printThe above is the title of my new WND column. With respect to this excerpt from “Mob Gives Imus the Ol’ Heave-Ho“:
The media monolith, pitchforks hoisted, has conducted a swift public trial, meant to make an example of Imus, and serve as a warning to all others who fail to march in lockstep, shouting ‘Jawohl!’ In solidarity with the offended women, members of the chattering class have been tripping over one another, to show-off their suppurating stigmata.
A regular on MSNBC, Mortimer Zuckerman of U.S. News & World Report, said today that what Imus did —refer to the predominantly black Rutgers women’s basketball team as “nappy-headed hos”,” is the same as what Michael Nifong did. Both cannot expect an apology to absolve them.
You’ve lost it morally when you compare rude, nasty words to the use of state power in order to intentionally frame innocents with a crime they did not commit; to concealing facts, and to, all together, denying the falsely accused due process, and in the process forcing them to bankrupt their families so as to mount a defense against the illicit assault.
Yes, a prosecutor who’s supposed to uphold the rights of all parties, using the full force of the state to threaten the liberty and property of individual citizens —that’s exactly like, to quote the “Mob Gives Imus the Ol’ Heave-Ho, “An old git uttering an ugly utterance.”
Talk about comparing like with like. Indeed, “the latest media-fanned contagion“; the “lynch mob led by the Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton“–it’s all very ominous. It doesn’t bode well for the future and fate of individualism and freedom in this country.
Discuss!
Oh my goodness… thank you so much for saying this. Few things have made me as upset as watching these dolts become so offended at one merely inappropriate comment by a broadcaster. The reaction to Imus has been so overblown that I can’t imagine anyone being blinded to the histrionics on display.
Totally hysterical. Another example of our mentally deranged, ‘feelings’ culture at work.
As Gary Trudeau used to say in ‘Doonesbury’… “RAT OWN!”
This terrible, terrible demostration of power by the “politically correct” police enforces, Sharpton and Jackson, sends a chilling message to anybody who dares to speak up and simply state his God-given right to free speech. The vulgarity and disgusting lyrics by rappers and hip hop music, have been infiltrating the world’s youth with awful consequences for over thirty years and these two nor, the black community at large, have shown any opposition to this detrimental form of “art”. The way they went about disposing of Imus is something I have never seen in my 61 years on planet earth. It’s shameful. “Reverse discrimination” is here and unless we repudiate such actions, it will get worse.These people will go after anybody’s blood with a vengeance unheard of in our Country’s history
Imus Feeds Monster, Gets Eaten
The juggernaut beast crunches another meekly submissive victim between its teeth, swallows, and loudly smacks its lips as its grotesque bulging eyeballs cast about greedily for the next one with the bravado to cross the line.
Although I didn’t care to watch or listen to the mullet-headed city-cowboy hypocrite, I find it amusing that living by the values of his politically correct mob only bought him a few days of job security. His charity program for children and his willingness to publicly mouth servile supplication to his nasty bug-eyed accusers until finally swallowing their punishment accounted for nothing compared to the irresistibly delicious opportunity to bring down ‘da man’.
As a ‘cultural icon’ (wannabe iconoclast), his ‘brave’ insults gorged and helped shape the corporate bowels that so quickly eliminated him. Evidently ‘shock jocks’ can attack anyone with impunity — except for sacred downtrodden victims. They need to remember that whites are beneficiaries of slavery, are still victimizing blacks, and are not allowed to speak ebonics.
Perhaps if he had released a few gangsta rap songs or covered himself in shoe polish before saying it, he wouldn’t be in trouble. Everybody knows it’s cool to use that terminology if you’re a rappa or black comedian and use retarded hand gestures and arm movements to show your cultural blackness.
It is not acceptable to broadcast racial slurs, and the spineless CBS almost certainly had to fire their spineless caricature for it. I believe the slur was a shock-jock move intentionally calculated to test the limits of acceptable taste, based on its common usage by rappers and comedians and widely broadcast by his employers. Unfortunately for him, he miscalculated by neglecting to account for the value to the beast he would create by making himself into low hanging fruit.
Who will win the award for biggest hypocrite and least spine out of this whole disgusting side show?
–John Danforth–
Another grand slam home run of a column, Ilana. This is why you are the best in the business. Of course it didn’t help when Imus said something to the effect of ‘I can understand if they never forgive me’. Huh? It’s not like he committed a murder. Like you said, get a grip folks!
Act now! For an eternal time only you can order your own dose of victimhood for almost nothing! All it will cost you is your soul. Take the most comfortable, privileged, ho-hum life and easily turn it into an exciting uphill struggle with this special offer. Homework got you down? The necessity of doing something of value for your fellow human being growing burdensome? Then this dose of victimhood will be the gift that keeps on taking! Never stop to criticize yourself or think about anything ever again!
But wait, there’s more! Order your victimhood today and receive a free cliche manual for quick, effective use in your whining. Such pearls as “we been so oppressed for 500 years”, “whitey just don’t understand the emotional cruelty of living in America”, and “keep it real in the hood, Holmes” will add spice and zest to your whiny rambles.
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Southern Baptists Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have announced that this is only the beginning, and have vowed to shake down many more of our fellow citizens.
How do only semi-intelligible, perpetually unemployed, unskilled and sinful men wield so much power over our country? Will these Prince Hall Freemasons be the final executioners of our civil liberties?
Perhaps so. Think about it–what a coup for the rich white elites who are trying to eliminate our freedoms–use these two idiots to do the dirty work. Articulation not required, although confusing verbosity is a must. Exploiting white guilt is a good tactic too. Put it all together, and you’ve got a recipe for the takedown of this country, ghetto-style.
Oh, and thank you Don Imus for all of your fine work with children’s charities, and blessings to those children and their families who must endure the pain and suffering of cancer and autism.
Well said!
Although it’s a cliche’ and perhaps the supreme maxim of modern cynicism, “follow the money” is about the only reliable principle that describes the Imus fiasco.
Of course, money is simply a fungible form of power. Hip-hop stars and other crude entertainers do not get “imus-ed” simply because there’s no money in it. Fortune 100 corporations pay tribute to “progressive” social activists as insurance against business disruptions and as token “good works” to appease the power-hungry elites from more substantial intrusions. Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton are emblematic of a parasitic class of professional rabble-rousers — who manifest outrage to every microphone and camera in sight only when it stands to benefit their bank balances or their perceived power in the media marketplace.
First an excerpt from your column:
Young people talk this way today because this is how they think — muddled and incoherent. This quote is not what this girl meant to say, and not what she thinks she said — but she did. Can we cut Imus down from the tree now and get on with it?
I don’t believe for one minute that Imus is a racist, and I never liked his show either. He made a dumb mistake and it is crazy to can him for it.
Now look at what all the phony ranting and raving has led to: a horrible accident with Governor Corzine.
Are they all happy with themselves now?
Imus has been the subject of almost everything I wrote the last few days because this is so incredibly serious and because the scope and repercussion are so much greater than just one man’s minor mistake.
“Who’s next” is no longer speculative or rhetorical, it’s inevitable. This is a mob going door to door.
Now I agree with Mr. Farah on most issues, but never have so few (him) been so wrong about so much when it comes to Imus and the mushroom cloud Mr. Farah would like to generate therefrom.
And regarding the Basketball Jersey Girls, I posed some questions no one has asked in a commentary I hope people will see as a tribute to Imus’ style…
Best,
Ted
But you must understand! These girls were “scarred for life”. In which case we must sponsor their novitiate into a convent of one of the contemplative orders, for the world is surely too much for them.
They must never get jobs, get married, have children – and certainly not start blogs if that’s what it takes to “scar them for life”.
“Professional victims’ advocate” appears to be a new job category in our increasingly sensitive age, allowing individuals such as Jackson and Sharpton to rise to new heights. Yes, Imus made an ugly, uncalled-for remark, and he’s paid for it with his radio career. Funny, I’ve never heard Jackson or Sharpton inveigh against the many highly successful, and very wealthy black rappers whose lyrics consistently denigrate women (particularly black women); nor have I heard them call for “restraint” regarding such lyrics. What’s good for the goose is clearly not good for the gander, when the issue is race. Too bad about Naomi Wolf piling on. Wasn’t she the gal who, with “The Beauty Myth” and subsequent works, supposedly fought hard against the presentation of women as sex objects? So much for “feminism,” I guess.
It’s not about feeling sorry for Imus, or approving of what the man said. The story here are the forces that were set into action, who set them, how 99.9% of everyone that spoke out called in lockstep for Imus’ head. I read the papers, I went online, I watched the TV. Not once did I hear the actual audio, so that I could judge the tone, the context, to make a personal judgement for myself what was in the man’s heart. Just like in the lead up to the war, no one had the courage to ask whether the evidence really was conclusive of his being a racist. [You are right; he was not being racist, just trying to be cool in hip-hop mode.]
It was horrifying how quickly this morphed from some hurt feeling to a political litmus test. Which Democratic candidate would remain quiet. Did anyone else feel uncomfortable that our leaders and public figures were forced to ask for personal destruction of a human being at the pain of their own careers? [This is not the place to express pity for the most corrupt bunch of them all; the Demopublicans. They ain’t MY leaders.] Was anyone else horrified at the power everyone handed over to Sharpton, to hold judgement? Why didn’t anyone question how a Reverend, somehow could not find it in his heart to forgive a man who spent a couple of hours with him on his radio show to apologize. Was what Imus said something that could not be forgiven? The team forgave him today, naturally, because they only had personal feelings at stake. Sharpton has a career in this sort of thing and he apparently is looking to ride this to new heights of power and influence. Sharpton says he is not finished. That he will be looking to clean up the airwaves, and everyone cheers. Apparently, in this day and age, we don’t need 9/11 to give up our freedoms; I am too young to remember McCarthy or Hitler, I nevertheless felt the cold wind of the demogogue-led mob over the last few days and it scared the hell out of me
Don Imus hit the wall because he was stupid, nothing else. He insulted someone in the protected class, scared his sponsers into jumping ship and gave those two phonies, Al and Jessie, a perfect oppportunity to show their backsides yet once again. Imus is an abrasive character who made his living in a business where the unwritten rules are much stronger than the written ones. He knew the rules and disregarded them.
I am reminded of the old Frankenstein movies with the mob of peasants storming the castle with hay forks and torches to kill the monster. Well, the peasants got another one.
I think I will go invade a country; build my case on made-up intelligence; sell it to the American press, people and international community; be responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent civilians; and then have no plan for getting out. Next, I’ll set up my friends with plush jobs at development banks, so they can promote their girlfriends from $60gs to $194gs – faster than the push of this blog’s “Say It!” button.
When people complain about it, I’ll just tell them to stop being victims. And when that BS doesn’t work, I’ll just tell them I’m only doing what I hear on the radio and see on TV.
61-year old Rick wrote:
“Reverse discrimination” is here and unless we repudiate such actions, it will get worse.These people will go after anybody’s blood with a vengeance unheard of in our Country’s history”
Nappy-Headed Rick responds:
“You people” say we have to fight the terrorists over there so we don’t have to fight the terrorists over here.
But as the other Rick makes very clear, if you are a black person, you have to fight the terrorists over here as well as over there. I appreciate the reminder…
[To NHR: if you are going to post to this blog—and you are most welcome—at least do your research. What is with people? Why so lazy? If I were to write to a popular writer, I’d make sure I knew his/her positions, before attacking them! Read this proprietor’s War Foreign Policy archive. This site is anti-war—most of its contributors are. I have argued against the invasion of Iraq since September 2002, well before most anyone else.—ILANA MERCER]
This is to say nothing of the hypocrisy of racial Africans being allowed to call women ho’s. Indeed, the head of CBS who fired Imus was once head of MTV, which puts that stuff out there all the time time … of course, all coming out of the mouths of Africans.
Nappy-Headed Rick:
Yes, the life of an African-American must be a non-stop run from lynch mobs, Nazis, Klansmen, and other rabid racist terrorists. I can only imagine the courage it must take simply to rise from bed and face the ever-present threat of death. Perhaps it’s the same courage required to post wacky smack on a blog using a silly fake name. Keep it real.
Of course, American blacks face yet another terrorist threat in their daily existence: the threat of crime committed by other American blacks. According to the 1999 Index of Cultural Indicators, blacks, representing 13% of the population, commit 42% of violent crimes and over 50% of all murders. Many of these crimes are black-on-black. When we restrict ourselves to inter-racial crimes, we find that white criminals choose black victims in about 3% of the total inter-racial crimes, while black criminals choose white victims in about 50% of the total inter-racial crimes. So we can clearly see…er, wait…who is it again who’s facing the terrorist threat?
Well, no matter. It isn’t about facts, anyway. It’s about feeling good, and few things can make us feel as good as seeing ourselves facing a battle of survival in our easy chairs.
Well I know its a bit of a non-sequitur, but I am nevertheless morbidly curious as to the posibility of actually vetting the girls on the ball team vis-a-vis their behavioral backgrounds as adolescents. Call it predjudice or what you will, but somehow refined, elegant, noble, cultured, well behaved, disciplined, etc. just aren’t the first descriptives that come to my mind when I see some girl all tatooed up in a basketball uniform.
The real terror that blacks must feel is in Africa. There the terror is certainly not from whites.