The problem was WHO said it

[underpants]

Look at me I have my own Imus thread.

The problem is not just what was said but WHO said it. You don't have to ever have heard of Imus to not give him a pass or think that it was a bad attempt at bad humor in fact the fact that many people had never heard him added to his problem. If you have ever heard Imus's show there really wasn't any doubt.

See it goes like this-there are certain people who have built up trust and credibility over the years. There are others who either haven't yet or have burned bridges along the way.

There is no set requirements either it is complete in the ear of the beholder.

Imus, Limbaugh, Paul Harvey, Larry King, Lou Dobbs can't say anything like that and get away with it. The best advice for them is to just stay clear of it completely

Howard Stern, Robin Williams, Geraldo, Springer *MIGHT* be able to get away with it but you never know. The best advice for them is to just stay clear of it completely.

Even a figure such as Howard Cosell ran into this with a "monkey" statement late in a Monday Night Football game. For all the support he had given Ali over the years and all the support he had given to many athletes and the struggles of the 60's Howard was still not given a pass nor was it "understood". He had to apologize profusely. Billy Packer had the same situation-he began apologizing immediately. Jimmy "the Greek" was not given the opportunity.

And for the love of GOD if I hear one more white guy trying to bring "fair" into it I think my head will explode. Even trying to bring that up shows that you don't have near the credibility to go near this.

The problem is WHO said it.

[stanwyck]

1. Totally agree. The juvenile comparisons

to "well, rappers say this stuff all the time" has absolutely no resonance with me. I'm tired of the right getting away with their "intelligent design equals the theory of evolution" and "our climate change "scientists (with divinity degrees) equal your "global warming" award-winning scientists.
Guess what? They aren't equal. Intelligent Design does NOT equal Darwinian theory.
And saying that Don Imus, with his nationally syndicated radio and TV show, is equal to a thug rapper who routinely makes racial slurs is asinine.
The "all things are equal" argument we keep hearing on every single topic needs to be trashed.
Don Imus said "nappy headed hos" and he's listened to by a wide audience which references his as a legitimate source, largely due to the influential guests who frequent his show.
Hardly a thug rapper schtick.
If he wants to be considered legitimate and "a good person", then his actions need to match his words.
You are 100% correct. It was WHO said it.
But don't expect people to understand.
They want the childish "he did it first" excuse to give Imus a pass, like he's just some clueless kid on the playground who doesn't know any better.

[aikoaiko]

2. I just listened to the comment in context on uselessjunk.

Its interesting because he calls the rutgers women rough and nappy headed hos, but he called the tenn women cute.

So I looked them up expecting a white team because everyone said Imus was being racist. Here are two pics comparing the teams.

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2nunp87



It doesn't look like race was the differentiating aspect of either team. I can't say that one looks cuter or rougher than the other either.

:shrug:

[BuyingThyme]

3. The problem was WHO was attacked.

Targeting a specific group of young people who sit innocently on top of the world is different than targeting politicians, activists, ethnic groups, etc.

I've seen lots of people try to make comparisons, but I've yet to see a valid one.

[Solo_in_MD]

4. Ahh, another supporter of double standards and the multiple facets of racism they endorse