Don Imus, the Man and the Comments.
I really thought I'd be able to stay away from writing about the Don Imus controversy. It seems like everyone has to weigh in with an opinion. Well... due to reader request, I'm going to add my thoughts.
I was only rather vaguely aware of Don Imus before his recent and unfortunate comments. It seems that very few people know much about him as a man. He was honorably discharged from the marines, and has worked as a miner, railroad brakeman, gas station attendant and a rock musician. Evidently he's held a slot on morning radio continuously since 1979. In the 1990's Imus and his wife started a working cattle ranch in New Mexico as a charitable organization for children with cancer. He is a recovered alcoholic and former cocaine user. He has permits to carry a concealed handgun in New Mexico and New York. Along with his wife, he is a vegetarian.
He was fired from KJOY (Stockton, CA) for saying "hell" on air in the late 60's. IN 1977, He was fired by WNBC in the wake of addiction and "unprofessionalism"(he missed 100 days of work in a single year). Later reinstated by WNBC, he often made appearances on his station mate's (Howard Stern) show, and they were marketed together. He was the inaugural video DJ for VH1 in 1985. Imus' morning radio show achieved national syndication in 1993.
Imus has always been associated with the "shock jock" school of radio. He is notable for having called Rush Limbaugh "a fat, pill-popping loser", and Tucker Carlson "a bowtie-wearing pussy". But he's not always been so easy to fix poliically. Imus has been a significant supporter of overseas troops. He raised $6 million for a rehabilitory center for disabled US soldiers, and has recently been unleashing fierce attacks on the US Government for the deplorable conditions at Walter Reed Army Hospital.
But (as we all know) Imus made some controversial comments on a show that aired on April 4th. The media seized on his characterization of some female college basketball players as "some nappy-headed hos". A transcript of that conversation can be read here. It's evident that Imus went over the line. But it's also clear that Executive Producer Bernard McGuirk instigated his star on live radio. This is an aspect of the event that has been given virtually no attention in the media. In fact, if your read the transcript, it's clear that McGuirk's comments were much more offensive than those of Imus.
The rightwing McGuirk, who has been known for his inflammatory impressions of black public figures such as Ray Nagin, Muhammed Ali, and Maya Angelou, has been given a pass. This is the same McGuirk that Imus admitted (off-camera to Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes) was hired to perform "nigger jokes". That hasn't kept commentators like Sean Hannity from proclaiming that Imus' sacking is just the latest in a PC witch hunt against conservative talk radio. In fact it's quite clear that this scandal is going to be trotted out by each and every repressed white malcontent as evidence that the system is against them.
Imus does indeed have a history of racially antagonistic comments. Twenty years ago he was accused of referring to then employee Gwen Ifill (now a PBS anchor) as "the cleaning lady". He's also been known to complete his persona with anti-semitism, homophobia, and misogyny. In 2004, he referred to Simon and Schuster's publishers as "thieving jews". Certainly Imus' latest remarks were insensitive, but it seems like placing so much attention on them is likely to obfuscate the real issues of race that underscore much of the social relations in this country. I think that Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson (who pubically called for Imus' dismissal) should choose their battles more carefully. Their outspoken criticism of Imus displays inordinately poor timing in the wake of the exoneration of the three Duke lacrosse players that were accused of raping a black stripper.
It's way too easy for the "oppressed white middle class" to see shadows of conspiracy against them. Now comparisons are being made to the treatment of the Duke players while, for all intents and purposes, the two incidents have NOTHING to do with one another. As a result, a lot of bigoted white folks are getting uppity in their self-righteous indignation. They want to know why there wasn't more media hype about what now appears to have been a false accusation. Those "poor boys" will never have their reputations restored. And they want to know why rappers can call each other names, while they themselves are punished when they do it. Is this really what we need in society?
Most of the people who are coming to the defense of Imus are quick to point out that they neither liked nor listened to his show. But now his treatment is a matter of social record, and they are more than ready to use it to justify their own prejudices. I think that's the biggest shame of all. Imus has always been a complex and flawed man, capable of both good and bad action. But now Don Imus has become a martyr.
I was only rather vaguely aware of Don Imus before his recent and unfortunate comments. It seems that very few people know much about him as a man. He was honorably discharged from the marines, and has worked as a miner, railroad brakeman, gas station attendant and a rock musician. Evidently he's held a slot on morning radio continuously since 1979. In the 1990's Imus and his wife started a working cattle ranch in New Mexico as a charitable organization for children with cancer. He is a recovered alcoholic and former cocaine user. He has permits to carry a concealed handgun in New Mexico and New York. Along with his wife, he is a vegetarian.
He was fired from KJOY (Stockton, CA) for saying "hell" on air in the late 60's. IN 1977, He was fired by WNBC in the wake of addiction and "unprofessionalism"(he missed 100 days of work in a single year). Later reinstated by WNBC, he often made appearances on his station mate's (Howard Stern) show, and they were marketed together. He was the inaugural video DJ for VH1 in 1985. Imus' morning radio show achieved national syndication in 1993.
Imus has always been associated with the "shock jock" school of radio. He is notable for having called Rush Limbaugh "a fat, pill-popping loser", and Tucker Carlson "a bowtie-wearing pussy". But he's not always been so easy to fix poliically. Imus has been a significant supporter of overseas troops. He raised $6 million for a rehabilitory center for disabled US soldiers, and has recently been unleashing fierce attacks on the US Government for the deplorable conditions at Walter Reed Army Hospital.
But (as we all know) Imus made some controversial comments on a show that aired on April 4th. The media seized on his characterization of some female college basketball players as "some nappy-headed hos". A transcript of that conversation can be read here. It's evident that Imus went over the line. But it's also clear that Executive Producer Bernard McGuirk instigated his star on live radio. This is an aspect of the event that has been given virtually no attention in the media. In fact, if your read the transcript, it's clear that McGuirk's comments were much more offensive than those of Imus.
The rightwing McGuirk, who has been known for his inflammatory impressions of black public figures such as Ray Nagin, Muhammed Ali, and Maya Angelou, has been given a pass. This is the same McGuirk that Imus admitted (off-camera to Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes) was hired to perform "nigger jokes". That hasn't kept commentators like Sean Hannity from proclaiming that Imus' sacking is just the latest in a PC witch hunt against conservative talk radio. In fact it's quite clear that this scandal is going to be trotted out by each and every repressed white malcontent as evidence that the system is against them.
Imus does indeed have a history of racially antagonistic comments. Twenty years ago he was accused of referring to then employee Gwen Ifill (now a PBS anchor) as "the cleaning lady". He's also been known to complete his persona with anti-semitism, homophobia, and misogyny. In 2004, he referred to Simon and Schuster's publishers as "thieving jews". Certainly Imus' latest remarks were insensitive, but it seems like placing so much attention on them is likely to obfuscate the real issues of race that underscore much of the social relations in this country. I think that Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson (who pubically called for Imus' dismissal) should choose their battles more carefully. Their outspoken criticism of Imus displays inordinately poor timing in the wake of the exoneration of the three Duke lacrosse players that were accused of raping a black stripper.
It's way too easy for the "oppressed white middle class" to see shadows of conspiracy against them. Now comparisons are being made to the treatment of the Duke players while, for all intents and purposes, the two incidents have NOTHING to do with one another. As a result, a lot of bigoted white folks are getting uppity in their self-righteous indignation. They want to know why there wasn't more media hype about what now appears to have been a false accusation. Those "poor boys" will never have their reputations restored. And they want to know why rappers can call each other names, while they themselves are punished when they do it. Is this really what we need in society?
Most of the people who are coming to the defense of Imus are quick to point out that they neither liked nor listened to his show. But now his treatment is a matter of social record, and they are more than ready to use it to justify their own prejudices. I think that's the biggest shame of all. Imus has always been a complex and flawed man, capable of both good and bad action. But now Don Imus has become a martyr.
posted by Merge Divide at 2:10 PM
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