Here is what the local paper said in a editoral. After is my reply as a letter to the editor. Wether they publish it or not remains to be seen as I sent it email tonite and I just had a letter published yesterday on a different topic. Anyway:
EDITORIAL: Shock jock words, sadly, resolate with many listeners
The Daily Telegram
Published Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Lock Don Imus and Michael Richards in a room and what do you get? Two bad-hair baboons whose outrageous behavior earned them millions and propelled them above the Iraq war on CNN.
“I’m a good person, but I said a bad thing,” shock jock Imus said in a Monday apology for making racially charged comments about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team. He also called them “hos,” slang for “whores,” but ironically, nobody is getting very upset about that.
Imus response is shallow and doesn’t represent an apology. More correctly, it’s a white man’s gasp for air after finally being outed for what he really is.
For years, Imus has been a verbal alchemist, converting rough, inappropriate talk into cold, hard cash. Have we forgotten the face-to-face insults, thinly veiled as jokes, he unleashed against Bill and Hillary Clinton a few years back? Doesn’t anyone care about the way he characterizes persons of Mideast descent in the guise of discrediting terrorists?
He certainly deserves the job suspension announced early today, but it’s merely a slap on the wrist. Even worse than what Imus said is the American public’s desire to hear more of it. Imus is the architypal shock jock who is being cloned almost daily into new manifestations such as Jerry Springer, Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh, who combine gimmicks, half-truths and commentary with a dash of venom to grab attention in an increasingly crowded radio world.
Imus’ unfortunate words won’t disappear until Imus does. But he and his clones are destined to survive until people shed their desire to hear ridicule, sarcasm and even racism peddled as entertainment. At this juncture, there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight. It’s a sad reflection on our society.
Letter to the Editor, I just read your article on Don Imus and I felt I needed to reply. What he said was out of line, what Richard's said was wrong also. I do not think anyone will disagree about that. But the biggest wrong on this whole issue is Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton having a fit over this because white men said it and playing the race card. There is no doubt that black men are just as racist and as far as they treat their women just listen to some of their song lyrics, very disrespectful to women. What I think is interesting is hardly anyone is upset about the HO remarks but more upset about the nappy hair remarks? Whats with that? Its ok evidently to Jessie and Al that they were called Ho's, but do not refer to their hair styles? I hate rap and do not listen to it but have heard it while out in public and I wonder why Al and Jessie do not complain about the way they treat women in those lyrics? Why the double standard? For the record I never knew who Imus was until this hit the news I do not listen to him and I have no clue even what radio stations play his program. I just do not care for the double standards that Jackson and Sharpton play on this race issue. IF your going to play the race card then play in on a even field and clean up your back yard first before hollering about the neighbors. One other thing I guess I am old fashioned I never got into this slang bit when I was growing up a ho (hoe) was for chopping weeds. A whore was the correct way to spell what every one says nowdays as ho. For those that do not know better that is understandable, but why the media embraces this way of saying it is beyond me.
JH
