Don Imus

The comments by Don Imus, the trash talking radio celebrity, are disgusting and unforgiveable. But they are not a surprise. Imus and his ilk have made a very handsome living, and have lined the pockets of their employers, not by taking commentary up to the edge of decency, but by routinely crossing the edge. His comments about the Rutgers women’s basketball team were so far across the line he deserves to lose his job.

He won’t of course. His show generates enormous revenues for his employer and his popularity with the white male drive time audience he assidously panders to will ensure his survival. It is telling that a fool like Imus can continue to serve up the pulp he does in today’s cultural climate. His audience is absolutetly resistant to any form of civilization. It is only one step removed from the drunken frat houses and pampered homes that spawned its irresponsible and anti-social attitudes. The idea that calling a group of teenage girls “nappy-headed ho’s” was simply a funny joke combines immaturity and indecency in a breathtakingly stupid and callous way. The sad part is his audience backs him: they are too foolish, racist, and prejudiced even to understand that what he said was wrong. They really did think he was being funny.

As for his punishment? He’s been taken off the air for two weeks. Big deal. He’s made a fortune from being one of the spokesmen for the white male trash who make up his following, he can easily withstand two weeks off the air. It will no doubt add to his notoriety, and his popularity as a cult hero amongst the reverse discrimination crowd will grow even stronger. He hasn’t the guts to face the girls he insulted and he hasn’t the guts to quit his job. He has issued an “apology”. So what? He twists and turns more than most. Only a permanent change would show he truly understood the disgusting depths to which he went this time. And that’s the one thing he, and his employers, won’t give us.