Imus ''sucked'' yet billed 15 million a year for the radio show.
If Imus indeed billed 15 million, being the sad hack he was, it makes me wonder how much they could have been billing since 1986, had 66 been smart enough to toss him then. 15 million isn't that huge in New York, anyhow. It might be considerable for an AM sports outlet, however.
His ''nappy headed ho's'' comment was certainly excessive
And apparently racist, sexist, and without merit, considering who he said it about, without provocation...
But how can the African - American community ask for tolerance and acceptance when they regularly use ''ho'' and the ''n'' word when talking to each other?
A bit of a generalization, don't you think? Do you really believe the ENTIRE African-American community speaks that way? I know quite a few folks that would take issue with that statement, and fight against that very stereotype.
A white man says ''ho'' and he loses his big, fat paying radio job. Snoop Dogg says ''ho'' and sells a zillion copies of the cd.
Not always the case. Steve Carelle (sp?) said "ho" in "40 year old virgin", and "Rollin' wit Bob Saget", (very funny Jamie Kennedy music video.) or "Malibu's most wanted", can show how at least some comedians can do it, and be as white as wonder bread.
The difference here, is Imus didn't have parody in mind, at all. His motives, were not nearly as humorous, it seems. It also doesn't help that Imus ceased to be funny sometime in the early 1980's. Him calling his detractors "b*stards" in his supposed apology phase, probably didn't help, either.
Snoop Dogg, however wrong it truly is, in all aspects, is "going where the food is", for him. It really is that simple. When the records stop selling with those words in it, he'll change his tune. He knows how to play whatever game makes him money, see "Starsky & Hutch" for example. He's no monument to morality, but neither are some of his detractors, like say, Bill O'Reilly. Rap is big business, and so is speaking out against it, which is why, folks like snoop and O'Reilly will dry their eyes with 100 dollar bills for months to come. That's where the food is. It's not right, but it is, what it is.
If corporate America (CBS) is going to stone Imus for his commentary, then it (Capitol Records) needs also to disavow racism from ALL corners, including the African - American community.
So Capitol records will single handedly change people's minds? That's really what it will take to fix this. When the public starts buy gazillions of singles like Bobby Womack's "Across 110th street" and less of the "Gin & Juice", will real change happen because of the record industry.
If Capitol Records, or anyone can accomplish that, we'll be better off. Ultimately "Corporate America" is difficult to hold accountable. They are simply going "where the food is". They cannot solve the very problem they had a hand in. They'll never know how, until there is money in it. Money is truly the root of all evil, isn't it? Sure seems that way. And when folks like Sharpton can gain influence, money, and power, by increasing the "victim" mentality, they are feeding the much larger problem, too.
Imus, and his stupid comments, never really hurt anyone, other than himself, and the credibility of those who gave him a microphone. It's when comments like that, and "black cable channels" become something other than talking points, for those who make money spreading the separatism, that's when we'll see the real resolve.
When we ALL stop seeing each other as "White" and "Black", we can end some of the racism. This utopia has yet to surface. CFKane