Don Imus is in hot water again because of an on-air comment about race. On the jock’s Monday morning radio show, sports announcer Warner Wolf was telling Imus about the long rap sheet on Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones. After hearing about his six arrests since being drafted out of Tennessee in 2005, Imus’ first question was, "What color is he?" Wolf said Jones is African American and Imus responded, "There you go. Now we know." Given that this exchange came just six months after Imus’ return to radio after being fired from MSNBC and CBS radio over his infamous "nappy-headed ho’s" comment about the Rutgers women’s basketball team, Imus’ critics are none too pleased; Rev. Al Sharpton called the radio host’s latest remarks ”disturbing,” and Jones himself said he would pray for Imus.
Imus responded to the hullabaloo by saying that what he meant was that Jones is being picked on because he’s black, a comment that seems to satisfy his new employers at WABC and Citadel Broadcasting Corp. Vice President Phil Boyce says it’s unlikely that any action will be taken against Imus, who went on the air this morning and said he was trying to "make a sarcastic point" with his remarks. "What people should be outraged about is that they arrest blacks for no reason," he said. "I mean, there’s no reason to arrest this kid six times."
Still, even if we grant that Imus isn’t stupid enough to make another blatantly racist comment on-air so soon after the Rutgers remarks, how did the guy manage to take the single fact that Jones is black and extrapolate that the athlete’s legal troubles must be a result of society picking on him because of that? Imus will probably be let off with a hand slap this time around, his fans chalking up the incident to overreaction by Sharpton and members of the media. But it’s hard not to read something more into it. Regardless of what Imus "meant" with the Jones comment, his first reaction to hearing about the athlete’s criminal record was to ask about his skin color. Perhaps the radio host’s issues with race are just too ingrained for him to restrain himself in casual conversation, and perhaps it’s time for him to hang up his hat for good. What do you think?
Give me a break! He was obviously alluding to the fact that Blacks are pulled over for their race. To make a big deal out of it is ludicrous. He should not even get a slap on the wrist. Sharpton is just a media wh*re, desperate for attention. Case closed.
I believe Imus! Enough-Al Sharpton who is a total racist himself!!!
It seems to be a very “d*mned if you do, d*mned if you don’t” type of situation…
I don’t believe Imus’ explanation, but I also agree that if you are going to point fingers, then direct them at Sharpton – one of the biggest clowns around. If only he would direct half of his energies expended at all the “perceived” injustices to something actually productive.
geraldine Custer
When I first heard about this, before hearing the tape and his “explination”, I thought “no way, no one is that stupid”. Now that I hear it, I actually do believe him, but as in he was overcompensating, like “look how non-racist I am, uh…yeah, damn police just arresting a guy because he’s black! White people suck” But really, he has no business touching race with a ten foot pole. People won’t believe him, and even if it came off the way he wanted it to, it would sound so patronizing. Like people who say “some of my best friends are black” “Oh really? Who? Name one.” “Uh, there was this black guy on my co-ed basketball team…uh, Ray-something. He was the…uh…shiznit? Black people say that, right? Dizzle?”
Look, I’m white, and I can count the number of black friends on one hand. So it’s best just to shut up about what you don’t know that much about something, and Imus has already proven he’s not so smooth on the race thing.
It’s amazing how hypocritical some people can be! Howard Stern has said far, far worse over the last quarter century and has never come under such intense media fire as Imus has. Hell, we love it, otherwise the man would not be the “king of all media” that he continues to be. I’m sure we’ve all been guilty of unintentionally saying something racist at least once in our lives. It happens.
“Everyone’s a little bit racist
Sometimes
Doesn’t mean we go around committing hate crimes
If we all could just admit
That we are racist a little bit
Even though we all know that it’s wrong
Maybe it would help us get along”
(Avenue Q)
I really don’t know whether to believe Imus, I was shocked when I read the exchange, relieved when I heard his explanation. Still, given his history, why leave it so ambiguous?
I’m a little confused by the end of this post though. If we assume that he meant it in the context that he said that he did, as you seem to allow for, then he’s not talking about his own issue with race, he’s talking about a very real, sad fact about race in America. African Americans are disproportionately arrested and convicted, often unjustly.
Discussing that isn’t racial insensitivity, thats racial sensitivity. Race is one of the toughest things to discuss today because we have a desire to be colorblind, but ignoring race completely overlooks the very real injustices going on to this day.
Being from Tennessee, to quote ” Someone ” Why can’t we just get along ” Everyday it is White vs Black or Black vs White .Let’s see what PacMan does in Dallas >
I am NOT a fan of Don Imus, but all this nonsense from the “usual suspects”, condeming him for what they claim was a racial slur are only pandering for publicity, another 15 minutes of fame, which the Media gladly provides them. They should actually applaud him for pointing out the fact, that African-Americans are so often targeted by the police. That was His point, and I got it.
I did agree with the censure Imus received for the demeaning comment he made about the young women’s basketball team. That was truly warranted.
Al Sharpton annoys me more than Imus does. I wish they’d both just settle down.
Why do people listen to this bigotted windbag…unless they too are bigotted windbags only w/o a radio show?
I have no idea what Imus’s intent was, but either way he sounds like an idiot. On the one hand, he obviously knows nothing about Pacman, or he wouldn’t blame the arrests on Pacman’s race – there’s a reason the guy’s been arrested six times, and it has nothing to do with race. On the other hand, if he was “trying to be funny” again, he once again failed miserably.
I do believe there are real race problems in this country, and a hugely disproportionate number of blacks (African Americans? Holy frack, what is the right term?) are in jail. That said, Imus is NOT the one to be speaking about this subject. As he showed yesterday, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about!
Oh please. Pacman is not a “kid”, nor has he been picked on for his race. In his worst incident, his actions started a melee at a Las Vegas strip club that ended with a bouncer being shot & permanently paralyzed. He cut a deal. He’s caused his own problems and we Tennesseans are glad to be rid of him (good player or not). The Cowboys have assigned a security detail to keep him out of trouble. Hope it works. Then maybe nobody else will get hurt. But for the idiot Imus to blame his race is just stupid. I think he’s pandering after his last race-related goof. And look at all the attention he’s getting! And for Al Sharpton to condone such excuse-making is the usual rascist blather from him. Which is worse?
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