Dale Jackson said:
robbbc said:
I bet most people in the US would be fired if they made a racist comment at work
You should be done, because racial slurs at work or on air are not first amendment issues at all.
No, no, no. Apparently, I am not quite done. The comment I addressed was very general (please read it again, above) and pertains to far more than just the broadcast industry or to what goes out over the air. It said that "most people in the US would be fired if they made a racist comment at work" - which I maintain is not (and should not be) true.
If I'm in my office and say "nappy-headed ho" in the same context as Imus, I'd have one hell of a lawsuit if fired for that. Naturally, the details dictate everything. But, for sake of argument, let's say it happened in the course of chit-chat as was the case on Imus.
My point is that what is said over the air (which has implications with skittish advertisers) is not necessarily the same thing as what can be said at work in an office. Which IS a first amendment issue. Yes, some workplaces are gradually trying to overreach (IMO) with respect to placing things under the umbrella of 'harassment,' but most also know to tread lightly. At worst, such a remark would generally result in being dragged into HR for a lecture (IF someone complained). Not dismissal.
Again, I understand that saying things into an open mike is different than in a closed office environment. And, broadcast professionals usually have contracts and/or codes of conduct to follow. For example, swear words or certain statements into a mike will get you fired. And, those are rules that the average U.S. worker does not have.
But, then again, I am not the one who tried to equate the two (see original quote above). I guess my second point was that the level to which the "thought police" have gotten in controlling our individual speech rights is scary. And, so many people are merrily going along with it. It is disturbing. Nowhere is it written that we all need to agree with each other.
Let us not forget that "tolerance" is a two-way street. Freedom means defending speech that we often find to be disagreeable and/or distasteful. Not just politically correct. And, after all, what Imus said was truly dumb - but not really that bad. OK, he was a jerk. We know that. But, ultimately, he made a mistake. Don't we all?
Too often, the "punishment" doesn't fit the crime. Just ask Dwayne "Dog" Chapman. What's next, do we imprison people who make "racist" statements? Forced rehab? If so, perhaps we should start with rappers.
Dale, where we can agree is that the winner here is clearly Don Imus. He collected on a settlement from CBS, got a few months off, and has a new job with an equally good employer. He also has a much higher stature than he did before Rutgers. Most of the nation never gave his dull show a thought. Now he is a household word.
