Sharpton nailed it

[Michael Tee]

<<Possibly. Do you not get shows like "Soul Train" and the like up there? They're on broadcast TV in the US, and include many rap and hip-hop artists.>>

I've seen Soul Train but really don't recall anyone rappin about shooting cops, smackin down bitches and hos etc.  I just assumed some kind of network censorship.  Seemed pretty mainstream to me.  Something like the old Ed Sullivan show not showing Elvis from the waist down.

[kimba1]

He [Sharpton] said that record companies need to drop artists that use the term "hoes" to refer to black females

sharpton got it all wrong rappers never called black females "hoes"
they call females in general "hoes"
his statement would mean it`s ok to call non-black females "hoes"

[Amianthus]

I've seen Soul Train but really don't recall anyone rappin about shooting cops, smackin down bitches and hos etc.

Not seen it lately?

[Universe Prince]

But isn't it all a big joke because rappers still rap and hip hoppers still hop?  Bullshit and nonsense.  Apples and oranges.  Rappers and hip-hoppers are performance artists, nothing more, nothing less.  They portray characters to an audience (which one survey says are mostly teenage suburban white males) which has equal access to slasher movies, hard- and soft-core porn and anything else the First Amendment guarantees and protects.  They DON'T have prime-time access to every American living room.  That's one umbrella they DON'T shelter under.  The fact that most of their performances are accessed in ways meant to prevent minors or unsuspecting adults from accidentally witnessing them imprints them with a message that these guys are so marginal that ONLY America's devotion to freedom of speech permits their work to be enjoyed at all.  And now Imus and his ilk are so categorized as well.

No, it isn't all a big joke, but you might be. One of my main problems with this issue is just exactly this sort of double standard. Imus said "nappy hos" once or twice, and people are screaming about racism and how important his being fired is. And many if not most of those people are excusing much worse language used repeatedly by rappers and such because, well, golly, they're rappers. There is your bullshit and nonsense.

And that is why I have a very hard time taking all these accusations of racism seriously. Lots of people make big noise about racism, and when a media circus starts up, they quickly join in, whooping and hollering, following the bandwagon. But start pointing out something worse to them, they get all indignant and start insisting that you don't understand just how really important this is. Why is it important? Because it gives them an excuse to feel like they're saying something important.

Oh yeah, Imus and his ilk have been so marginalized. I'm sure those folks will all now think twice before saying something bad about female, African-American basketball players. We really showed them. We can now all feel good about ourselves because we condemned racism. Now we can go back to ignoring it until the next media circus. (Yes, I know, that was sarcasm. Old habits die hard.)

I watched with some revulsion liberals and conservatives unite to oppose Dubai Ports World because they're in Dubai. I regularly see and hear people talk about how we have to stop jobs from going to non-Americans, either because they're overseas or because they're here but it's all supposedly ruining our culture just the same. And yet somehow this public condemnation of one man, a mostly irrelevant man until now, is somehow a major and culturally important issue? No, but if you really believe it is, I have some ocean-front property in Wyoming I can sell you real cheap. Or maybe a bridge or two if you prefer. Anyone interested in buying a genuine Mona Lisa?

[Amianthus]

his statement would mean it`s ok to call non-black females "hoes"

I wouldn't be surprised if Sharpton feels that way. He seemed to specify black females, using the term "our women".

[The_Professor]

He [Sharpton] said that record companies need to drop artists that use the term "hoes" to refer to black females

sharpton got it all wrong rappers never called black females "hoes"
they call females in general "hoes"
his statement would mean it`s ok to call non-black females "hoes"

However, that word is really short for whores, so is it not still unacceptable, regardless of color?

[Michael Tee]

<<Not seen it lately?>>

Get to the point.  Do they or don't they feature hard-core rap lyrics, e.g. killing cops (without remorse,) smackin down hos and bitches?

(Of course I haven't seen it lately - - I would have told you unequivocally what they do or do not show.)

[kimba1]

However, that word is really short for whores, so is it not still unacceptable, regardless of color?


you`re right
but the context is totally diiferent
it`s said not to call them whores ,but as a term of control
ex. need to keep them bitches in thier place.

so it`s not to insult,but to demean
did I make it worst?

[Amianthus]

Get to the point.  Do they or don't they feature hard-core rap lyrics, e.g. killing cops (without remorse,) smackin down hos and bitches?

I've not seen it lately, either, but it's my understanding that they do. Even if they don't, there are other shows on broadcast tv where they do.

You continue to act as if Canadian television broadcasts are indicative of those in the US; they're not. There is a reason why Canadians are breaking Canada's laws to get US television, but people in the US aren't breaking US laws to get Canadian television (mostly because it's against the law for Canadians to buy US television service, but it's not against the law for Americans to buy Canadian television service).

[Plane]

It pains me a bit to defend Imus .


He is constantly saying stuff I whish were not said.


But I defended Ann Colter so I need to defend Imus , I can't have it such that I defend the first admendmendment only for conservatives and not for liberals.


If Imus is rejected by National leaders , Religious leaders , Racial leadeers etc. that doesn't mean he ought to be fired.

If he is rejected by his listening audence , then for sure he ought to be fired .

He is the servant of his listener not the other way around.

[Lanya]

Just like Ann Coulter's losing newspapers who will print her columns, Imus lost advertisers who wanted to be associated with him.  This was not a fine or a sentence handed down by the government, it was driven by market forces.  Howard Stern, on the other hand, did have a gov't fine.  Where were you all then? 
This isn't a free speech issue (IMO).  It's a market issue. 

[BT]

And if the market responds with an offer for Imus to host a satellite show like Stern does, then you would have no problem with that?

Because it probably would not be a bad move on satellite radios part bringing in a guy with a built in audience.

[Lanya]

I won't listen to Stern or Imus, but that's beside the point.  If the market will bear another Imus show, and if he doesn't say  things that  make advertisers run from him in droves or tie him up in litigation, then he'll have a show. 
It's just not a free speech issue.  We all have the right to freedom of speech.  We do not any of us have the right to a platform for that speech.

[Religious Dick]

If Imus is rejected by National leaders , Religious leaders , Racial leadeers etc. that doesn't mean he ought to be fired.

If he is rejected by his listening audence , then for sure he ought to be fired .

He is the servant of his listener not the other way around.

Indeed, he is. I wouldn't have known Imus from Adam a week ago, now I'm intimately familiar with every detail of his life.

What do you want to bet within 6 months, he's back on the air with a fatter contract and a bigger audience than ever?

Best publicity stunt since Sinead O'Connor tore up a picture of the Pope, or the Dixie Chicks slagged Bush in London...

There's no such thing as bad publicity.
--Keith Richards

[Universe Prince]

Howard Stern, on the other hand, did have a gov't fine.  Where were you all then?

Then, I thought Stern was offensive (still do), but I thought the demands for him to be fired were stupid. And I thought the government was wrong to fine him. How about you?