Skip to: Site menu | Main content

Imus...

2007-04-13

Good Morning Boys and Girls.

Okay. I'm going to weigh in on the Imus thing here...

I've been a fan for many many years. He is, and always has been, repugnant, callous, surly, bawdy, rude, crude and unrefined.

He is also generous and kind and has been an effective and loud voice for good causes that have had very few others speaking up, and speaking out, for them.

He is also VERY smart, despite his wacky taste in music and clothing.

Okay now this next is going to be hard for people who were NOT regular watchers and/or listeners to understand, but do me the honor of trusting me on on this, cuz I swear, it's so...

Imus had a way of making racist remarks, that to me, poked fun AT racism. It was clever and subtle and... was easily misunderstood, and often. Even THIS remark fit into this catagory, I think. No one, who was a regular listener, thought he was REALLY deliberately disparaging these women, though that's not to say they weren't and shouldn't have been offended.

I heard the remarks live and have seen them fifty times over the past week. As usual, when he'd make these sort of remarks, he'd drop his voice into a fake "cracker drawl" which to me, always meant he was saying "This is what moronic crackers are thinking."

Too cute? Yeah. Too easily misunderstood? You bet.

A firing offense? Sure, but ONLY if he meant it to be hurtful - which, unless I'm the worst judge of character in the history of man, I don't think he meant for it to be.

This was a guy who hopped on the bandwagon after Katrina, was instrumental in getting the death benefit for soldiers killed raised from six thousand dollars to HALF A MILLION, helped raise a hundred million dollars for children with cancer and the families of infants who've died of S.I.D.S. and then, just recently, helped raise fifty million for the Center for the Interpid for injured soldiers NOT being properly cared for by the very government responsible for their injuries.

 

Plus, of course, he's been running his Imus Ranch for kids with cancer for the last ten years.

This guy simply wasn't a hater. This was a guy whose style walked the edge; an edge he, admittedly, from time to time, completely obliterated.

I keep wondering this: who'll take up the slack on all the good things he used his abilities and his bully pulpit to provide?

For sure, this is true: if I thought he was a racist, I wouldn't have been watching and listening all these years.

On the other hand, I sure understand the way this made people feel.

Regardless, the networks have spoken.

My two cents.


Be good to everyone.

Link to This | Back to top

figjam (2007-04-13)
I think you provide a great perspective as a longtime listener. My biggest issue with all of this is how much airtime Al Sharpton has gotten. That guy just bugs me for some reason.

Hardcore_Pyro (2007-04-13)
I don't think he's racist either. He was paid by CBS to be controversial and now that he is the canned him.

DELETE ME PLEASE (2007-04-13)
I met him in 1985 or so at a party my parents were at along with Johnny Dark and Stern on WNBC AM and we all know he is a doushe but yeah it was a very effective douche. I am indifferent to him getting fired and as I have posted what he said should not matter to those girls period!

[ Back to top ]

Created with ShoutPost