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Free Speech, enough with that smokescreen BS argument

T

TowerBuzz

Guest
To everyone screaming about "freedom of speech" blah blah, that is the biggest red herring in the whole Imus controversy. It is a complete misguided argument. Imus HAD freefomd of speech, and freedom of speech on a commercial radio station is limited only by fcc, and programming guidelines. So Imus said what he said and just becuase you dont see how it was offensive that does not mean that it was NOT offensive. Everyone here is processing this through their own fliter of experience and most cannot related, or understand. "Hey it was just a joke" is the argument that i have heard over and over again, well again to some it was just a joke, to others it was a very hurtful reminder of a culture that does not vaule the lives, and feelings of certain of it's members. You can say that is BS if you want but again that shows that you lack the experience to be able to even process or underatnd that idea. Again most of you who are screaming about how behind Imus you are in truth most could'nt care less about imus, they'r enot even as much pro Imus as ANTI SHARPTON who is not eeven the point of this discussion in the first place. SO many have such disdain for Sharpton based on his behavior over the years especially in the New YOrk area that they have made this a discussion abouT Sharpton and jackson, neither of whom started the protests over Imus in teh first place. Reality is that whenb Sharpton gets behind something the media tends to follow because he is news, so BLAME THE MEDIA. YOu cant scream about "freedom of speech" and how Imus deserves to say whatever he wants on one hand while at the same time complaining that Sharpton, NOW and other groups and individuals protested Imus as was their right to do by using THEIR FREEDOM OF SPEECH. You have all the freedom of speech you choose as long as you are prepared to deal with the consequences of said freedom of speech. The consequences here were ads being pulled, and the consequences of THAT was Imus getting booted. You want to blame someone blame, Staples, GM, Proctor and Gamble, Johnson and Johson, Bigelo Tea, and on and on down the line of sponsors that ran from imus like rats from the Titanic. Write a letter to the ceo of Staples etc, THEY are the ones that torpedoed Imus, not Sharpton, not Jackson, that is reality. Media companies hardly quuake when Sharpton calls, however when Staples and GM and Proctor and Gamble say they're done with Imus, then the company is done with Imus, NBC, CBS, whoever. There is so much misguided anger in this situation, people who have been bottling up so much weird deflected bigotry who now feel comefortable posting about how Sharpton and Jackson and the liberals have ruined the country, so dumb........ and one idiot wrote in a post titled "free speech used to be worshipped" one of his points was about how this has set race relations back ten years........?????........ are you insane? so this is everyone's fault but Imus becasue was just good old boy Don joking?. So Sharpton and whoever else protested have set race relations back BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T JUST TAKE IT WHEN THEY FELT DISRESPECTED?..........ohh how some long for the good ole days!........ ::)...Ok Sharpton's a clown, but what does that make Imus who has done this stuff time and time again?. He's form the old school and still hasn't figured out that it isnt the same climate as when he started 30 years ago, so that's on HIM for not being savvy enough to know that nobody can do the same things anymore, and that's not censorship, it is the changing values of an ever evolving society.

Imus has a long history of certain biased comments. Unlike Stern who is still clearly a "shock jock" Imus traded that title in years ago when he became the poor man's Tim Russert. You cant be shock guy one day and Political kingmaker the next, it just does not wash. It's not about his freedom of speech being taken away, anyone who spouts that line has so missed the mark it is tragic. Also at least Stern does havee Robin Quivers who while mostly on his side in many cases, when he goes too far she is there to check him on it, or at least provide some dessenting view. When was the last time Imus even had a black GUEST on that show?. He stepped in it again, no two ways about and some people have to learn to deal with what IS rather than being distracted by the presence of Sharpton, he's a footnote in the story at best.

You want be angry at someone? be angry at the ceo's of the companies mentioned who had been in bed with Imus for years, reaped the benefit of exposure on his show (which is strange since his numbers were always weak), they knew who he was yet they still advertised for years, and when he showed his true colors again, and repeated the same sort of racial gaffe that he has time and time again in the past they ran from him.

Talk about hypocrisy!. Take your anger to those who deserve it. It's always a shock to me that people will take time to write novellas here on radio info but wont use the same computer and write a letter to the government, their congressman, their senator, about relevent issues that concern them, or in this case those that actually did the most harm to someone who they're so keen to defend. Excercise your own freedom of speech and stop whining about those who did the same but happened to have a different perspective than yours.

In truth I feel sorry for Imus, an old man who is truly a prisoner of his own arrogance..and why not? for many, many years he's been given a pass and allowed to slide because he was considered by some "a legend". It did not seem to occur to him that he could ever go too far and be called on it. Whose fault is that? how many people personally and professionally just enabled him?.

Sad.
 
He's [Imus] form the old school and still hasn't figured out that it isnt the same climate as when he started 30 years ago

Actually, If you are old enough to remember thirty years ago, youl'd have to say that the atomsphere was far more liberal back then.

Years of high crime, ruined neighborhoods and schools, single parent 'families" other known as broken homes, have been masterfully demogoge-d by the conservatives. Blacks have not exactly been innocent bystanders in this process. Young black males today that buy into the "hip-hop' scene, cultivate a malevolent appearence and demeanor. That may scare some people in the streets, but won't help you politically.

Some good examples of the changed climate are the ending of lifetime welfare payments, scaling back of busing for "integration" elimination of racial quotas for employment and school admissions.


As for the "free speech" argument, I have has this one numerous times, especially when a high profile firing or cancellation occurs.

Many confuse the issue of commerce with free speech rights, whenever some character such as stern is fined or fired, they, just like ponographers, run for the sheltering argument of "free speech". When in these cases what is really at stake is their ability to make a low-brow buck.

These cases do pose an insidious danger to free speech; if you talk to a number of average people and quote some of the utterences of types like stern or imus, in my experience, a majority are surprised that these characters are "permitted" to say this sort of stuff. After all, the vast majority do not listen to these shows and, more alarmingly, assume a far greater degree of govermental control over media content than actually exists.

It's not hard to see that reactionaries, who are allways looking to limit dissent could use the public's disgust at this sort of content to further constrain freedom of expression..

Though I think things are beginning to turn around, it's not hard to see how the disasterous mistakes in social engineering of the 1960s and '70s resulted in the conservatism of today.

Lino
 
Actually, If you are old enough to remember thirty years ago, youl'd have to say that the atomsphere was far more liberal back then.

Yes you have just proved my point. Imus being from the old school has not figured out that the standards have changed. And havee they really? what HAS changed is the blogosphere and such. Remember pre internet if someone said something "offensive" (for lack of a better term) it went off into the either, maybe the station ha dit on the logger but there was no worldwide delivery system for the audio or a transcript. SO maybe things were not so much mor eliberal as people were less informed. If you were not in the market, and listening when it happened how were you to know?.

Please if young black males embrace the "gangsta culture" would you expect elderly, wealthy, white members of the establishment to do the same?.

Be serious.
 
Remember pre internet if someone said something "offensive" (for lack of a better term) it went off into the either, maybe the station ha dit on the logger but there was no worldwide delivery system for the audio or a transcript.
Click to expand...

Not allwas true, in fact on a high-profile show such as Imus or Stern, complaints were lodged with FCC over 20 years ago. Stations (or networks) kept logs and if a complaint was made these were reviewed. The complaintant did have to furnish time of day, station calls. The fine was, untill recently $32G. Stations carrying these shows often regared it as a cost of doing business. They can't anymore the fine is now $325K which, in part explains Stern's departure for Sat Radio.

Blogs played a role here, but it was a liberal watchdog group that recorded Imus' remarks and made them public. This sort of thing was done long before blogs and YouTube, mostly by conservative groups.

Please if young black males embrace the "gangsta culture" would you expect elderly, wealthy, white members of the establishment to do the same?.
Be serious.
Click to expand...

I don't know how to respond to that statement because I don't know what you are trying to say.

Lino
 
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