Imus Stepped on a Tripwire

National Review Online ^ | April 13, 2007 | Mona Charen

[dr_who_2]

April 13, 2007, 6:00 a.m.

Imus Stepped on a Tripwire
But oh the lowbrow we love.

By Mona Charen

He supposedly earned about $10 million per year for such delightful entertainment as flinging racist epithets around. America does reward the lowbrow, doesn’t it?

Don Imus’s show was heavily promoted here in Washington, D.C., where I was subjected to the ads because I listen to Laura Ingraham’s show on the same channel. One assumes that the excerpts chosen for advertising were among his greatest moments on the air. One featured Imus complaining about his inability to reach his producers on the phone when he wasn’t feeling well. How interesting.

Others were as follows (I paraphrase): “Shut up and get a stomachache,” “He had fat rolls on his neck that looked like hot dogs.” One more, which I will not repeat, was a vulgar reference to Imus’s sex life with his wife (kids whose parents had the station on in the car would be exposed to it again and again).

Now he has stepped on the tripwire that is guaranteed to excite days and days of hubbub, protests, and demands for this and that. Frankly, he should grovel and beg forgiveness for his foul mouth. What he said about the Rutgers women’s basketball team was vile. I can say without fear of contradiction that the man is a jerk. And let’s not waste time (as we did with Mel Gibson) on probing whether he really is a racist or whether he just said a racist thing. Whatever. He’s mean-spirited and low. How’s that?

But now comes Act II. Perhaps because he is such a shallow fellow, Imus chose to play out his contrition at the feet of the “Reverend” Al Sharpton. If Imus has made a handsome living being a stinker, Sharpton has to answer for worse. And while Imus has apologized (however skeptically such things may be received), Sharpton has pointedly declined to apologize for his many disgusting theatrics, such as falsely accusing several white cops of raping a black teenager, inciting an anti-Semitic race riot in Harlem that killed seven people, and falsely accusing police officers in the Abner Louima case of declaring “It’s Giuliani time” before they tortured a man in custody.

Now Sharpton is playing his role as racial conscience to the hilt, declaring himself unsatisfied with Imus’s cringe and declaring that “a broad discussion” of what should and should not be permissible speech (with himself as arbiter, no doubt) is now in the offing.

Sharpton is not qualified to participate in such a discussion. But serious people who care about the culture may be able to use this spectacle to some good ends. Let’s consider, for example, the absolute mainstreaming of the terms “ho” and “bitch” by hip-hop stars and their corporate enablers and profiteers.

Snoop Dogg has helpfully explained that his use of the term “ho” differs from that of Mr. Imus: “First of all, we ain’t no old-ass white men that sit up on MSNBC going hard on black girls. We are rappers that have these songs coming from our minds and our souls that are relevant to what we feel. I will not let them [expletive] say we in the same league with them. . . . [Rappers] are not talking about no collegiate basketball girls who have made it to the next level in education and sports. We’re talking about ho’s that’s in the ‘hood that ain’t doing [expletive], that’s trying to get a [expletive] for his money. These are two separate things.”

Someone, ideally his father, should have told that degenerate that just because something comes out of his mind and soul does not make it legitimate or edifying. In fact, his principal job in life is to see to the hygiene of his soul. But no one tells the young that anymore. We’re too busy pushing wads of cash into their hands for being “as nasty as they want to be,” to quote a now-passe rap album.

In 2005, the winner of Best Original Song at the Academy Awards was “It’s Hard Out Here for A Pimp.” The level of misogyny and vulgarity in the song is impossible to convey in a family newspaper. Sales of rap music are apparently declining — but it remains a billion-dollar industry. Its influence is far more damaging than the sniping of one radio shock jock.

© 2007 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.

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National Review Online - http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MmMzNGM2ZWM4M2NhOTliODQ4Nzc5NmU5NTI0NGUxODY=

[dr_who_2]

Mona Charen hits it out of the park.

[Enterprise]

Imus stepped on a bouncing betty.

[Dan(9698)]

Not all of them were named Betty.

[mborman]

They (his buddies on the left) were laying for him. In a nice way I mean.

[dr_who_2]

Not sure what you meant, but Reason pointed to an LA times article that says Democrats are going to miss him most.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Hillary’s first corpse of the year.

[Porterville]

I don’t think people should be allowed to speak at all. In fact, I think all people should have their vocal chords removed and their hands choped off so that their is never another bit of communication... also eyes should be removed....and nerves.... and hair... and skin... and spoons.... spoons shouldn’t be allowed either.

[dr_who_2]

Thanks for speaking your mind!

[x]

“First of all, we ain’t no old-ass white men that sit up on MSNBC going hard on black girls. We are rappers that have these songs coming from our minds and our souls that are relevant to what we feel. I will not let them [expletive] say we in the same league with them. . . . [Rappers] are not talking about no collegiate basketball girls who have made it to the next level in education and sports. We’re talking about ho’s that’s in the ‘hood that ain’t doing [expletive], that’s trying to get a [expletive] for his money. These are two separate things.”

I wonder who does Snoop's PR. Can you imagine anyone advising a client to respond in this way?

[Screamname]

Imus was no different from Don Rickles, pure insult comedy. There was nothing racist about it, and I don`t even have to guess that these same people screaming and acting all “shocked” and “horrified” by this are the same liberal types who have been rooting for terrorism everyday since 911 with their “Bush is Hitler” rants.

[Enterprise]

"We’re talking about ho’s that’s in the ‘hood that ain’t doing [expletive], that’s trying to get a [expletive] for his money."

Word on the street is that all the nappy-headed hos are furious about being compared to Rutgers basketball players.

[gotribe]

Where’s this lady been for the last 20 years? First time she’s heard Imus I guess. Hey, have you heard of this jock named Stern? Oh, the horror....

[vetsvette]

Imus deserved to be fired. Not for what he said — he’s said worse many times — but, for being so stupid as to prostrate himself before Sharpton, a true racist.

Nobody that dumb should be making $10/year, let alone $10M.

[Christian4Bush]

bttt

[miss marmelstein]

Screamname, you said it best. I’m sick of all the blue-noses, including Mona Charon, who I generally agree with, piling on a comedy show she probably never watched.

Actually, for real fans of the show, we know that Imus’s real attacks were always reserved for FAT PEOPLE, not nappy hos.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

“First of all, we ain’t no old-ass white men that sit up on MSNBC going hard on black girls. We are rappers that have these songs coming from our minds and our souls that are relevant to what we feel. I will not let them [expletive] say we in the same league with them.

Despite the sexism and racism, I'm a fan of rap music and of Snoop - he's a remarkable talent. But this statement is nonsense. He's right, he isn't in the same league as Imus, because rappers like Snoop have done far more to make derogatory terms for women like "ho" and "bitch" acceptable to the popular culture than Imus ever could have. No one in the rap community has any business opening their mouths about Imus.

[SoKatt]

If I could get my hands on Imus I’d slap him- not because I was offended by what he said, but because he gave $harpton another excuse to run his mouth and now we all have to listen to him.

[Proud_USA_Republican]

Countdown to the divorce from Imus from his trophy wife now that the 10 million a year gravy train has derailed.

(phone call three months from now)

Imus in mumbling voice: “Honey, I just got the credit card bill from your shopping trip in Manhattan. Look, I’m still waiting to see if the satellite radio people will give me a show and in the meantime, I think we are going to have to watch our spending....”

Imus’s wife: “Look Don, I’ve been doing some thinking lately and I think I need some space. My lawyer will be calling you with the details this week. Let’s be friends.” (click as phone hangs up)

[WLR]

Alternate view.

I seem to recall a while back he was raising money for some charity related or that somehow his “Ranch” was involved. He spoke of bringing inner city kids out to look I guess at the nice horseys;. Then he went on about his wife buying significant “Art” and placing it somewhere on his ranch to expose the poor waifs when the come to visit to "Art".

"This children is a Monet notice the form and lines" sarc IMO The whole Imus Schtick then and now stunk, stank, stinks.. that the kids were some sort of dodge

IMO this recent faux pas was more faux than pas.. lol The closing act a Closet Liberal Sack..

Just a setup to attack free speech.

What genuine man would repeatedly pay obeisance over such a nothing issue?

No one...

If one “hey I misspoke” “sorry to offend” does not suffice than self flagellation will not help..

Anyone here really believe this is implausible?

Custom made leftist Political Theater with the all the left running to get in on the show

- Gov. Corzine was seriously injured last night when his Chevy Tahoe was involved in a hit-and-run accident ...

Corzine had been on his way from an Atlantic City speech to host a private meeting between radio show host Don Imus and the Rutgers University women's basketball team at Drumthwacket, the governor's mansion in Princeton. http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20070413_Corzine_hurt_in_crash.html