Should Imus have been fired?
Don Imus has been a polarizing figure in America for over 30 years. He made well publicized comments on April 4th, calling the Rutgers women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos" among other racist things. These statements eventually led to his ouster from his WNBC radio show in New York as well as the MSNBC television simulcast of his show.
Imus may very well be a racist person, and there is plenty of evidence to back up that statement. However, he has made a living of saying things that some people consider to be outrageous and controversial, so why was it the Rutgers incident, in particular, that did him in?
Perhaps the most ridiculous part of the drive to get Imus off the air was the fact that it was led by social activists such as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. These are, of course, two men who have caused plenty of their own controversies over the years.
Recently, Sharpton basically convicted the Duke lacrosse players who had been accused of rape. These charges were eventually dropped. Meanwhile, Jackson made an infamous racist remark himself, when he was quoted in 1984 as calling New York City, "hymietown" and referring to Jews as "hymies".
So, the question becomes: How exactly are Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson qualified to tell people what is acceptable to say in a public forum? These two "leaders" of the African-American community would be much better served calling for public boycotts of the rap stars who routinely call women much worse things than what Imus said.
The fact of the matter is that Sharpton and Jackson have become notorious for blowing up any controversy involving black people and using the ensuing chaos to further their own agendas. Certainly there are African-American men who are better suited to be representing their race than these two clowns.
Other Imus controversies have been quite numerous over the years. He was quoted as calling black sports writer Bill Rhoden a "New York Times quota hire". He consistently refers to people of the Muslim faith as "ragheads". He has also been notorious for making homophobic and anti-semitic remarks.
Why, then, was it the Rutgers comment that was the end for Imus? The only reason is that we are living in an increasingly politically-correct-obsessed society. In the age of frivolous lawsuits and sensationalized news, anything you say or do can potentially come back and haunt you if even a small portion of society is offended.
Yes, Don Imus said a stupid thing and has a history of racism. But he did not deserve to get the boot. The Rutgers statements were not an isolated incident. If his ignorant opinions were really that much of a problem, then he should have been fired after his first racist bit back in the 1970's. What can we learn from this? If you are a public figure and want to open your mouth, you better think twice. Be very careful.