IMUS at it again

[JSD]

NEW YORK -- Just months after returning to the airwaves with a pledge to mend the wounds caused by his racist and sexist comment about a women's basketball team, Don Imus is again drawing fire for injecting race into his radio show.

During an on-air conversation Monday about the arrests of suspended Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam Jones, Imus asked, "What color is he?"

Told by sports announcer Warner Wolf that Jones, who used to be nicknamed Pacman, is "African-American," Imus responded: "There you go. Now we know." (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3457994)


Hmm... Does Imus need a ratings spike? Or does he just want to retire/get fired!?

[Donoghus]

Sportscenter played the audio clip from this morning's show.

I have to admit that its comes off extremely bad.  This could be the final straw for Imus. 

This guy barely registers on the media radar anymore as it is. 

[Sads267]

Imus lost his head a long time ago. He's still in a huge hole from the Rutgers incident and he's only digging more of his own grave.

[Roy Hobbs]

Here's the full transcript of the conversation between Imus and Warner Wolf, another broadcaster:

Wolf: "Defensive back Adam 'Pacman' Jones, recently signed by the Cowboys. Here's a guy suspended all of 2007 following a shooting in a Vegas night club."

Imus: "Well, stuff happens. You're in a night club, for God's sake. What do you think's gonna happen in a night club? People are drinking and doing drugs, there are women there, and people have guns. So, there, go ahead."

Wolf: "He's also been arrested six times since being drafted by Tennessee in 2005."

Imus: "What color is he?"

Wolf: "He's African-American."

Imus: "Well, there you go. Now we know."

I don't know how that can be interpreted as anything but a shot at Jones' race and the so-called "black culture".  I think the point Imus was making was that millionaires should be smart enough to avoid drinking, drugs, and a lot of the other pit falls of celebrity.  I support his thinking on that.  However, that applies as much to someone of Josh Hamilton's complexion as it does to Pacman Jones. 

[JSD]

Here's the full transcript of the conversation between Imus and Warner Wolf, another broadcaster:

Wolf: "Defensive back Adam 'Pacman' Jones, recently signed by the Cowboys. Here's a guy suspended all of 2007 following a shooting in a Vegas night club."

Imus: "Well, stuff happens. You're in a night club, for God's sake. What do you think's gonna happen in a night club? People are drinking and doing drugs, there are women there, and people have guns. So, there, go ahead."

Wolf: "He's also been arrested six times since being drafted by Tennessee in 2005."

Imus: "What color is he?"

Wolf: "He's African-American."

Imus: "Well, there you go. Now we know."

I don't know how that can be interpreted as anything but a shot at Jones' race and the so-called "black culture".  I think the point Imus was making was that millionaires should be smart enough to avoid drinking, drugs, and a lot of the other pit falls of celebrity.  I support his thinking on that.  However, that applies as much to someone of Josh Hamilton's complexion as it does to Pacman Jones. 

Yes, no question this guy a flawed perception of black culture.

[dark_lord]

imus is a complete ignorant fool.  he should be fired for this. the ignorance and prejudice he spews towards black america is pathetic.

[Redz]

Here's the full transcript of the conversation between Imus and Warner Wolf, another broadcaster:

Wolf: "Defensive back Adam 'Pacman' Jones, recently signed by the Cowboys. Here's a guy suspended all of 2007 following a shooting in a Vegas night club."

Imus: "Well, stuff happens. You're in a night club, for God's sake. What do you think's gonna happen in a night club? People are drinking and doing drugs, there are women there, and people have guns. So, there, go ahead."

Wolf: "He's also been arrested six times since being drafted by Tennessee in 2005."

Imus: "What color is he?"

Wolf: "He's African-American."

Imus: "Well, there you go. Now we know."

I don't know how that can be interpreted as anything but a shot at Jones' race and the so-called "black culture".  I think the point Imus was making was that millionaires should be smart enough to avoid drinking, drugs, and a lot of the other pit falls of celebrity.  I support his thinking on that.  However, that applies as much to someone of Josh Hamilton's complexion as it does to Pacman Jones. 

I didn't hear the actual audio, and I doubt this was the context, but if all he said in response the answer to his question was "Well, there you go. Now we know.", it could be construed that he was expressing "Now we know he's African-American."  Not necessarily "Well, there you go, he's black and that explains his crime record."

Doubtful that was his take, but if the sentence ended there, it leaves the opening.  Not that that makes much sense either.

[Donoghus]

I actually think the audio context makes it sound worse than the written transcript.

It's that bad.

[Roy Hobbs]

I didn't hear the actual audio, and I doubt this was the context, but if all he said in response the answer to his question was "Well, there you go. Now we know.", it could be construed that he was expressing "Now we know he's African-American."  Not necessarily "Well, there you go, he's black and that explains his crime record."

Doubtful that was his take, but if the sentence ended there, it leaves the opening.  Not that that makes much sense either.

Let's accept that take on it.  Why even ask the question "what color is he?" unless you're trying to make some sort of statement?  I mean, what non-racist talks like that?  Even if race was somehow relevant to the situation -- and I can't imagine how it could be -- the phrase "what color?" is very distasteful to me.

From the few people I've seen defending Imus, that's the argument they're making: "He was just asking a question".  But why ask the question in the first place, and why phrase it like that?

[Redz]

I actually think the audio context makes it sound worse than the written transcript.

It's that bad.

Yeh,that's what I figured, I just was hopeful the guy was simply being insipid instead of bigoted.

[Redz]

I didn't hear the actual audio, and I doubt this was the context, but if all he said in response the answer to his question was "Well, there you go. Now we know.", it could be construed that he was expressing "Now we know he's African-American."  Not necessarily "Well, there you go, he's black and that explains his crime record."

Doubtful that was his take, but if the sentence ended there, it leaves the opening.  Not that that makes much sense either.

Let's accept that take on it.  Why even ask the question "what color is he?" unless you're trying to make some sort of statement?  I mean, what non-racist talks like that?  Even if race was somehow relevant to the situation -- and I can't imagine how it could be -- the phrase "what color?" is very distasteful to me.

Yeh, it makes no sense that that's how he meant it.  I was just posing the possibility based on the text.

[nickagneta]

How do the people in charge of radio broadcasting and ESPN not know that these people are the way they are before allowing them to represent them on the internet or over television or radio airtime?

Are you telling me that these people never in any way show their true feelings to any co-workers, supervisors or anyone?

Imus showed his true colors time and time again. Yet someone thinks it's a good idea to put him back on the air?

Jemele Hill wrote an article with very poor judgement in humor and showed her true feelings when it comes to race issues. Time and again she has shown a semi-militant African-American stand lambasting anyone who has had a slip of the tongue for something that might be construed as racially objective to African-Americans. She then goes out and uses this type of humor and is surprised by it?

Are you telling me that someone didn't see this coming after reading her articles, blog, and watching her on television?

I swear to god that the powers that be know these people are going to eventually hang themselves, so they allow them to continue. That way when they mess up, their company is getting a ton of publicity. Any pub is good pub especially if you have really good spin police available to you.

Then they hang the idiot out to dry and they are perceived as the surprised, shocked, unknowing but politically correct entity that everyone can love because were taken advantage of by a rebel employeebut got justice for all because they eradicated just a wee bit of racism in the world.

[Bahku]

Imus, Imus, Imus ... the truly astounding question here that's just screaming to be asked, is how can a seemingly intelligent human being keep going to such lengths to repeatedly prove to the rest of the world how incredibly ignorant, narrow-minded, and prejudiced he is, and actually expect someone to keep paying him big money to do it?!? "Hello ... McFLy ... anybody home?"

[Eja117]

There are two wars going on and people starving to death. If IMUS is our biggest problem we should be so lucky. Just change the channel and let the free market decide. It'll work itself out.

[Chris]

Imus, Imus, Imus ... the truly astounding question here that's just screaming to be asked, is how can a seemingly intelligent human being keep going to such lengths to repeatedly prove to the rest of the world how incredibly ignorant, narrow-minded, and prejudiced he is, and actually expect someone to keep paying him big money to do it?!? "Hello ... McFLy ... anybody home?"

Because things aren't always as they seem?