WTF News and Commentary - April

[katyseagull]

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I just don't get what is racist about his comments. I just watched the youtube clip and it didn't appear racist to me in any way. In fact,Imus said the girls on the other team were cute (which I believe were also mostly black).

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I think this topic is really interesting. You wouldn't believe the heated discussions I've heard about this at my work. A lot of people seem to feel really strongly about it one way or the other. I mean a couple guys at my office were practically yelling. It got me to wondering why this subject strikes such a nerve in so many white people. I mean I just laughed when I read Imus' comment about the girls. I was like "Whoa! What a bone-headed comment. The dude is an idiot to say something like that on the air [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img] " But I don't feel so strongly that I would get in a yelling match with anyone.

I admit that I'm a little sheltered and out of it. I don't know what phrases are commonly used and accepted today. I thought calling a girl "bitch" was unacceptable but I can see from Utah's statement that many people probably see nothing wrong with it. Also since I was raised in a small, white town with almost no blacks I don't have a good feel for the black perspective and the degree of offensiveness each of these words carry.

Someone clue me in. Isn't "ho" kind of an insulting word? I mean in my family "nappy headed ho" would be fightin' words! But like I said, we're kind of sheltered and religious so we don't throw words like that around on a daily or even monthly basis. Am I just really uptight and prudish?

Also, is "nappy" a racist word? I once saw them discuss it on the Today show, like a couple years back. I learned that it was sort of a sensitive word and that blacks felt it was inappropriate for whites to toss around. I was curious about that.

One of my friends at work feels really strongly that Don Imus should not be punished and that speech should be completely uncensored on the radio. Even hate talk and racial slurs should be permitted. He's one of the guys who was yelling at my office today [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

What is your opinion of this? Do you agree with my friend that people on the radio should not be censored or is that taking things a little too far? Can people really spread hate over the radio?

thanks for any feedback.

[Josem]

Amidst discussion of abuse and the use of the word "ho", the former Australian Opposition Leader (the non-Governing Party's candidate for Prime Minister) described a journalist as a "skanky ho" a few years ago:

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/20...?from=storylhs

[MrWookie]

I was not aware of any racial connotations of nappy. I just thought it meant bad hair.

[Mrs. Utah]

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What the hell was he thinking and when should we expect he'll get the boot? I’ll say less than 1 week. What do you guys think?

idiot Imus




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Give the lady a cigar....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070412/.../imus_protests

[Mrs. Utah]

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I was not aware of any racial connotations of nappy. I just thought it meant bad hair.

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Here is what the Urban Dictionary has to say. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=nappy

[katyseagull]

I don't know if he should have been fired or not. I've had to listen to people yelling about this topic for 2 days now. I just knew it was coming because of the way sponsers put pressure on the networks and radio stations.

All I can say is decorum is out the window people. OUT THE WINDOW! If people would just stop with the name calling already. just sayin.


Actually, I don't give a hoot about Imus anymore. I'm all up in arms over this Duke Lacrosse thing! I'm about ready to throw down my calculator and drive down to North Carolina and raise some hell! [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] Who's with me?!

[Shadowrun]

the kids go to duke i doubt they need our sympathy

[pryor15]

this Imus thing...what he said was pretty bad, but the reaction to it has been worse. it kind of reminds me of the Salem Witch Trials

i never liked Imus, but there's no way he deserves to be fired for this

[dcasper70]

Imus had a right to say whatever he wanted. Free speech.
Jesse & Al had a right to get up in arms about it, whatever their real motivation.
Advertisers had a right to pull their support.
CBS had the right to fire him, in the interest of their profits.

You can say what you want, actions have repercussions.

I listen to Imus fairly regularly and wish it didn't go down like this, but it did. It could have been different, but it wasn't. The almighty dollar wins again.

[Fishwhenican]

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this Imus thing...what he said was pretty bad, but the reaction to it has been worse. it kind of reminds me of the Salem Witch Trials

i never liked Imus, but there's no way he deserves to be fired for this

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The Imus thing is stunningly similar to what happened to outdoor writer Jim Zumbo not too long ago. Zumbo was a big time outdoor/hunting writer. Had TV shows, books, magazine articles ect ect... He makes a post in his Outdoor Life Blog about not understanding AR and AK rifles used for hunting and even called them assault rifles and called for them to be banned form prairies and woods.

Within a matter of days he had lost everything. All his sponsors had severed relations with him, Outdoor life had let him go, his TV show was canceled. Anything and everything he had in his professional career was effectively gone.

Interestingly enough, the only person to come to his rescue and give him a chance was Ted Nugent. Ted contacted him, invited him out to his Ranch to learn all about "Black guns" and opened up his web forum for Zumbo to post an apology in and chat with his forum users.

Same kind of deal, one stupid comment and everything goes up in smoke!

Zumbo Controversy