How has Imus mess altered your view of bigoted language in media, real life, online, "jokes," etc.?

[omega minimo]

Or has it? Hasn't it? Have we all learned something? Anything? Has anything changed?

[bryant69]

1. I have turned 360% on this issue.

What would you like us to have learned? That saying racist things is wrong?

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Dhalgren]

2. It hasn't altered my conceptions or perceptions, at all.

It was an ugly little media saga that ended correctly - that is all.

[omega minimo]

17. The media is the saga

:hi:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=663914&mesg_id=663914

[MedleyMisty]

3. I've learned

that we haven't made much progress on prejudice.

[HereSince1628]

4. I took my hoes out to the woodshed.

[ananda]

5. in no way at all..

.. because I never watched Imus or network hate news
or anything cable..

.. and still don't. Boycott.

[H2O Man]

6. It has largely

reinforced much of what I already thought to be true. So in a sense, it has not changed what I think.

The entire episode has created an opportunity to have a "national discussion" on the issues involved. I am not convinced that what has happened in the past week qualifies as having advanced any significant growth process in the discussion of racism and/or sexism.

[omega minimo]

8. how 'bout corporatism?

:hi:

[H2O Man]

9. It gave us

an opportunity to view the nature of "corporatism." And, again, where there was an opportunity to at least attempt to move in a progressive direction, we were witness to the sad truth that only money matters in that world. To be fair, however, I do not think that the non-corporate world moved forward as a result of the Imus scandal.

[JuniperLea]

14. I agree

Seems to me it has only served to divide even further.

I'm more confused now than ever.

I don't think women should be called names like this at all, never, by anyone. Yet I'm told, in the hallowed halls of DU, that I should not tell other women that they should have more self-respect than to allow people to, or say it's ok for some to call them derogatory names, that self-respect for me is different than self-respect for other women because it's a cultural thing.

If that's the case, I think we should back off on saying that it's demeaning for women to wear burkas, or be circumcised, or take virginity oaths.

Where do culture and tradition end, and self-respect begin? And should they be separate?

[Why Syzygy]

7. No.

The world remains unchanged, as do my viewpoints.

[Double T]

10. ZERO!! Bigoted language exists from ALL races...............

and probably ALWAYS will. Life goes on.

[Annces]

11. None

I don't know why he was singled out. Howard Stern and others are just as bad. I have a sister who loves Steve Dahl in Chicago and he is really bad too. They do represent blue collar America I think. However I don't like some of the pretend liberal shows that much anymore either, like the Lehrer show. They are out of touch. Being crass and mean is something a lot of people relate to.

[asjr]

12. One thing has changed. Someone

had the guts to prick the boil of bigotry. Better late than never. Since the advent of cable this has been business as usual. Years of it. I never watched Imus, I never listen to Limbaugh, who has been carrying on this sort of "news" forever. But who will point out that our president and VP constantly call Democrats traitors? Bigotry is the only ammunition they have.

[Spazito]

13. A caller to Randi Rhodes, in discussing the Imus mess and

racism, brought up how our language itself helps keep racism alive ie Black hat versus white hat, etc. That really hit home to me as I have used the descriptors he mentioned many times without thought. I wish I could remember his list, it was quite extensive, but, sadly, I do not. I do know, though, I will think twice before using phrases that include black to infer something wrong, bad, negative.

[spin]

15. I learned a lot from the Imus program.

Like most people, Imus had a dark side. I would suffer through the racist humor to get to his interesting interviews. I learned a lot about the news from those interviews, much of it unfavorable to the Bush administration.

Of course Imus wasn't fond of Hillary either. I believe he referred to her as "Satan".

So Imus had to go. So does Rosie, Rush, Beck etc. Those talk show hosts that survive will have to play nice. Can't have people thinking about what's happening in this world. Americans should be fat, dumb and happy. If they worry about anything, it should be the burning question of our times..."who's the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby?". Cable news will speculate 24/7 on this subject. Why discuss stories like what's happening in New Orleans or Iraq. Why upset people. They might start to want to know the truth, they might want real change. Can't have that!

I better shut up now, or those damn little white government cars will begin following me again.

[omega minimo]

16. That's Dittohead talk

and a bogus argument among many bogus arguments to choose from.


There are plenty of options for "people thinking about what's happening in this world" that don't require waiting through the hate speech and wading through the lies. Your equation of one OR the other is BS.

"They might start to want to know the truth, they might want real change."

The hatemongers are all about maintaining the status quo-- not the truth and not real change.