Imus is an Idiot
Okay, by now – unless you have been under a rock – you know that Don Imus has been fired. Let me start by saying while I am no Don Imus, I have and continue to do a radio talk show (www.wsmnradio.com) every Wednesday. Since I am admittedly politically incorrect I have some idea about how all this happened.
Want to know my take? Well like it or not the Political Correct Police have jumped in Don’s life with a passion. Don did a very stupid and hurtful thing without a doubt. Should it have cost him his job because some folks with no courage and other folks with their own agenda wanted to make him an example? I don’t think so. Anybody besides me remember what Al Sharpton said about whites or what Jesse Jackson has said about Jews?
Hey it’s not just me. Several well-known African American columnist and talk show hosts like Larry Elder and Jason Whitlock have also noted that this is wrong headed. Jason Whitlock, a columnist for the Kansas City Star (www.KansasCity.com) put it this way. “Thank you Don Imus. You’ve given us (black people) an excuse to avoid our real problem…Instead of wasting time on irrelevant shock jock, black leaders need to be fighting a growing gangster culture.” Anybody else wonder what those young ladies from Rutgers might have on their iPods for music from the gansta genre? Hmm!
Well the joke is on all of you who wanted Don off the air. He’s gone! Soon to reappear like another famous shock jock, Howard Stern, on satellite radio where we will all have to pay to listen to his stupid stuff. Hey, Mel Karmazin was always a big supporter of him and Howard. Wonder how much Don will get to go where he can say any damn thing he wants?
For another take on this and citizen marketing, check out Drew’s Blog.
This was and is a classic case of political correctness run amuck and a true lack of courage by a lot of folks. As Jerry Della Femina (a much revered famous ad guy in NYC) said in his column, in The Independent newspaper of which he’s a part owner, “If you’re a phony this is your time to come out from under your rock.”
Well said, Jerry!
April 18th, 2007 at 11:21 pm
Al,
I really enjoyed reading what so many of the African American columnists and bloggers had to say. Not the Jesse Jacksons…the ones who write out of credibility, not a desire for publicity. They were the most outraged at the firing, which I found very telling.
What I wanted to focus on, in my article, was how we have created this environment. And that Imus is just the beginning.
Be careful what you wish for, I suppose!
Drew