Morning" broadcast. He described himself as "a good person" who made a bad mistake. He added, "Here's what I've learned: that you can't make fun of everybody, because some people don't deserve it. And because the climate on this program has been what it's been for 30 years doesn't mean that it has to be that way for the next five years or whatever because that has to change, and I understand that."

Imus apologizes on "Imus in the Morning" Monday.




A few hours later, he was in Sharpton's radio studio. The civil rights leader didn't back down in calling for Imus' resignation.

Here's the video.


Meanwhile in Chicago, Rev. Jesse Jackson kept his promise to picket outside NBC's offices there. A small group of protesters marched while carrying signs and shouting that "Imus must go."

MSNBC, which simulcasts Imus' radio show, has called the remarks deplorable. A spokeswoman says the matter is under review. Radio station WFAN maintains that Imus will not be fired.

Sharpton Calls for Imus to be Fired After "Nappy-Headed Ho" Remark

C Goodman

Who didn't see this coming? Rev. Al Sharpton is calling on the powers-that-be to fire radio talk show host and MSNBC personality Don Imus. Earlier this week, the radio vet drew criticism for comments he made about players on the Rutger's women's basketball team after they lost to Tennessee in the NCAA championship game. Imus talked about their physical appearance by describing their tattoos and went on to say the girls were some "nappy-headed hos."
Watch Imus' controversial remark here.

Rutgers was immediately offended calling it an "idiot comment." Imus, on his radio show "Imus in the Morning broadcast on WFAN and simulcast on MSNBC, apologized for the remark first thing Friday. Later in the day, both WFAN and MSNBC management condemned the remark vowing to keep a tighter leash on Imus, who has made his career on politically-incorrect behavior.
Watch Imus' apology here.

But the apologies and condemnations haven't put out the firestorm. Civil rights leader Rev. Sharpton is now calling on Imus to be fired. He said, "I accept his apology, just as I want his bosses to accept his resignation." Sharpton promises to picket outside of Imus' studios in New York until the cowboy hat-wearing talk show host is gone.

Imus Pisses Off Rutgers With "Nappy-Headed Ho" Comment

(New York) - Radio talk show host and MSNBC personality Don Imus has ticked off Rutgers University.

On his "Imus In The Morning" show Thursday, he referred to the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos."


The conversation with fill-in sports anchor Sid Rosenberg came the morning after the Women's NCAA Championship game.

Imus started out talking about the Rutgers team as, "some rough girls from Rutgers. They got tattoos," and then went on to call them "some nappy-headed hos."

He compared them to the Tennessee team, saying "The girls from Tennessee -- they all looked cute."

The conversation then went on to compare the game to "the jigaboos versus the wannabes." Media Matters reported that the show's executive producer, Bernard McGuirk, made that comment.

Imus has more to say about those remarks, according to the New York Times. Imus said people should relax and not worry about "some idiot comment meant to be amusing."

A Rutgers spokesperson issued a statement saying, "We agree with Mr. Imus that this was, in his own words, an 'idiot comment.' We are very proud of the success of the Rutgers women's basketball team. Coach Stringer and the Rutgers players are outstanding ambassadors for this great institution."

WNBC contributed to this report.