Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

EDITORIAL: Imus' firing is a lighting rod for the double standard in cenorship
Staff Editorial
Spartan Daily (San Jose State U.)
04/16/2007

(U-WIRE) SAN JOSE, Calif. — For those needing a branch to grab hold of in the middle of the Don Imus-incurred flash flood of bigotry and corporate downsizing, a chronological review of the past week is in order.

On April 4, Imus, on his nationally syndicated radio show, referred to the Rutgers University women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos."

Amidst the media firestorm in the two days following the openly racist epithet, Imus issued an apology.

Then, after appearing on Al Sharpton's syndicated morning talk show, it was announced that Imus would be suspended for two weeks.

Quickly, media personalities began to take sides.

MSNBC's Pat Buchanan said Imus was a good guy who made a mistake.

Comedian Bill Maher said that when those in entertainment apologize, it should be enough.

Barack Obama, who announced his candidacy for the 2008 presidential election, called for Imus' ouster.

Rosie O'Donnell a regular on ABC's "The View", a morning talk show hosted by female media personalities, cited the first amendment in support of not firing Imus.

But the shock jock clearly crossed a line with his comments. He singled out an innocent party that will forever be associated with the incident.

The Rutgers women's basketball team won't be known for making it to the national championship game, they will be known as the target group of unadulterated hate, who in turn, accepted Imus' personal apology - and to the team's moral credit, they never once asked for Imus to be canned.

April 4 was a Wednesday — by the following Wednesday, MSNBC announced they would no longer simulcast Imus' show.

The next day, CBS fired him and cancelled the show "Imus in the Morning."

Whether Imus' firing was a direct result of roaring hatred; or, as published in some reports, a direct result of major business puling ads; or, employees expressing concern over having to work with Imus in the future; or all the above; the fact that Imus can no longer make a living on terrestrial radio opens a floodgate of indecency questions. If Imus' remarks resulted in his firing and national uproar, what is there to say for comedians like Carlos Mencia who rely on racially driven humor to make a living?

What about rappers like 50 Cent who rely on racially driven lyrics to sell records?

To fight Imus — to fire Imus — without at least giving pause to those whose language is much more destructive is severely hypocritical.

The next time Mencia says the "N" word, ask why sponsors continue to subsidize the dumbing-down of America; ask whether a free-speech double standard exists in mainstream culture.

In 2004, the Oprah Winfrey and guest Michelle Burford graphically discussed sexual activities among teenagers.

The terms Winfrey and Burford used, "tossed salad" as a phrase to describe a type of oral sex, incurred massive fines.

Except the FCC didn't fine Oprah, they fined shock jock Howard Stern.

The lack of a fine upset Stern to the point where he attempted to play the Oprah clip, verbatim, on his radio show.

Stern's producers were forced to bleep out the exact same terms, from someone else's show, in order to avoid more fines.

To dismiss the appearance of a double standard is nonsensical.

Although Imus meaninglessly heaved verbal trash over the national airwaves, when does the witch-hunt against Young Jeezy begin?

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