Nappy headed histrionics

While I’m no fan of Imus and do believe him to appeal to the lowest common denominator (don't all shock jocks?), I find it ludicrous that a man who, for years, has made a career out of insulting everyone under the sun, is now suddenly made accountable.

Public outrage (fueled by Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton) mounted, to the point where TV networks (the same two-faced networks that paid Imus millions for years) kowtowed to the public will and fired him. Problem solved, right? Not even close; more likely, swept under the rug.

I'm not justifying what Imus said. I am however, just as mortified at the hypocritical way TV executives chose to placate those that suddenly took offense to what has been going on for years under their noses!

I also find it laughable that Imus went on Sharpton's show to beg for forgiveness. Before publicity-seeking Sharpton gets his panties in a knot over Imus' remarks, perhaps he should direct his attention to his "brothas" in the rap world, who have absolutely no qualms about calling black women "hoes" and "bitches". Who's going after them?

Snoop Doggy Dog and Xzibit have such raunchy lyrics, I couldn't even bring myself to repeat them here, but I dare you to Google them and see for yourselves. There was only one "romantic" song I found that Snoop had written. It's title? "I miss that bitch". I know; it brought a tear to my eye too.

These hypocrites are Imus' judge and jury? Over the years, Sharpton has proven to be just as divisive as Imus by leading a number of racially charged protest movements, content and eager to inflame racial tensions to further his own causes. As for Jesse Jackson; does anyone remember he referred to New York City as "Hymie Town" when he was running for president in 1984?

There's no denying that, as a society, we've pushed the limits of bad taste, in the interests of so-called "entertainment". The simple truth is this however: The price of living in a free society and having the right to express your views means you have no right to stop anyone else from doing the same. The first amendment was never designed to protect popular speech – it was designed to protect unpopular speech.

That being said, Imus' "views" hold no redeeming value. At best, he's a dubious "entertainer", but enough people enjoyed his particular brand of entertainment that NBC and CBS were content to pay him millions so he could continue to dole out his crass commentary. "Morality" wasn't an issue for those networks as long as the almighty advertising dollar was coming in. Now that profits were threatened, Imus was conveniently disposed of.

Imus being fired solves nothing, other than appeasing the wrong people for a brief moment in time. The problem is much deeper than that and band-aid solutions and knee-jerk reactions won't solve the pervasive sexism and racism thriving in North America today.