WingColors

Sharpton is an idiot and I believe he and Jesse Jackson both do more harm than good.

Imus is allowed his free speech just as any other person is and what you're seeing now is how money talks. Viewers of his show and it's advertisers are voting with their wallets and the network has to make an effort to make it appear as if they care.

I don't agree with what Imus said, just like I don't care for a lot of offensive rap lyrics, but I support his right to say it.

Viewers of his show and it's advertisers are voting with their wallets

Three big advertisers and political pressure are what's causing all of this. Imus' listeners KNOW he's a shock jock so I don't buy that they're bailing because he said something shocking.

Interesting that a white guy says something racially charged and he gets slammed, yet the reverse happens (Duke rape case) and the accuser gets offered a free ride to college for her actions.

I don't know of anyone who took Sharpton into account when coming to their own conclusions on this.

Speech is free and yeah for that. Imus's show is paid for, and those who pay for it decided they did not want to pay for such degrading commentary any longer.

It is nice speech is free. Imus can now go and start a blog and spew all the hate he wants, he can go to Sirius Radio and have those who want to listen to it pay for it, he can probably go and stand in any public square in the nation and do the same thing.

I don't know of anyone who took Sharpton into account when coming to their own conclusions on this.

Are you kidding? Nearly every story I've read in the last 3 days on this includes Sharpton on all of this in regards for calls for his removal from the airwaves, and now he is pushing for regulation of speech on the air?

Such a cuddly crusader of freedoms that man is.

"Three big advertisers and political pressure are what's causing all of this. Imus' listeners KNOW he's a shock jock so I don't buy that they're bailing because he said something shocking."

It's a mattter of WHAT he said that caused advertisers their pain. Listening to a crotchety man sit around and refer to just about everyone as a 'jackass' might be fine for the some advertisers but he crossed a line of comfort when he made the comments about the basketball team. The advertisers have no choice but to scold his behaviour.

In no way am I saying that he did not have a right to voice his opinions and I belileve he should be able to do so on the airways but his abilityu to do so will come down to having a large audience to bring in the advertising revenue. Follow the money, it never lies.

AFAIK he didn't have much in the way of a "large" audience anyway...

My biggest concern is the precedent this sets for others in the industry.

The punishment in no way fit the crime (if it was simply him being fired rather than a lack of income).

Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, preaching decency? PLEASE... Tawana Brawley and Crystal Gail Magnum anyone?

Imus has a radio audience of 3.5 million people across the US. Add to that more than 300k viewers on television. I think that qualiffies as a laarge audiesnce . Add the fact that he consistently brings in advertising dollars and you have the equivelant of a media gorilla.

I don't think there is any precedent to be concered about. He's entitled to say what he wants, where he wants, whenever he wants. He may just have to find his own station and equiptment to do so.

Don't let Sharpton and Jackson muddle the issue. This is nothing more than a cranky guy saying something very inappropriate and his 'employers' trying to minimize it's impact upon their business. They want to slap his wrist and then have things go back to normal so the money can start flowing again. It's the right business decision although probably not right for most people morally.

"I don't think there is any precedent to be concerned about. He's entitled to say what he wants, where he wants, whenever he wants. He may just have to find his own station and equipment to do so."

Exactly.

Now if the FCC fined him, that might have been a free speech issue. They didn't did they? The network merely did what they wanted to do they got rid of him.

White males between the ages of what.... thirty- five and sixty - his average audeince I imagine - can find him and his garbage elsewhere.

The whole Sharpton and Jackson thing has muddled the issue, it is a separate issue and I believe it was addressed that way.

It is however a moral choice for those that are sick of it and who decided not to pay for his crap any longer.

Yeah... free speech my ass. If Imus isn't allowed to speak his mind, Sharpton should lose his show as well.

God, please, let this come to pass!

One more thing, and then I'm done...

No one really paid much attention to it at first, there were a few people getting in a huff about it, Sharpton included, and then the girls basketball team came on and had a news conference.

It was the putting a face on the people you are calling "nappy headed ho's" and worse - making them human - that I think provoked the end result.

Sometimes we know not of what we speak, and Imus is a prime example of this.

I'm sure we are all guilty of this to some degree at some time in out life.

Point of note... I'm in no way carrying the water for Imus and his comments... they were out of line and offensive.

"Sometimes we know not of what we speak, and Imus is a prime example of this."

What started his tirade that ended with the "nappy headed ho" comment was his noticing of the tattoo's and making the assumption that, Tattoo = Bad Person.

If Don Imus were black this would be a nonissue and we would all go on with our lives.

Because Imus is a white guy who made an off-color joke about a whole basketball team, he's crucified.

And the basketball team apparently feels they were targeted and attacked and are so hurt.

My advice, grow some thicker skin. Not everyone in the world is going to say nice things about you.

If one single comment can overshadow your entire season and excellent tournament run (as the players mentioned when they appeared teary-eyed on my TV over the weekend) then your priorities are completely skewed.

Grow a thicker skin!

(Personal Note: I have a very thin skin and am always fighting to not take things personally and I've learned to take what people say with a grain of salt, so I'm not just talking out of my ass, I can understand where they're coming from. But the national stage is no place for this drama to play out.)

If Don Imus were black this would be a nonissue and we would all go on with our lives.

Because Imus is a white guy who made an off-color joke about a whole basketball team, he's crucified.

The Duke story is a PRIME example of this... from day 1 of the accusations they were "guilty" in the eyes of the press. They harped on the "rich white guys" and the "poor black girl"... dove into their family finances, claimed lacrosse was a "rich kid" sport etc.

Even in the light of the now revealed sham that was the rape accusation the accuser is being protected and sheltered from any criticism even though her act was FAR more damaging than any form of "speech" by Don Imus aimed at ANYONE.

TOTAL BS.

Imus has the right to free speech, and he exercised his right, with his statement...it was his choice.

We all know that there are consequences (whether positive or negative) to our actions. What we are seeing are the consequences of his actions. Some people find the consequences to be positive, and some find them to be negative.

The sponsors had the right to choose to continue opening their wallets, and decided not to...their choice. The networks had the right to choose to fire him, or keep him on their payroll...they chose not to.

Good or bad, positive or negative, right or wrong, all involved exercised their freedoms and made their choices.

Imus made racist comments, that's a fact. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton do too, but they're black so it's OK. At any rate, I agree with RightOn.

There's often consequences to the words you choose to use, punitive consequences and natural consequences. Imus is free to say whatever he wants. He's now dealing with the consequences of his actions. Maybe this makes it free speech with stipulations, but that's how I've always seen it. I'm not really free to say whatever I want, or I am, but certain words and sentences will result in unwanted consequences, legal or otherwise.

Are these consequences relational to his words and actions? I think firing is a bit on the harsh side myself, but I will say this; I don't think it was coincidence that his punishment quickly switched from suspension to firing soon after word spread that the Rutgers women would be appearing on Oprah.

Oh for god sake it has to stop some where.

It is even clearer why I never have felt comfortable here.

Totally agree with Lorri.

Does that mean freedom isn't free? Exactly. Libre != Gratis. Just because you have the right to do something, doesn't mean you can do it without consequence.

All your actions have consequences. If they didn't, there wouldn't be any point in actioning them! We have to use our reasoning to predict the outcome of actions before we do them. If you know (or near enough know) doing something (say: punching somebody in the face) is going to get you in trouble, you'll usually chose not to do it.

Perhaps a less extreme example. If you told your boss you thought they were fat and smelly how much longer to you think you'd have your job? Even if you think they're fat and smelly, it's this consequence that keeps most people from enlightening their bosses. Why would you be fired? For unacceptable behaviour.

It's no secret what people consider acceptable behaviour and by the sounds of things, this fellow was way off the mark. If he's legally tied into maintain decency standards by the FCC, if they fine him, that's his fault. If those rules don't apply and they still fine him, then yes, that's a little dodgy from a "rights" POV.

If you go up to somebody as a single person and say something offensive, you're only representing yourself. When you say it on the radio, you represent yourself, the station, all the employees of said station, the FCC (who are responsible for all the stations) and if you're available internationally, your country. The more you represent, the higher the stakes. With great power comes great responsibility, etc. Abuse it and the people with more power will stip you down for parts.

Oli: Well articulated.