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April 11, 2007
Confused Americans for Truth - Shock Talk Blues
So, Iran is busy thumbing its nose at the world, but the big story is that Don Imus insulted the Rutgers Women's Basketball Team.
The insult took place during a dialog between Imus and his producer Bernard McGuirk. The phraseology Imus used was the sort you'd find in rap music. This is the part that is just plain stupid. It doesn't take a superior life form to realize that music which is generally banned from polite company is speaking a language you don't want any part of.
Imus, unfortunately, is not in a position to take this highly beneficial advice. He's a shock jock, and he is forever dancing along the border between what's acceptable and what isn't, and despite what Al Sharpton thinks, there is no book of rules that Imus can consult, especially when he's improvising in real-time. In particular, when the heck did "nappy-headed" become racist? I always thought "nappy" meant sticking straight up, like the "nap" of a carpet. This is what Bruce told me. I'm living with a man whose understanding of fashion is so limited that I could be making racist comments all the time and not know it.
My opinion is that Don Imus will ultimately benefit from this whole thing. I say this because I had never heard of the guy until last week, so the debacle over his comment is probably a major publicity coup. But I don't condemn him for his comment, I condemn him for his ridiculous career choice, which is to use rough language and ridicule to attract an audience. As far as I'm concerned, that's the same as installing a giant neon KICK ME sign on top of your head. (Note that I did not call Mr. Imus neon-headed just in case it might be racist.) Please, people. Teach this man a lesson and stop treating his statements as if they mean something important. The logic is very clear. Premise: Giant Neon KICK ME Sign! Conclusion: Don't Pay Attention!
To understand this, the Rutgers basketball team should immediately start writing a political blog. At some point, they'll encounter comment trolls, and it's really a short step between ignoring a troll and ignoring Don Imus. If that doesn't work, they should invite Gretchen Wilson to the school to perform Redneck Woman. That should provide the necessary spine stiffening for future encounters with shock jocks.
Trust me: five minutes with Gretchen is more helpful than a whole month of Al Sharpton.
Respectfully submitted,
Ferdinand T. Cat
# At Wed 1:11 AM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (2) | More Confused Americans for Truth | Tags: Al Sharpton basketball Bernard McGuirk conservative Don Imus Gretchen Wilson hate speech racism radio Rutgers shock jocks
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Posted by: beth 
at April 10, 2007 7:25 PM
If CBS feels that Imus is hurting their bottom line, they should call him onto the carpet. If not, too bad for everybody who thinks they should. They didn't hire him to be the poster boy for political correctness.
It amazes me that this was the lead story on all three major network newscasts last night. And I don't know about the rest of them, but Katie Couric led off her newscast with something to the effect that the Rutgers women were courageous and taught us all a lesson in something or other. That's not news, Katie. It's opinion.
Ferdy, I hold little hope for this country - at least, until a cat wins the presidency.
Posted by: Suldog at April 11, 2007 9:36 AM
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