Don Imus Said What? Who Cares?

Don Imus Said What? Who Cares?

This latest controversy that has emerged from talk radio is becoming more absurd by the day. People continue to call for the suspension, resignation, or firing of Don Imus for his remarks about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team. While his comments were stupid and unprovoked, it seems that the ones calling for his head are not really interested in the women that were apparently offended.

I’m completely awestruck at this hullabaloo for a few reasons. When Imus referred to the women as “nappy headed hos” I’m really not sure how many people actually heard his comments, let alone the players on the basketball team. But for some reason, the rest of the media and some key activists like Al Sharpton decided to make this a huge deal and give it tremendous publicity. How many of his few million weekly listeners really heard the comment? How many of those listeners care about what he thinks of these players? It seems to me that all of this outrage is giving him more attention than he deserves.

Another point I haven’t heard is the fact that what he said is modest compared to what I hear in Hollywood movies and rap albums which are seen and heard by far more people. Yet all of the ones condemning Imus for saying what he said never mention the content of multiple platinum-selling albums which call women – and especially black women – far worse things. I have heard people say that Imus is racist and sexist, and that he is even denying women equal rights. So, in the midst of all this condemnation, it would seem rap artists should at least be included as racist and sexist. I can personally recall several songs and artists that have used the word nappy and ho and probably even the exact phrase that Imus said on his talk show.

For the last several days I’ve seen news programs bring up other defamatory language Imus has uttered, such as “weasel” and “fat sissy” that supposedly show how evil this man truly is. Are these people serious? Personally, I don’t care about Don Imus, but I think this has reached a level of preposterousness. I’ve mentioned before that there is no constitutional right to not be offended. If you are offended as severely as some people are claiming to be over the unfortunate comments that were made, then it would seem you have a problem far greater than that in this current situation. Sadly, our right to free speech extends to idiots and malcontents who happen to have audiences that will listen to whatever they have to say.

If people are upset with what was said, they have the option to not listen to the show, like a couple hundred million Americans already do. I don’t understand the calls for apologies and suspensions or termination of his entire program. It appears that the hubbub has given Imus and his show more attention than he would otherwise get. It also appears that the primary figures calling for action are people who make a living accusing people of being racist and condemning them so that they can be in the spotlight once again.

So why don’t we all stop being so thin-skinned and get on with our daily lives, because quite frankly, I don’t care what Imus said and neither should the Rutgers’ players who were the target of his comments. They know who they are and they know what they’ve accomplished. It’s time to act like adults and ignore the idiots of the world instead of seeking to silence them for every “offensive” word they utter and thrusting them into the forefront of media reports as if they truly matter.