Don ImusMSNBC has caved in to pressures from The Reverend Al Sharpton and The Reverend Jesse Jackson and has suspended Don Imus’ show, Imus in the Morning.

It seems that Imus and/or one of his staff called the Rutgers Women’s Basketball Team a bunch of ‘nappy headed hos’. For this, Sharpton and Jackson have been protesting, marching and demanding Imus’ head on a platter.

Here’s the thing. That’s Imus’ shtick. My Beloved Curmudgeon thinks Imus is hilarious and so I get ready for work every morning with Imus’ show in the background. I think some of his stuff is funny. I think some of his stuff sounds mean. Some of it I don’t get at all. All of it is just a morning shock-jock show that’s been around for 30 years.

If you heard the exchange that lead to the comment that has been misquoted repeatedly on the air, you would know that Imus and his crew were discussing the upcoming game. They were talking about the Rutgers women having tattoos and looking ‘rough’. Was that nice? No. Was it what Imus usually does on his show? Yes. What is racial? I doubt it.

The news headlines have gone from Imus insulting the Rutgers women’s basketball team to him insulting all Black women.

I have heard Imus and his crew insult everybody at one time or the other. I didn’t know that anything was off limits for him to insult, make fun of or laugh at. Apparently, there is.

Which brings me to Rosie O’Donnell. Why is no one demanding she be taken off the air or punished for her hate-filled rants? She insults everybody, picks fights with whoever she doesn’t like, makes viscous fun of Asians and is in general disgusting. She is held up as an example of tolerance and free speech.

Imus seems like a basically nice guy and almost always backs up and apologizes when he says something particularly mean sounding. Rosie never apologizes and makes up ‘facts’ to back up her hate-filled rants.

I know Sharpton and Jackson haven’t had anything to march over in a while, but they seem to be reaching on this. I’m not defending Imus, he’s a big boy and can defend himself. He plays in the mud and gets dirty sometimes.

What standards are used to determine what is over the line and what isn’t? What can television personalities insult and what should they steer clear of? Are there some groups that are okay to insult? For instance Rosie’s traitorous remarks and making fun of Asians or Jesse Jackson referring to New York Jews as ‘Hymietown’. Are there others that no one should mention if they look ‘rough’, such as women’s basketball teams?

Someone should clarify the rules of what is protected under free speech and what is considered an offense that will get you terminated.

I just don’t understand the double standard.

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From Jim Rose says we’ve created a ridiculous culture:

First off, why do people keep legitimizing Al Sharpton? What kind of screwed up world do we live in where you have to run to him to get forgiveness from the black community? If anything, it’s a huge insult to all African-Americans, as though kissing the feet of a racial demagogue is enough to make anything up to them. Second, Imus is such a joke as a “shock-jock.” He’s been doing his “edgy” shtick for years, but every time someone cries foul, he folds like a deck-chair. Some edge. I’m not saying what he said was okay, but if he’s so shocking he would have told everyone to F-off. Instead we get this stupid-ass dog and pony show where a hack radio host has to apologize for making a racial remark to one of America’s most renowned racist.

From the Median Sib:

There was just a news story on TV that Imus has been ‘temporarily’ yanked from the air. It’s amazing how effective the PC censors can be.