1

Two words: Rush Limbaugh.

He made a comment that wasn't anything close to racist, but he was drummed out of his NFL commentator position because he dared criticize a black player.

2 Imus is, and always has been, a nutcase - too nutty to classify as right or left. I know I don't want him on our side, and you apparently don't want him either.

And, Vic, Limbaugh said that McNabb was over-rated because he's black. ESPN wisely decided to dump him because he wasn't any good and it became obvious that he wanted to draw attention to himself rather than focus on the sport. If they had Al Franken on and he claimed that X player is over-rated because he's a rightwing nutjob, they would fire him, too. Limbaugh's ego got him fired, not his views.

Nobody fired him from his own show.

3 So, Dan, are you saying Imus' comments were okay because he made them on his own show?

You don't think they were ignorant, racist, and misogynistic?

You don't think they should be condemned?

Wow. What an enlightened, all-inclusive attitude.

cjh

4 Not at all - they were all that you say they were. I was just pointing out that Vic was drawing a false parallel to Limbaugh getting bounced from ESPN. No more, no less.

I'm kind of at a loss as to how you could misread my comment, which called Imus a nutcase, so badly.

5 Of course, Limbaugh's comments were not racist, which is the point you overlook.

6 Actually, they were, but it's not really relevant to the point I made. I overlooked it because it was irrelevant, and I sensed that you would not be sensitive to the racism.

But, since it seems you need a little enlightenment, I'll fill you in. Suggesting that Donovan McNabb is well thought of because of his race, instead of his ability, is a form of using his race against him.

Essentially, though, Limbaugh's comments were less directed at McNabb than at the role of race in society. Suggesting that society favors blacks is laughably ill-informed, and ignores the myriad forms of white privilege that permeate our society. But that is a long and different discussion.

When Limbaugh chose to criticize McNabb (and, if you recall, McNabb had earned a lot of criticism at the time for playing very poorly at the start of the season), he chose to bring race in and use it as a further cudgel to beat upon a quarterback who was not performing up to his potential. Men like Limbaugh who see McNabb as a BLACK quarterback moreso than a quarterback live in a racist world (of course, there are black racists, as well).

Since we're into talking about other aspects of the matter now, it's worth mentioning that Limbaugh's estimation of McNabb's ability has been shown to be as flawed as almost everything else about Limbaugh. But that's a football question, and I understand that is not one of your areas of much knowledge.

It's also worth noting that the comments were made back when Limbaugh was insanely stoned on oxycontin. If I took as many drugs as that man (even if I had his body weight to soak them up), I might have said a lot of stupid things, too.

7 (kidding on the football knowledge, of course . . .)

8 Also, I was mistaken. Limbaugh wasn't drummed out - he chickened out. He resigned, but, again, he may have been too oxycontin crazed to know what he was doing . . .

9 1) I don't buy the "white privilege" argument. I don't believe in white privilege at all -- unless you consider that it is a privilege for me to be presumed guilty of racism any time I offend someone of another race. Indeed, "white privilege" is merely an excuse for the continued failure of race-based preferences and privileges for minority students and employees.

2) Actually, you sort of make Limbaugh's point for him. McNabb had been underperforming up to that point, but was still being treated as the egreatest thing since sliced bread by the media. Would a white quarterback (say David Carr, as an example) have been treated so kindly -- especially considering that McNabb had all the resources he needed to succeed while Carr did not?

More to the point, Limbaugh was arguing that any objective evaluation of McNabb as anything other than a BLACK quarterback would have subjected him to much harsher criticism than he was receiving at the time -- and that the racism was in the eyes of those who held back ont he criticism of McNabb for his weak performance at the time.

Now, one can argue about whether Limbaugh's assertion was correct (and I don't hold a brief for it one way or another), but the mere fact that he made is not at all an example of racism.

10 Of course you don't buy the "white privilege" argument. Maybe someday you'll see it, maybe not. But I know it's real. I've seen it and benefitted from it too often to deny it.

You are, IMHO, too willing to fall for the Oxycontin Cowboy's lame excuses he made before he couldn't take the pressure any more and resigned. Clearly, people were criticizing McNabb's playing. He had lost two games - one to the defending super bowl champions, and one to the next super bowl champions. Limbaugh's claims that he was getting kid glove treatment are objectively false, and offensive. Nobody was holding back.

As a minor correction to your claim he had all the resources he needed, McNabb had a lousy receiving corps at the time.

11 And happy Easter, by the way, to you and yours.

12 Stop the political rhetoric. Stupid people are stupid people. It is not limited to Republicans or Democrats, religious or non religious, black or white, straight or gay. STUPID is STUPID. Yes he should be fired. I agree. I support that just like I did with Rush and the so called dr. laura. But each of us needs to look inside. Are you angry because he is a so called liberal and you want to get at him or do you really care about the hate that he spewed against young black women who by all rights have done nothing to him. Do you really care about the atmosphere of hate that the Imus's and the Rush's create for the people that they bash on a daily basis. My guess is no you only care about the former.

13 This man is a lunatic and I support his permanent firing from CBS and NBC. Of course some other outlet will probably pick him up with the way things work here in America.

14 Greg - I never thought of Imus as a liberal, so I can bust on him without the thrill of congratulating myself for being bi-partisan. I agree, stupid is stupid, and he fits squarely in that category.

But, yes, I do cringe sometimes when I see some of the things my fellow leftists say . . .

15 I agree with Dan that I have never thought of Imus as liberal or for that matter, conservative. He's just repugnant and a hate speechmongerer. IMHO.

16

Your standard is terrible.  To achieve true equality (because this is not an argument about political leanings, but rather alleged racism and sexism), your standard(s) should be this: How long would a black female radio host be kept around if she made such a comment on the air? The answer is "indefinitely" and that, my friends, is the standard we should be applying to Imus.

 

17 Greg -- I'm going to disagree with you here, in that I do not believe that Limbaugh at all creates an atmosphere of hate (unless, of course, "hate" is defined as offending a liberal by objecting to their ideology).

And as far as the issue of what a black female host would get away with, please note my later post on the subject of Don Imus, in which I ask where the outrage is over the "nigga bitch ho" culture that pervades rap and hip-hop, and why there is not nearly such an effort to punish the perpetrators of that sort of racism and misogyny.

18



Please sign our petition to have Don Imus Fired


http://yisraeliteweb.com/petition.php

19 RWR -

You'd love the column written by Jason Whitlock in today's Kansas City Star. He trashes Imus with all the derision that scummy little worm deserves, but then goes on to point out that the black community suffers far less damage from irrelevant idiots like Imus than it does from rappers. Here are the final three paragraphs:
I don’t listen or watch Imus’ show regularly. Has he at any point glorified selling crack cocaine to black women? Has he celebrated black men shooting each other randomly? Has he suggested in any way that it’s cool to be a baby-daddy rather than a husband and a parent? Does he tell his listeners that they’re suckers for pursuing education and that they’re selling out their race if they do?

When Imus does any of that, call me and I’ll get upset. Until then, he is what he is — a washed-up shock jock who is very easy to ignore when you’re not looking to be made a victim.

No. We all know where the real battleground is. We know that the gangsta rappers and their followers in the athletic world have far bigger platforms to negatively define us than some old white man with a bad radio show. There’s no money and lots of danger in that battle, so Jesse and Al are going to sit it out.
___________

IMHO, he makes a lot more interesting case that those of you who want to whine about how hard the world is for rightwing radio hosts.

20 I am not a fan of Imus and I think his remarks were stupid, but if this were a black radio host making the same comments we would not even hear of this.I think there is such a double standard.If a black man calls another black man using the N word nothing is said at all, and if he calls a woman black or white a Ho what is said, nothing at all. The great Rev and buddy boy Jackson are quick to jump on the band wagon when derrogatory comments are in ignorance but when blacks make the same comments about members of there own race and women, they are nowhere to be seen.I agree Imus comments were stupid and I am not trying to defend his actions but who is going to fire or blackball these other black people in the entertainment industry who time after time degrade thier own race and women everywhere.Where is the great Rev and Jackson then ? What is this world coming to.This type of behavior should not be accepted anywhere at any time period.