Don Imus was fired–and I think it’s a travesty.
I don’t have the same point of view as my esteemed Idol Chatter colleague Nicole Symmonds, who wrote that “you couldn’t have said a more racially-charged comment,” and “the apology is not accepted.” Writing before Mr. Imus was fired, she called for his show to be cancelled.
I disagree sharply. I don’t think Imus should have been fired, as it sends the completely wrong message and serves to sustain a media culture that raises up politickers and posers rather than authentic leaders who can bring the effective kind of spiritually empowering message that we so desperately need to send, especially to our young people.
Let me be clear: Nothing Mr. Imus said was funny, nor right, nor righteous, nor deserved, nor respectful, nor appropriate. There was just nothing good about them. The girls he insulted are college women who are overachieving and inspiring. And this isn’t a question of liberal vs. conservative or religious vs. secular; if Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell were playing politics like this, I’d criticize them as well.
Consider the way this has gone down, and tell me if these young women haven’t been used for the benefit of others, pawns in a political game:
• Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson (among others) have attracted their share of the spotlight, even though their divisive approach exists more to serve them than it does the young ladies, the country, or our young people. Where are the leaders stepping up to state that Mr. Imus doesn’t have any relevance unless others give it to him? Where are the leaders stepping up to say to a nation of young women (and all young athletes) that when we let the words of another person take away our esteem and confidence, it is us who are giving them that power, not them taking it?
• NBC and CBS distanced themselves from Imus by firing him, seeming to display a strong moral standard from the corporate office. The problem is that they act as if they never knew (or approved) of his show, which regularly features comments that would be offensive, if they were at all relevant. The truth is, they’ve profited from Imus’s show and now feel as if they would no longer profit from it, so a business decision was made. The time for moral leadership would have been to have decided years ago never to fill that airtime with such irrelevant and offensive banter in the first place.
• Many news networks, newspapers, magazines ,and blogs have enjoyed increased exposure and traffic by bringing more attention to this, rarely offering solutions or answers but certainly attracting market share by sustaining the story. I suspect that by the time Sunday comes, there will be even more views expressed on the Sunday magazine shows.
• Several of the candidates running for office have chosen to use this incident as a platform for advancing their own cause. Worse, there will be those criticized in the media if they don’t speak out on this, further elevating what should never have been the status given Mr. Imus’ words.
In my mind, the angst that will forever be a memory for the Rutgers’ team was created as much by the cultural and media forces working in response to Mr. Imus’s words as much as it was a product of his words themselves.
If only there would have been those (from Rutgers) who’d have quickly stepped up to simply say, “Don’t make a story out of this; make a story about our team, their play, their character, or their academics, but not about this. We won’t let his lessen the luster of our season. He’s irrelevant to us, so don’t give him or his words any wider microphone than they’ve already had, and our girls know they’re not victims unless they allow it.”
What if these classy young ladies at Rutgers–many who’ve professed their Christian faith on recent news shows) could have stood up and told the world: “Yes, this man said things that were intolerable and completely unredeeming. But you know what? We’re not perfect, either, and on this week after Easter, we know that Jesus died for us and forgave us for everything we would ever do wrong, and we offer forgiveness in that spirit–and by that power–to Mr. Imus. We don’t offer it because he deserves it, or because his apology is ‘enough.’ We don’t offer it because he’s appealed to the right media mediator or said the contrite things. We offer it because God has offered it to us. It is unconditional. It is grace. It is undeserved.”
But the overwhelming pressure of media powerhouses and organizational operatives was too strong for this group of wonderful students. Let’s start training the next group–wherever they are–to stand as strong against the news-and-protest side of our culture as they do against the entertainment side. And, let’s help them find the leadership organizations and houses of worship that will draw them away from the politickers and posers and towards those who truly exist for their benefit.
The most wonderful miracle–the hallmarks of the spiritual high ground, including contrition, repentance, forgiveness, and unity–didn’t happen here, and it won’t as long as wonderful chances for authentic spiritual leadership can’t make it credibly into our current media culture. And simply firing Mr. Imus doesn’t rise to the level of what’s needed to truly help that cause.
posted April 13, 2007 at 9:36 pm
I agree with Doug’s point that the Imus fiasco is a media driven event. It might be possible that Imus had some enemies in strategic places and they’re exploiting this incident to get rid of him. But in any event, I’m glad that he was fired. It may not have been the best solution to the underlying problem. But at least other shock jocks will know that they can’t say anything they want without having to deal with the backlash. That’s a step in the right direction.
posted April 15, 2007 at 4:40 pm
mabey we should review the Bible (kjv), on forgivness. ——————- “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. ———– Mr. Don Imus worked hard to help the sick and afflicted, the poor, and All race color and creed. he and his wife sure abide to this section of the Bible: First Corinthians 13 Love: If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. ——————– Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton, you are men of the cloth, and i to quit watching imus in the morning because i to did not care for parts of his programing, but i did not forget: Then Peter came to him and asked, Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times? No! Jesus replied, seventy times seven! —————– i am probably the most unworthy human on Gods earth. i am a sinner who ask for forgiveness, and i also forgive all our brothers and sisters who i think wrong me. Just as Jesus told Peter in the Garden “your spirit is willing, but your flesh is weak. brothers, we All fall short of the Glory of God, but there is FORGIVENESS. let us All start NOW and as Jesus commanded us, ” Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and with all of your mind, and Love your Neighbor as your self. ” PLEASE. my Brothers, may the Lord Jesus Christ forever Bless and Keep all of his flock.
posted April 16, 2007 at 2:02 pm
Call me a cynic, but I suspect that what really got Imus fired was that he vowed to quit the insults and have a black person on his show every day, which scared the sponsors.
posted April 17, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Two wrongs don t make a right. Mr. Imus was wrong for calling the women out of their names and characters. It s wrong for the rappers to call a woman out of her name. Neither a woman s condition nor her social status gives a man the right to define her; she is still a woman and a human being. As Malcolm X would say, a man has limited vocabulary if those are the only words he can use . If the black man would research history and remember the black woman s strugglers, he would never call a woman out of her name and as for the white man, if he knew the pain the black woman suffered and had compassion, he would never call any woman out of her name. Whether we are white, black, Asian, Hispanic, we are Women.
posted April 20, 2007 at 6:47 am
I agree with Douglas’s comments. I did not like what Imus said. I do agree with freedom of speech. Just because I don’t agee with someone elses comments doesn’t give me the right to censor them. When that happens, we begin to step on dangerous ground.
posted April 20, 2007 at 6:16 pm
Until the black man learns how to respect his own race and woman doesn’t matter what others say. The rappers need to shut up their black dumb mouths and learn something positive to say. The big coperations don’t care if those fools want to continue to hold their race down let them. They are so dumb the only way they can make money is by drugs and rap and the white man is the winner.
posted April 20, 2007 at 9:44 pm
I too, believe that it was wrong to fire Mr. Don Imus. If you listen to all the pundits in the aftermath of it all, they still speak highly of his philanthropic endeavors and his ranch for kids with cancer. His comments were not the first of its kind, nor will they be the last, the last words have not yet been spoken. I am a 40ish, white woman, and watched Don Imus every morning before work as an elementary sub school teacher/para, and thought of the whole thing as a boys club of insanity and mockery every morning. With a little bit of politics and entertainment thrown in. I learned alot about our political candidates from his show. And books that were coming out. He always had good to say about someone and he was truthful about the bad. We have lost a truly honest american icon of the airwaves and hope that someone will give him another chance, as Christians we all fall short and he has taken many a fall in the past and always aspired to a higher level and he can and will, now. Thank you.
posted April 21, 2007 at 5:00 am
It was O.K. that in the 70′s that Eddie Murphy did a skit on SNL where he played a pimp who wrote a book that was titled “How to become a ho”., and he was trying to sell the book in this skit. So until the Black man stops calling their women Hos and b***hes, and both black sexes stop calling each other the “N” word, what kind of message does that send. Al Sharpton, and Jesse Jackson should stop using what white people say as a stand of how racist the white people are, and start working with the black man to respect their women, all they do is stir up racial tension, not help it at all. Doesn’t the Bible say that we are all created in Gods image not just the white people, but all people and Sharpton, and Jackson, just open their big mouths to get air time once again, because they sure aren’t teaching their race respect for their own, or teaching any other race to be content being what God has made us. God doesn’t make mistakes. What Imus said was wrong, but he should of been reprimanded, not fired, or let’s fire all the rappers that say much worse, and influence young minds that what they are saying is the truth. The only truth is what the Bible says, and it says to love thy neighbor as thyselve, and aren’t we really all neighbors in this world. God Bless, Robyn
posted April 21, 2007 at 6:08 am
Yes what Don Imus said was stupid and a bad attempt at some sought of comedy, but I do not believe it was mean spirited in nature.Reverand Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are not very good at their jobs.Instead of uniting people they helped create more of a divide,and did not show any of Christ’s Love or Forgiveness. Yes he should have been repremanded by his superiors but not fired.. Who are they to be judge and jury for a man who runs a Cancer Camp for children.Only God knows what’s truly is in his heart..Let me add I am not a Imus fan, but what happened to his first admendmant rights?I am sure Rev. Jackson was sure glad it was available to him, and that he was forgiven when he called NY “Hymie Town”..once again not a very Christian thing to do.
posted April 21, 2007 at 4:22 pm
I am so pleased to see my thoughts so eloquently penned by Don. I have angered my friends by making the comment ‘Imus should not have been fired, but never given creedence to determine what defines a woman.’ I felt we should have stood up and told the world ‘what Jesus would have done’. He would have forgiven him and blessed him. That is more humbling to any man than the tirade the community has shown. There was no Christian love shown that would unite people, only more distruction. I believe in tough love, so he should have been reprimanded by those in authority to do so, by whatever means they felt necessary. But I also believe that without knowledge we will continue to handle these situations incorrectly. And we all know that when we fail God’s test, we must continue to take it, until we pass. How many more test must we retake on racism, degredation and unforgiveness?
posted April 21, 2007 at 4:24 pm
correction to previous-penned by Douglas
posted April 25, 2007 at 5:13 am
Faith to ForgiveHow deeply saddened I am for the seismic missed opportunity that God gave us to demonstrate His love before the entire world. Imagine the irony, in the season that most represents and fully expresses the depths of God’s love through forgiveness, the same grace that we ask for and receive freely, was abjectly denied to Don Imus. I imagine that Jesus, Dr. & Mrs. King and our future generations weep….Understanding that there is a level of love that wishes and extends benevolence and goodwill to others…without exception or excuse. This living, active example of love is most beautifully displayed in offering forgiveness, which demands withholding a rightly deserved penalty or consequence. It does not requite condoning wrong, to the contrary. Loving-forgiveness means recognizing the depths of an offense and seeking a greater good that will result from grace, understanding and reconciliation.Throughout this horribly tragic ordeal, I looked and hoped for men and women of strong character and greater vision would stand together and seek ways to build and unite. Instead, an even greater gulf of division, differences and derision has resulted. As an African-American woman, I weep….I stand in hope. My faith in the strength of true love makes me believe that in spite of all that has occurred; efforts of conciliation can begin to construct bridges that will make right much of that which has gone so very wrong. We must have the faith to forgive.It is my deepest desire and determined devotion to continue to do all that I can to foster and facilitate that, which embraces the humanity of others….which most certainly includes Don Imus.Val D. McCleod is a speaker, writer and an international certified facilitator/trainer of Kingian Nonviolence. She is committed to practicing and promoting Dr. King s philosophy and teachings as tools to promote nonviolent conflict reconciliation. Val can be reached by e-mail at Connecting@VieSkills.com
posted April 25, 2007 at 8:10 pm
Imus was fired, and that’s a good thing. I disagree that he should not have been fired – if you want to get someone’s attention, hitting them in the pocket helps! What he said about those young ladies was degrading, and stupid! “Rap made me do it” is a lousy excuse that scapegoats black people (tries to, anyway). And they call Bill Clinton “Slick”! LOL!
posted April 25, 2007 at 8:12 pm
To VMC: Imus is a rich man – His losing a job isn’t like most working class/middle class Americans. Trust me, he’ll be JUST FINE! No need to weep for him. Besides, he’s 66 years old; maybe he’s ready to retire…
posted August 19, 2007 at 8:41 am
ALL are sinners and fall short of the Glory of God!! So just SHUT UP about Imus having been fired. People get fired for far less!!!