Should Don Imus be fired?

Question

What do you think? What are your thoughts?

Here are my thoughts. First off, he is protected by freedom of speech. This however does not make his comments right. But he should not be fired for them, it is basically saying that he does not have the freedom to say what he wants.

Second, he is not racist, a racist is one who feels they are superior to another race. His comments did not in anyway portrey himself to be superior to those girls. Are they racial remarks, yes! But until everyone comes out and says that rappers should be fired for making songs which are way more negitive against African Americans, then Don Imus should not be fired either, we should all be standing up for his right to speak freely, but making not that his comments were not well received.

Why doesn't Jesse Jackson come out and say he is sorry to the Duke lacross boys for his comments about them last year, wrongly accusing them of rape?

For those that think he should be fired, then you are saying that freedom of speech should be taken away from people? That is what you are saying, people should never be allowed to say something offensive, who will be the judge of that, anybody can take anything offensive.

It reminds me of how radical muslims react to cartoons of Mohammed, protesting violently in the streets, trying to alter people from freedom of expression and speech. This is the way of the future to stop these freedoms, unless those who want to keep these freedoms stand up and say hey this is my right to express my self, and speek freely. It might be offensive to you, but it is my right.

Just like how the government now thinks it is their job to ban fatty oil in New York, whats next ban soda and candy bars? That is not the governments job!

Reminds me of that movie Judge Dred with Sylvester Stallone.

Answer 1

If he'd said something like that about Christians and Jews ( the only groups in the world it's okay to be racist against) no one would have said a thing. As a matter of fact, some would have joined in. Talk about a hypocritical world.

Answer 2

I asked the following question in Psychology:
Anyone else think this Imus thing is a modern day witch trial?

I am certainly not saying what Imus said was excusable in anyway. I have just got sick and tired of taking a man and stringing him over the coals. Al Sharpton is leading the way to a modern day witch trial of Imus. I am not even an Imus fan. I am a fan of what is right and good about America and this is not it.
Justice has not been served. What we have here, is a guy, maybe a racist guy and sexist guy, that lives in a society full of PC haters. Whom if you don't believe how they do- forget about your freedom- lets hang you out to dry and ruin your life.

I am so ashamed of Sharpton, CBS (which who watches CBS anyway) and MSNBC. All I am saying is that- Reverend Al Sharpton is reading his Bible wrong if this is what he thinks God would want him to do.We are to forgive. Love your enemies, that means love those who have offended you. that means take the high road, be a better person. Turn the other cheek.
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I watched some great stuff on Fox and also Today show. Sharpton and Jackson are opportunists and setting racial relations back with their racism. Also to make these women be victims instead of survivors weakens them. It is wrong to do that to them. The Sharckson duo is just taking these women and using them as tools in their twisted game. These women are not victims- the are strong women that should be above this and smarter than this. The go to Rutgers! That is a prestigious school. Its all about forgiveness and moving on. This is some old man making a stupid mistake. Not the end of the world. Where has our focus went anyway. This is the most important thing we got? This is setting a legacy for the black community that is not a good one.
Make a mistake and we will drag you down, hunt you down, you will lose your job, you will be dragged through mudslinging, you will lose your freedom of speech.
Whatever- it was wrong, he apologized. He should have not apologized to the Sharckson duo. Only to the girls and any of his offended listeners.

Answer 3

I feel it is a blow to feel speech and is hipocritical. Rosie still keeps her job, after bashing Bush, Asians, America, Christians, etc. Imus screwed up, sure. But give the man a chance to redeem himself. He apologized and his comments were distasteful and wrong, but they were not that bad. I am disappointed in how people reacted and gave in to the pressure. This double standard is pretty obvious now. Its a shame really. I am sure that scum Sharpton is proud and happy. How he still gets a voice blows my mind after his bull. Imus made a mistake. He apologized and even asked to talk about it to those he directed the comments to. Where is Sharpton's apologies toward the Duke players? There lives were pretty screwed up and still are. The Rutgers team got called a name. Accept the apology or not, but either way your life was not severly harmed in any way. Not like the Duke players. They faced life in prison for something they didnt do. Imagine what they went through. And its not the first time Sharpton has done this either. Where is the outcry from the media and others when the tables are turned? Where is the outcry from the media when Hillary Clinton has a fund raiser at a rap music executives house? Funny, cuz recently Hillary said she has never and would never go on the Imus show because he is a biggot. Then what is she? That rap executives artists have pretty derogatory lyrics. Lyrics toward women, the N-word constantly, among many other things. SO where is the outcry against that? No where. Not in this media that chooses to side with the likes of Sharpton and other far left morons. I am not defending Imus's words but did that really require his firing? No. Especially when everyday you hear and see worse things, yet no ones says nothing. For example, remember that girl surfer who got her arm bit off by a shark. Well a relatively famous radio host who happened to be black played a song with lyrics like " bite whitey bite whitey". Of course most of you never heard about that because of this double standard bull we live with today. WELL PUT PEACEFROGG!!!

Answer 4

I think if they are going to fire Don Imus then they should fire anyone and everyone who has ever made a racist remark. Its not fair that some people can get away with making racist comments and other people can't. Don't misunderstand, any racist comment is just plain wrong. I don't believe that white people should make offensive statements about black people and I don't believe black people should make offensive statements about white people but it happens everyday and I think they are singling Don Imus out when there are a million other people who have done the same thing and nothing has happened to them. However what he did was wrong and there should be action taken but there should also be action taken against the others as well.

Answer 5

Thanks for your answer on my question. First of all, what Don Imus said was uncalled for and his two week suspension is well deserved. He apologized and is trying to get over it despite everyone else pulling this poor guy through the mud.

However, he shouldn't have been fired. He has his free speech rights, despite the fact that what he said was idiotic. African American comedians like Chris Rock and Latino comedians like Carlos Mencia say stuff that is A LOT worse than what Imus had said and yet, they are hardly criticized for what they say.

Mel Gibson went on a drunken tirade after being arrested for a DUI and said some anti-Semitic remarks. He apologized and took the punishment that came with it.

Hopefully, Imus will bounce back and probably get a show on Sirius or XM Satellite Radio.

Answer 6

I always wonder why i do not see these powerful black leaders pull together against their own young and mislead african americans. when the most of what i see taught is the focus on who is holding them back.. the comment made about those bright young girls was wrong but should not cost the man his job.. why are these powerful men not holding a conference toward a great deal of afican amercans who openly use the word n***a or n***er, i was taught that is a word that holds great pain, many have died being called nothing but that and i wonder if they stop to think how their ancestors who were tortured and abused by the hands of ignorance would feel to see their young people using this slang in songs and in comedic ways.. peoples confusion starts with the fact that they do not realize change comes by looking in the mirror, not pointing the finger at all that is holding them back.. i live in a prodomantly black city, and although there are so many wonderful bright children here yet all i see is people instillling in them that no matter how hard you try once your get to the top the white man will knock you down or they are refered to as sell outs..these huge public matters should be focused towards all.. a solution not how to get revenge.. how can any public figure be be critisized for speaking out in ways they think is funny when they here there peers who are black using these same terms and getting a laugh.. duh!!! you want resect as the old saying goes lead by example!!!!

Answer 7

This guy said some things that are offensive and crude. No argument. What is bothersome to me is the uproar that was created by Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. They say it is not about race but about humanity. Where were they for the Duke Lacrosse team? There is nothing wrong about someone protesting what another has said. However, both Jackson and Sharpton who chant for equality among races are the first to segregate. If these were a bunch of white San Diego female players we would have never heard from Jackson or Sharpton. They are black before they are anything else. They are not men. They are black men. This type of thinking keeps segregation alive in our country. We don't need it! I'm offended by what Imus has said because he directed it towards innocent people to try and get a laugh at their expense and degradation. These are accomplished, educated individuals who deserve our admiration and encouragement regardless of sex, age or race.

Answer 8

hey everyone.... free speech has nothing to do with this. Is he going to jail for this? No, I didn't think so. He is free to say any racist thing he wants any time of day. That doesn't mean that MSNBC has to broadcast it. Believe it or not.... MSNBC is a business and they are there to make money. And as much as I dislike Jesse and Sharpton(although to a much lesser extent than I dislike Jesse) they have a whole lot of pull. When they say we are going to stary boycotts against you, you are in trouble. Since they did stuff like that and talked to sponsors, MSNBC was is line to start losing money on the program. That is why he got fired. I personally think his comments were ignorant and stupid, but I never liked Imus to begin with. That being said, it isn't the worst comments he ever made and it isn't even the worst comments I heard on the radio this week. In my opinion, it was a huge mistake, but not worth getting fired over. But like I said, it was the outside influence that dictated it. And like it or not we are in a capitalistic society and now he gone.

Answer 9

NO! He shouldn't be. YES, what he said was WRONG, but you know that if he was a black or Hispanic man making a racial comment towards a white person his job would be left intact, and people would probably be laughing at his comment. This country has devolved such a double standard. Being white, I can't even look crossed-eyed at someone of a different race, but they can say and do whatever they would like to me, and I'm/were just suppose to sit back and take it. People who fought for human rights, such as Dr. King, wanted everyone to be on the same playing field with the same rights and consequences. But instead the rolls have reversed. The only way people will ever be seen in the same light is if the people receive the same consequences regardless of their color, and that just isn't the case.

I had a women refer to me at work as "god dam white people" and I was told to let it go, she wasn't being serious. But everyone knows that if I was to look at her and say "god dam Mexicans," I would of lost my job, and their probably would be a lawsuit against myself and my employer!

This just isn't right. I could care less what color a person is. People just need to show a little more respect towards one another.....

I feel he should be put on a short term leave without pay, and should be given a fine similar to if he swore on the air. Also, his apology was most necessary…. He does not know a single person on that team, and he has no right to judge them. Plus, I think he is the ugliest person I have ever seen!

Answer 10

Just because you have freedom of speech doesn't mean the speech is appropriate. These are women who have made the choice to strive for personal development and positivity and as women they should not be referred to as “ho’s” and as black women their hair whether nappy or not is just irrelevant. If you have never been in a store, been followed and then accused of attempting to steal a shirt that you were carrying because you intended on purchasing or any other situation that may be influenced by race, then you probably would not understand why this comment was offensive (if you have one, ask a black friend, that doesn’t live in the suburbs, if they do live in the suburbs they may know but they might not know). Now, one may say that you see images and hear songs everyday that degrade black women in videos and songs performed by black men. Please know that there are MANY black people that protest this behavior as well. As for Al Sharpton, I do believe that he is commercial and seems only to poke his head when the opportunity arises. Instead of his usual actions he should try to promote unification of black people. Oh and yes racism is still very alive and it's not only just toward black people, but against ALL races by ALL people. In order to end it maybe people need to examine their inner-racist and then attempt to open-mindedly learn about the things we don't understand.

Answer 11

Don Imus is a jerk, he is loud and obnoxious, but in this country we have two super powers we can say what ever we want and we can listion to whatever we want. if people don't like what Don Imus said they can turn off the radio. That being said maybe enough people turned off there radio so it was no longer profitable for CBS to keep Imus on the air. I think they should have let him serve out his suspension first and see what publics feelings were at that point in time but it was there decision. I'm sure Imus will find a home on sattalite somewhere and do just fine.