The Real Imus Story

shemp said:
30 times? Well, I guess I should apologize for not spending my time reading through all the other threads on this subject.
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Well, if you'd spend less time plugging goats, you might have more time to keep up with these threads... :scarper:
 
shemp said:
Bottom line, bottom line, bottom line. How many times do I have to say it before everyone gets it?

I'll explain it so even you can understand: Imus didn't get fired for his remarks. He got fired because he became a drain on the bottom line. Period.
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That's true -- had sponsors not pulled their ads, and had there not been talk of organized boycotts of his sponsors, he'd still be there.
 
RandFan said:
Whoracle says that Imus would have been fired had he said what he did at work. When I go to the Ice House or other Stand Up clubs I often hear a lot of raucnchy comedy that would not be tolerated at most jobs.

Most of the comedy coming from the Friars Club roasts would not be tolerated at most jobs.

Here, try this, go up to one of your female co workers and grab her breasts the way Pam Anderson's were grabbed when she was roasted by at lest one commedian at her roast. Tell some of the jokes that included the word penis and vagina.

Now, guess what will happen?
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How many of these people work for a respected news channel? MSNBC is not the Comedy channel or a bar. Many other people have been attacked for things like this, but have you ever noticed only network stations, and some news stations that want to be taken seriously, ever really do anything about it? The stars were aligned on this one.
 
RandFan said:
I think this raises a very serious question as to the intelligence of the idiot who decided to simulcast Imus... Did they bother to ever hear his show?
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I'm under the impression that they never did, but filled him in for ratings. I had just started listening to him the last few months since I started going to work later. The commercials had always given me the impression of a Larry King kind of show.
 
Whoracle said:
Yeah that was quick. No seriously, how many jobs can you think of where you can say that comment and not get fired if the wrong party overhears you? I do think the fact that this is some sort of national controversy is pretty ridiculous, but he by no means got railroaded. Try repeating what he said at your job around various people, then tell me how long before you get fired.
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Morning radio shock-jock is one job where I wouldn't expect you to get fired for saying something outrageous.
 
RandFan said:
How many jobs can you say what Sacha Baron Cohen said in Borat and not get fired?
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You also noticed how easily Cohen could get along with African-Americans in the "bad part of town?"

Imus's biggest mistake was that he simply wasn't funny. If you're making fun of my ethnic group and making fun of your ethnic group at the same time, and we're both laughing, I think that's wildly different than spewing one-sided racist remarks over the airwaves.

(edited to add) As for the OP and the "manufactured dissent," wouldn't that fall in the lap of the person making the offensive remarks?
 
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Mephisto said:
Imus's biggest mistake was that he simply wasn't funny. If you're making fun of my ethnic group and making fun of your ethnic group at the same time, and we're both laughing, I think that's wildly different than spewing one-sided racist remarks over the airwaves.
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Wait, what?

I was under the impression that he made fun of all ethnic groups, all genders, insulted himself, and insulted his family? He made fun of everyone equally, as far as I know.
 
Lonewulf said:
Wait, what?

I was under the impression that he made fun of all ethnic groups, all genders, insulted himself, and insulted his family? He made fun of everyone equally, as far as I know.
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Who, Imus?

I don't know anything about that, but the remarks he got fired for were definitely one-sided.
 
Mephisto said:
Who, Imus?
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All of the time.

I don't know anything about that, but the remarks he got fired for were definitely one-sided.
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How does one make remarks that are always not one-sided? That just doesn't work. If you have listened to his show you know that no one is spared. He attacks his wife. His wife attacks him. He attacks Bernard and Bernard attacks him. He attacks Charlie McCord and Charlie attacks him.

I keep telling everyone this but it is what the guy does. It is his act. Ever see Don Rickles? A Friars Roast?
 
RandFan said:
All of the time.

How does one make remarks that are always not one-sided? That just doesn't work. If you have listened to his show you know that no one is spared. He attacks his wife. His wife attacks him. He attacks Bernard and Bernard attacks him. He attacks Charlie McCord and Charlie attacks him.
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But none of those "attacks" are responsible for the furor he caused. His controversial humor must have been more apparent during those programs.

RandFan said:
I keep telling everyone this but it is what the guy does. It is his act. Ever see Don Rickles? A Friars Roast?
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Again, Don Rickles was funny and his pointed humor was so outrageous that it was obviously a parody of people who actually thought that way. Same with Archie Bunker in All In The Family. The Rutger's women's basketball team weren't being "roasted," by friends and they did nothing to deserve the comments made by Imus.
 
Mephisto said:
But none of those "attacks" are responsible for the furor he caused. His controversial humor must have been more apparent during those programs.
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It caused a furor because A.) It was over the top and B.) It was hyped. It took days before anyone cared BTW.

Again, Don Rickles was funny and his pointed humor was so outrageous that it was obviously a parody of people who actually thought that way.
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And to anyone who knows Imus it was obviously Imus's act.

Same with Archie Bunker in All In The Family. The Rutger's women's basketball team weren't being "roasted," by friends and they did nothing to deserve the comments made by Imus.
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Who does deserve to be made fun of? BTW, Rickles would often attack strangers.
 
Ryan Chiachiere was. A 26-year-old researcher in Washington, D.C., for liberal watchdog organization Media Matters for America, he was assigned to monitor Mr. Imus's program. Mr. Chiachiere clipped the video, alerted his bosses and started working on a blog post for the organization's Web site.
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How can you all gloss right over this? One person is responsible for the outcry. Ryan Chiachiere. It’s his job. This is insane. He hears it and calls the dogs to go in for the kill. Without Media Matters for America nothing would have happened. This whole thing was orchestrated by them.




edit; just saw the other thread. My bad, nevermind.
 
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The Painter said:
How can you all gloss right over this? One person is responsible for the outcry. Ryan Chiachiere. It’s his job. This is insane. He hears it and calls the dogs to go in for the kill. Without Media Matters for America nothing would have happened. This whole thing was orchestrated by them.

edit; just saw the other thread. My bad, nevermind.
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No, that's fine. This is an important point. None of the black listeners to Imus's show called in and complained because they got the joke. This was a manufactured scandal.

That fact does not excuse Imus. He shouldn't have said what he said because there was every possibility that it could cause offense.
 
RandFan said:
This is an important point. None of the black listeners to Imus's show called in and complained because they got the joke.
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How in Odin's name do you know this? Even if you listened to every second of Imus, this wouldn't inform you about complainers who weren't aired.
 
varwoche said:
How in Odin's name do you know this? Even if you listened to every second of Imus, this wouldn't inform you about complainers who weren't aired.
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There is no evidence whatsoever that they did. Management was caught blindsided days later. That's days later. The story can be traced back to media matters. Media matters doesn't claim that black listeners were up in arms BEFORE they started their campaign. No one claims that black listeners were up in arms BEFORE media matters started their campaign.

Ok, it's possible that listeners were upset. There is no nexus between any of Imus's listeners and the outcry. None. Do I absolutely know that no listeners were upset? No. Is there reason to think that there were Black listeners calling management, Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, the local news, anyone to complain? No!

There is simply no evidence that there was an outcry from Imus's listeners. I'll say it again, it took days for this to become an issue. Media Matters had to hype this thing. It can all be traced back to there.
 
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