OK, I have to ask. What happens if the Rutgers team 'forgives' Imus?

[babylonsister]

:shrug:

[rpannier]

1. It might help him find another gig that will pay him big money

But in reality, this has gone beyond the Rutgers team.

This episode highlighted a career of bashing people based on their race, religion, gender, etc.

It'll take a while to 'blow-over' even if the Rutgers teams forgives him.
He's too old to start a new radio job and expect to have the career he had.

[Malikshah]

2. If so, they will simply underscore the fact that they are better human beings

than Imus.

Beyond that, nothing.

His comments regarding them were simply the straws the broke the camel's back. He is a serial misogynist, homophobe, and racist and his on air comments scrupulously compiled and dispersed over the last week are ample evidence for the case that he should be removed from his position as a "public intellectual/pundit"

[Tom Joad]

6. exactly. He is simply not qualified for the job. And already the media is

saturated with stupid white men, its not like they need affirmitive action.

[NI4NI]

3. I wonder if the Imus Ranch will be affected any?

I understand the ranch has alot of sponsors also. I hope it's not.

[babylonsister]

5. Me, too. Not forgiving Imus for his screw up, but do Limbaugh, Beck, et al.,

have any outside interests, like the ranch, building a Fisher House for severely injured vets, raising money for a multitude of organizations, etc., on their resume?
It's sad.

[Bozita]

10. He raised $717,000 this morning

I listened to the last hour.

I still can't figure out how junior high locker room humor and A-list political guests ever got joined.

[babylonsister]

20. Because behind all of Imus' b.s. was a reason to raise money and to

do some good, and politicians saw that, appreciated it, and contributed to it.
He also was very good at selling books despite how low his viewing/listening audience was :eyes: from what I've read lately.

[Tom Joad]

4. Then nbc and cbs Still did the right thing. forgiveness is not the issue

if you blow your job, your boss can forgive you... and let you go.
they should never have hired this guy in the first place.

[babylonsister]

7. Do you know he's worked in the industry for 30 years plus? He's

suddenly become a pariah because he said a stupid thing. He's being made an example of.

[NYCGirl]

11. Nothing sudden about it. He's always been the same (without the politician guests):

From 1972:

"There are those who would claim that Imus occasionally lapses into good taste," Mike McGrady writes in New York. "If true, this may well be a result of several lengthy discussions he has had with the station manager and the program director, his 'Mr. Vicious' and 'Mr. Numb.' The upshot of those discussions is that he will never, never, not ever do any more jokes about Chappaquiddick … or, for that matter, anyone else involved in a personal tragedy." McGrady's profile is from the April 3, 1972, issue. The I-Man was 31 years old, freshly arrived at New York's WNBC, and he was a new and jarring force in radio. He was also, it seems, very much the same guy he is now. Which New York radio personalities did Imus admire?, McGrady asked. "David Steinberg —he's very funny for a Jewish person." We've dug the profile from the archives; you can read it as a PDF.

http://media.nymag.com/docs/07/04/070410imus.pdf

[babylonsister]

19. My comment was directed at the person who said he never should have

been hired in the first place. There's lots of water under that bridge.
I can't stand Howard Stern for one particular segment I heard, but millions love him. He's no better than Imus. At least Imus 'got' guests good enough for a good debate that interested me.
Sure, he was cheezy, sleazy, but he (and Rob Bartlett, who I will really miss) made me laugh when CSPAN can make me cry.

[Rosemary2205]

12. Made an example of by whom?

Specifically who is victimizing Imus?

[babylonsister]

22. At this point, everyone. Do you honestly think, if you've ever listened

to him, that he's worse than Limbaugh? Coulter? Beck?
Sure, he went over the edge often, but he also did lots of good things, had good guests, good discussions, and none of the other clowns ever have.
I think he's become a scapegoat for all the racist issues that hurt our country, when some of the bigger criminals run free.

[Rosemary2205]

28. I don't understand the logic

If I royally screw up my job repeatedly and bring such a bad name to my employer that their customers tell them they either fire me or they take their business elsewhere -- but it turns out another guy at another company is actually embezzling billions --- then I should be able to keep my job only because someone at another company is a worse employee than me??

That and even though I totally screwed up my job (and will most likely screw it up again) then I'M the victim if the customers complain and my employer decides to fire me?

I apologize. I really don't understand that logic at all.

[babylonsister]

30. OK. Who is embezzling millions? And while Imus has stuck his foot

in his mouth many times, he apologized from the get-go and accepted whatever he was going to be hit with. And this is the result of one sentence, not a campaign to get rid of Imus. He was very popular, believe it or not.
I am SO sick of the Imus discussion, he is gone, it's apparently a good thing. Hopefully someone more acceptable will replace him.
But I will miss him for many reasons, because now I get to listen to CSPAN and all the rethugs trying to convince me how great the dim one is.
Disclaimer: I'm 51 and have heard Imus for many years, more so now than in my youth, but he is a NY stalwart. He reminded me of home. Ugh, now that even sounds ugly.

[Rosemary2205]

31. I understand that you are one of his listeners but

I still just cannot grasp how other people are victimizing him. Clearly his employers were unhappy with his job performance and certainly they have the right to decide whether they want to continue to employ him or not. The man has not been BARRED from radio or TV. He's free to find other employers who like what he has to say. Again I don't see how someone is victimizing him by making an example of him. Maybe I'm blind, maybe I'm stupid, I don't know. But I just don't see it. He lost a job due to poor job performance. That's all. He'll get another one, somewhere or he'll retire with his millions. I don't think he'll be suffering. His avid listeners will miss him, no doubt.

[babylonsister]

32. Nor are you responding to my question. Who is embezzling?

His employers were unhappy once the $$ dried up. I'm sure public opinion had a lot to do with it, but there are many other people who are so much more offensive that have never been chastised like this.

[Rosemary2205]

33. Sorry

I was using a hypothetical to illustrate my confusion about the principle at hand. I was not refering to a specific person.

Yes, there are many racially offensive people on the airwaves. Thus far their employers and sponsors have seen fit to weather the outcry whenever those personalities go overboard. They are certainly free to do so and they are certainly free to change their minds at any future moment.

I have no doubt public opinion had something to do with Imus being chastized (which IMHO is not the same as being victimized or "made an example of"). Quite frankly, IMHO it's about time sponsors start listening to public outcry. If it starts with Imus then so be it. Hopefully, just hopefully, the next time Limbaugh, or Beck, or Coulter, or Buffett or whoever crosses a line that brings such broad public outcry the sponsors and employers will listen to that too.

[KoKo]

13. I heard his show way back when I lived in NYC (20 years)..He was crap then and he's crap

now. The only difference is that in those days he really did skew more democratically. In the past years (since his MSNBC Gig and when he got off his drugs) he suddenly got Repug Religion and started to hate everyone that had anything to do with Democrats while pumping his "new found" Media Pals and those who would suck up to him for his Ranch that gives "Tough Love" to sick kids and his wife's and brothers projects that brought in money that he got tax breaks for through his ranch.

Imus reminds me of Chimp. Once he got off his Coke and Cigs he suddenly became a different person and that person was about POWER and he lost any humanity he had.

He was always a bigot and racist but he liked to point out "hypocrits" of all stripes in his young druggie days. He's just a Pimp for his buddies and suck ups these days.

It was time for him to be off the airwaves. He palled around with folks who were like him...like Russert and Feinman and was a tool for the Repugs. He really loved Joe Lieberman and trashed every Dem who wasn't a closet Repug.

[babylonsister]

15. You obviously haven't listened to him. He's far from being a rethug. nt

[KoKo]

21. I have listened to him and listened to him years ago...if you read my post.

:shrug: Hey...if you appreciated him...then that's fine for you. But, I was relating long experience with listening to him...from my perspective.

[Cha]

24. I've never listened to him

but from the imus posts I've read on DU over the years I wouldn't want to.

I read the transcript with Keith Olbermann being interviewed about imus and KO said .."it was a disaster waiting to happen and it's happened".

I am so glad they fired imus..racist and sexist slurs over our airwaves need to stop and imus set himself up for the perfect storm.

[Tom Joad]

35. Yeah, he was a racist misogynist for Kerry.

[Tom Joad]

34. damn good example too. Let Beck be next. Why, why do we want

the stupidest people on the air? there is only so much airtime on the networks, why give it to the likes of Imus or glenn beck or o'reilly or ....

[BuyingThyme]

8. The deal requires NBC to pay Imus a $5,000,000 bonus if he gets forgiveness.

[bigwillq]

9. It still doesn't mean

that hate talk should be tolerated.

I think that is the fight here not whether or not they forgive him.

[Cass]

14. My local news just reported that Imus' wife Diedre will replace him on MSNBC.

It sounded as if she was the new permanent replacement. Has anyone else heard this?

[babylonsister]

17. No way! I'd be shocked, totally! nt

[Cass]

18. It shocked me, too. I never saw that one coming. nt

[tinfoilinfor2005]

29. huh? Haven't heard that.

I did hear that she will do the radio talk show tomorrow to finish out the radiothon.

I don't know how she would work out on tv. Not to be unkind, but her personality seems a bit cold. But then the only times I've seen her, she was always slamming Imus. They didn't really seem to get along that well.

[Melynn]

16. If the Rutgers team forgives Imus, it's a nice end to the story

But the deal's been done. Imus has lost his jobs.

[salin]

23. It has never been in these young women's power to determine

Imus's fate per his career. That has been in his power. Before, when called to task it appears that he often took a 'sure, but, whatever' approach (and at least on one time took the conversation to the air and mocked those who took him to task to demonstrate his arrogance that "whatever" he would keep doing what he does and that they wouldn't do anything about it.)

So if they chose to 'forgive him' - what happens? He gets to say - if you criticize me for being obnoxious and racist and misogynist on the airwaves - okay, but don't keep telling me that it is *only* about harm I caused to these girls as they have forgiven me.... That's all he can say. If he was a private person and made comments in a private context that were forgiven that might be the end of it. However he said this on a broadcast (radio and tv) that went throughout the country to a whole lot of people who have expressed disgust at the comments. The firings are related to the "marketplace" (concern that folks will stop listening (revenues) and that advertisers will pull per the choice of not being associated with Imus (even bigger revenues). That goes far beyond the Rutgers team - as his voice reached FAR beyond the Rutgers girls and their community.

These girls never figured into his career before his statements, and frankly they do not and should not have the responsibility to determine whether or not his employers choose to still employ him. These girls are students at a great school who play great basketball. They should never have been brought into a fire storm - Imus and his "Jiggabooo" stating side-kick - created and should be the sole focus of the firestorm.

[TahitiNut]

25. "It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend." (William Blake)

Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime,
Therefore, we are saved by hope.
Nothing true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history;
Therefore, we are saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone.
Therefore, we are saved by love.
No virtuous act is quite a virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as from our own;
Therefore, we are saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.

-- Reinhold Niebuhr


"Forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves." (many, including Maureen Burns and Suzanne Somers)

[flying_monkeys]

26. He would still be out of his jobs.

Their forgiveness won't give him back his sponsors or his position. They don't have the power to grant that. *THEY* didn't take it away from him in the first place, so they can't restore it. The sponsors bailed because they decided it was no longer in their best financial interests to back a loaded gun prone to bashing women and minorities (at least not one who has already been in the crosshairs a few times).


If the team forgives him, then maybe Imus himself can heal - - but it won't really change anything else I think.


(Don't despair - - he will get a new gig on satellite or the internet or on some other station in a month or so)

[Catherine Vincent]

27. They probably forgave him before they even met him.

It was nice to get an apology face to face. I just hope he brought that vile producer with him since he started it.

[Wiregrass Willie]

36. Let's hope not.

Let's encourage the girls to maintain a virginal silence on
the matter :-)

After all, this is the first time the good guys have won a
victory over the forces of evil in talk radio since Rush
Limbaugh arrived. 

[donheld]

37. Sometimes you can forgive, but that doesn't mean

You give them a chance to do it again. Especially with a track record like Imus.