Not that anyone should ever expect anything but racism or sexism from Don Imus, but this seems like a new low, even for him. In describing the Rutgers women's basketball team Imus managed to squeeze both racism and sexism into one sentence (story and video available here). Such efficiency.He's marveling at the tatoos on some of the Rutgers plays (Gasp! Women with tatoos!), when someone off-camera calls them "some hardcore hos." Imus follows it up with, "That's some nappy-headed hos there, I'm gonna tell you that now."
Yeah, Rutgers battled from a 4-seed to make it all the way to the NCAA championship game ... the best response to that is probably to belittle them for their crazy hair (it's not blonde, brown, or straight ... the nerve of these girls) and call them whores. Perfectly reasonable. ESPN should have changed their graphic to read, "TENNESSEE 59, WHORES 46."
It didn't stop there, though. Of the Tennessee players, he said, "they all look cute," before someone else off-camera says the game was a matchup of "jiggaboos vs. wannabes." Jiggaboos ... perfect. I see no reason why that should ever offend anyone.
Imus defended himself by saying that people need to relax and shouldn't worry about "some idiot comment meant to be amusing." Oh, okay. So people just need to learn that racism is funny when it comes from Don Imus? Got it. We'll get right on that.
By Danielle Harling
Date: 4/7/2007 2:20 am
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) are outraged at a number of crude comments made by WFAN radio personality Don Imus, regarding Rutgers University's women's basketball team.
During a radio interview on his simulcasted radio show on MSNBC, Imus referred to athletes of the basketball team as “nappy-headed ho’s” and "jiggaboos," after they lost the NCAA championship to the University of Tennessee.
“Has he lost his mind?" asked NABJ President Bryan Monroe in a statement. "Those comments were beyond offensive. Imus needs to be fired. Today."
"As NABJ strives to dispel stereotypes and promote accurate portrayals of minorities in the media, we find this characterization of these young black women offensive and hateful," said Barbara Ciara, NABJ vice president/broadcast in a statement.
NABJ and numerous others are seeking a public apology from Imus and others hope to see Imus terminated.
It is unlikely that Imus will be fired as a result of the remarks, but he did make a public apology on his Imus In The Morning show yesterday [Apr. 6].
Imus referred to his crude remarks as “insensitive and ill-conceived” and believed that his comments were, “completely inappropriate.
"We can understand why people were offended," Imus said.
After reportedly defending his April 4 description of the Rutgers University women's basketball team, which is comprised of eight African-American and two white players, as "nappy-headed hos," on the April 6 edition of MSNBC's Imus in the Morning, host Don Imus apologized for the remark. Imus called his comments "insensitive and ill-conceived," adding that "[i]t was completely inappropriate, and we can understand why people were offended." He furthercalled the comments "thoughtless and stupid." Media Matters for America noted Imus' initial comments at the time.
According to an April 5 article on Imus' comments on the WNBC website, "Imus said people should relax and not worry about 'some idiot comment meant to be amusing.' "
From the April 6 edition of MSNBC's Imus in the Morning:
IMUS: Want to take a moment to apologize for an insensitive and ill-conceived remark we made the other morning referring to the Rutgers women's basketball team. It was completely inappropriate, and we can understand why people were offended. Our characterization was thoughtless and stupid, so, and we're sorry.
Rutgers Responds
Reuters
Rutgers women's basketball team responded to Don Imus's sexist and racially insensitive remarks at a press conference on Tuesday.
Rutgers University officials and women's basketball players soundly criticized radio host Don Imus on Tuesday for last week's racially charged comments, as Imus apologized on the air yet again for referring to the players as "nappy-headed 'hos." But the players said they also had agreed to meet with the embattled broadcaster, whose remarks have triggered nationwide outrage.
"Before you are valedictorians of their class, musical prodigies, future doctors and yes, even Girl Scouts," Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer told a news conference Tuesday morning.She called her team members "young ladies of class, distinction. They are brilliant, they are articulate, they are God's representatives in every sense of the word."
Imus' comments have overshadowed the accomplishments of the freshman-laden Rutgers team, Stringer said. The team, which suffered through several early-season losses, finished an unexpected second in last week's NCAA tournament.
"That's the greatest story," Stringer said of her team. "I have nothing but pride and respect for them."
Essence Carson, a junior who is the team's captain, said the team had agreed to meet with Imus at a time and location that would not be disclosed.
"I would like to express our team's hurt, anger and disgust at Mr. Don Imus," she said. "We're not attacking a major broadcasting figure. We're attacking what we know just isn't right."
"What hurts the most about this situation is that Mr. Imus doesn't know one of us personally," said team member Heather Zurich. "We were insulted and yes, we were angry."
Rutgers President Richard McCormick said the university "cannot stand silent and let these young women be unfairly attacked. He said the players "did nothing" to justify Imus' words.
The university is "extraordinarily proud" of the students, he said. "We have their backs."
The Rutgers comments came one day after CBS Radio, which airs his morning show, and MSNBC, which simulcasts it, suspended Imus for two weeks beginning April 16.
Imus again apologized on his program Tuesday morning, marking the third consecutive broadcast day in which he apologized on the air for the comments.
"What I did was make a stupid, idiotic mistake in a comedy context," Imus said. The suspension is "appropriate, and I am going to try to serve it with some dignity."
His employers made it clear that his future actions and words would be closely judged.
"His dedication -- in his words -- to change the discourse on his program moving forward has confirmed for us that this action is appropriate," NBC News said in a statement Monday. "Our future relationship with Imus is contingent on his ability to live up to his word."
And if he wants to keep his job, experts say, he needs to go face to face with those who want his head. "He has got to go out to the source of the criticism, seek absolution and hope that at some point in the next few days people will reach out to him," says Richard Levick, a communications strategistThat's what Imus did Monday in an appearance on the Rev. Al Sharpton's radio show. Imus said last week's remarks were "repugnant and repulsive and horrible." But Sharpton was unswayed: "I and others feel you should be fired." Imus also has requested a meeting with team members and their families.
In Chicago, the Rev. Jesse Jackson led a protest outside NBC's offices and said others are planned across the country.
Many experts predict Imus will survive, because his loyal fan base accepts him and his humor. Bob Steele, a media ethicist at the Poynter Institute, believes Imus also has support inside CBS and NBC, which have "been willing for years to run the risk that his behavior, as problematic as it has been, will not hurt their bottom lines."
Nonetheless, Steele says Imus "has a significant pattern of racism and homophobia and mean-spirited comments about women and about religion. He can argue all he wants that he is an equal-opportunity offender, but that doesn't justify it."
Critics also are targeting Imus' high-profile guests, including presidential candidates and network anchors. "To the extent that Imus' pattern of offensive speech is being discussed in the media now, it could put pressure on the authors, pundits, politicians and journalists who go on his show regularly to either publicly distance themselves from his behavior or risk being seen as having legitimized it," says Karl Frisch of Media Matters for America, which first publicized Imus' remarks last week.
Baseball star Cal Ripken Jr., who was to appear on Imus' show later this week to promote a book, has canceled his appearance, according to The Washington Times.
Imus' radio show originates from WFAN in New York City and is syndicated nationally by Westwood One, both of which are managed by CBS. The show reached an estimated 361,000 viewers on MSNBC in the first three months of the year, up 39% from last year. That's the best competitive position it has ever achieved against CNN (372,000 viewers).
Imus' fate could ultimately rest with two of the nation's most prominent media executives: CBS Corp. chief Leslie Moonves and Jeff Zucker, head of NBC Universal.
"He will survive it if he stops apologizing so much," said Michael Harrison, publisher of industry publication Talkers. Even if he were to be fired, he's likely to land elsewhere in radio, Harrison said.
1 comment:
There seems to be a black double standard being propagated by these demand s that Imus be fired. He needs to be fined by the FCC , but not lose his job. So now please explain why you and other balck activisits are so eager to jump on Imus and not equaly attack all of the black musicians who use so many lyrics to demean black women and the black race. The lyrics are common - "nigger", "black Ho", "yo my bitch" and " gonna get my gun and kil me a nigger or po-lice officer". I do not see nay black activists coming to the defense of the balck female and balcksin general. This music and the lyrics by black men do more to harm the black community than anything Imus could posibly say. Now your retort is that this is "art" and these black musiciains are just telling it like it is on the streets. Well ,if this is the case , then you better be cleaning your own house and Imus needs to be fined by the FCC because his coments were totally inappropriate. Let's see if you respond to the the lyrics and the disrespect propoagated by the gangsta rappers- towards black females.
Jim M
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