Monday, April 09, 2007

Don Imus to Visit With Al Sharpton

The Associated Press reports that Don Imus will appear on Al Sharpton's radio show today to discuss the racially insensitive "thing" that he uttered last week on his show after the Rutgers-Tennessee Women's National Championship Game. To those who haven't heard, Don Imus referred to the basketball team players as some "rough girls with tattoos" and then referred to them as "some nappy-headed ho's!"

Excerpts from the AP article follows:
Calling himself a good person who said a bad thing, radio host Don Imus said Monday he would check his acid tongue after being lambasted for making racially charged comments about the Rutgers University women's basketball team.

"Here's what I've learned: that you can't make fun of everybody, because some people don't deserve it," he said on his nationally syndicated radio show Monday morning. "And because the climate on this program has been what it's been for 30 years doesn't mean it's going to be what it's been for the next five years or whatever."

Imus said he was "embarrassed" by the remarks, in which he referred to the mostly black team as "nappy-headed hos." He said he had made the comments in the course of "trying to be funny," but he was not trying to excuse them.

Imus said he hoped to meet the Rutgers players and their parents and coaches, and he said he was grateful that he was scheduled to appear later Monday on a radio show hosted by the Rev. Al Sharpton, who has called for Imus to be fired over the remarks.

"Somewhere we must draw the line in what is tolerable in mainstream media," Sharpton said Sunday. "We cannot keep going through offending us and then apologizing and then acting like it never happened. Somewhere we've got to stop this."

Meanwhile, the Rev. Jesse Jackson planned a protest in Chicago. James E. Harris, president of the New Jersey chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, demanded Sunday that Imus "resign or be terminated immediately."

plez sez: here we go again... can you say, "Michael Richards"? i thought you could!

my sister is a graduate of Rutgers and played basketball in high school. i take offense for all of those hard working and beautiful Black young women who grace the Rutgers Scarlet Knights basketball team. they are student athletes who were playing for a national championship (for Christ's sake), i am offended that a blubbering idiot like Don Imus would take advantage of his position to disgrace their integrity and their heritage with impunity!

first, i deplore what Don Imus said because it was aimed at college students and not professionals, and the fact that he had to stoop so damn low to try to grab a laugh in what i would consider a fading career in broadcasting. he's not funny, he's not relevant, and he's not going to have much of a television show after this week.

second, what the HELL is going on with Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Jackson?!? looks like they are falling over each other trying to "interview" every clown who makes a racist/insensitive remark. i didn't know either of them had a radio show and now it begs the question, what the HELL do they talk about when there's no Don Imus or Richard Michaels to skewer? like Imus, these "Black leaders" are left with a questionable careers, lack of relevance, and certainly very little of a radio show after this week! i guess it's not enough for an irrelevant NAACP chapter in NJ to demand that Imus be fired, these two preachers have to try to elbow each other out of the way to garner some ratings for their non-existent shows.

Don Imus (and his producer Bernard McGuirk) needs to go to Rutgers University, sit down with the team and their parents, and issue his apology to them, face-to-face. he doesn't need blowhard povertypimp pastors to get it for them.

if you are so inclined, you can check out the Don Imus Apology here ... look at that dried up carcass, not only is his career fading, so is he!

and for truly bold, you can listen to Rev. Al Sharpton on the radio here ... and i'm still trying to figure out what the HELL he's going to talk about tomorrow?

lastly, although, i'm still pissed with Don Imus, we have to realize that this ain't going to be the last insensitive comment that we'll hear... it's time to grow up! everyone doesn't like you, everyone doesn't respect you, you'll have to get over it.

17 comments:

Tafari said...

I hope that Al eats him alive!

Anonymous said...

I'm no Don Imus fan but in light of the NAACP's Image award to Isaiah Washington this past year after his own hate speech, I find it hard to get all riled up about these comments. I think an apology should be sufficient as long as hate speech is rewarded within your own community.

plez... said...

BygBaby, i have no idea why Imus is even going on Al's show. what does he plan to accomplish? he needs to be finding a way to gather the Rutgers women's basketball team together and letting them "eat him alive!" *smile*

PLEASE... no more ANONYMOUS COMMENTS!

with that said, i don't see where finding fault with Don Imus has anything to do with your perceived acceptance of hate speech within "my" community! i have NOTHING to do with the NAACP or their awarding of an Image Award to Isaiah Washington (whoever he is)!

AND i don't think you read my entire post. i said that Don Imus should apologize to the players and their families; personally, i'm not interested in ANYTHING else he has to say.

plez... said...

just finished watching a program on CNN and it appears that don imus has been given a 2 week vacation by MSNBC & CBS while this whole episode to die down.

but until he sits down in front of the Rutgers University womens basketball team and their parents, and offers an apology and a heartfelt explanation for his evil deeds, he can be on Al "PovertyPimp" Sharpton's show until the cows come home.

AND i want to be a FATHER in the room when imus explains why he felt it was ok to refer to my daughter as a "nappy-headed ho" ... and i pity the fool who dares to try to pry my fingers from around his crawny neck!

vcthree said...

Plez...that's exactly what I was talking about, re: Richards' "National Apology Tour", featuring Letterman and Jesse Jackson. We don't need to hear him apologize to us--he wasn't addressing us, when he and his cohorts made the stupid comments he did.

While what he said was obviously inane and stupid, I don't need to hear Don Imus apologize to the world; Imus needs to apologize to the athletic program at Rutgers University, in a closed room, with no media, cameras or recorders.

And this also continues to prove my point about Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton--they're lying in wait for stupid comments like these so that they can trade off these people on their shows (as if I ever hear them down here in the Balto/Wash Metro area). Here's a thought: WHERE WAS THE ISIAH WASHINGTON APOLOGY INTERVIEW WITH THESE TWO MORONS?

Dollars to donuts there wasn't one. Hmmm...

plez... said...

vc3,

i think Isaiah Washington was the guy from Grey's Anatomy who uttered the f-word about one of his fellow actors on the show?!?

neither Jesse nor Al had time for him (or all those G-D rappers who go on & on about b*tches and ho's in their popular selling music), because that will not garner any ratings for their pitiful radio shows or BLOOD MONEY from large corporations!

i was watching CNN last night when they showed Imus on the Sharpton Radio Show. Al actually brought out his daughter and told Imus that he had (by extension) called his daughter a "nappy headed ho!" it was so contrived and ridiculous... that he would even use his daughter as a prop while feining righteous indignation. that slick haired charlatan makes me ILL!

Dave J. said...

Worst part... Imus gets extra publicity off it.

Like you said, no one cares about Imus, he's dried out, washed up, ... but not now, now he's back in the public eye.

Some of these people make entire careers out of bad mouthing people.

Lisa Johnson said...

I just did a post about this incident on my blog too. I know this is not the last time that we will have to deal with remarks like this, but I do think we do need to speak out against them each time and I'm glad to see your post.

And to the anonymous commenter - You are making incorrect assumptions that "our community" accepted or agreed with those comments.

David Sullivan said...

Thanks for your comments on my "I was born a poor black child" post. I think Jesse put it best "Maybe Don Imus is a bad person who does good things".

I'll be back to visit.

CapCity said...

Regarding imus & his types - they're not going anywhere - they may be quiet (or get quiet for a minute when these types of upsets happen) - but they exist. i prefer when they let me know up Front what they are. All of you dedicated fathers should do as mine did: Train your children to be mentally STRONG and alert to the subleties of -isms. We don't need anymore Black men in jail, Plez - over something 'trivial' as name calling. Save that physical energy for when we really need u to have our backs for something like...hmmm, i can't think of any reason my father would need to come to my defense physically unless we were accosted on the street or I'd been physically abused.

If u've never heard Brother Gil Scott Heron's Message to the Messenger you should check out the well done MySpace page that a fan has set up. M2M is Gil's song to the young rappers. I LOVE IT!

and U know, plez - if u don't want to allow anon comments - u can set it up so they're not allowed...

Anonymous said...

Imus is in need of being on the recieving end of a proper Marine Corps beat down...

plez... said...

Dave,
careers are launched and lost dabbling in this kind of chicanery. i hope he learned his lesson.

Anali,
i will check out your post and absorb your prospective.

David,
personally, i think he's a racist or even a bad person... i just think he exercised extremely poor judgement and unfortunately he's flushed a 30 year career down the toilet (a la Jimmy the Greek)!

CapCity,
have no fear, i wouldn't dare "catch a case" for something this trivial... but he did refer to someone's daughter in such a derogatory & demeaning way, i feel some type of tangible & heartfelt retaliation is in order! *smile*

by the way... how do you set up Blogger so that it doesn't allow Anonymous posters?!?

DJ Black Adam,
a Marine Corp beatdown is too good for this creep! maybe just by ignonring him and not supporting the sponsors of his show will make him go away!

Dave J. said...

Plez, Just took a look at the "Comments" settings and it looks like your only conventional options would be to either allow only registered members to post, or, you could turn on moderation and just delete comments that have no identity attached. I don't know about that second option though, tough call.

CapCity said...

To add to Dave's explanation - I THINK that when you are in the area of Comment Settings and you choose the Drop Down choice for Who Can Comment? u have to select "Only Registered Users".

I've been to other blogs that "Don't Allow anonymous posts" and I think that's how they set it up. All of my posts allow anon - cuz many of my non-blogging friends don't like all the extra steps (of creating a profile) needed to leave a comment:-). But if u only want responses from individuals w/ a profile I think that's what u need to do. But, u know technically here on cyberspace - u never really know who's leaving messages;-)

plez... said...

it's funny, but that's how i got started on blogger.com last year: i tried to post to a friend's blog and i had to register to leave a message... from there, i decided to create my own blog!

maybe i'll just leave it the way it is AND then just DELETE the ANONYMOUS comments that i don't like! *smile*

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
plez... said...

Dear Anonymous,

I deleted your comments, not because of the content - I don't mind dissent (and I do agree with you to a certain extent) - but because you continue to post anonymously... choose a handle and you can post whatever you desire.