What’s Wrong With this Picture?
CBS fired Don Imus eight days after his disgusting comments about the Rutgers women’s basketball team. Eight days and tremendous public outcry, not to mention much-belated recognition of Imus’ long history of racist and sexist commentary. Two other shock jocks were fired yesterday, three weeks after they made a racist prank phone call to a Chinese restaurant. And, as Steve M. says, CBS is “breathing an almost audible sigh of relief” that Opie & Anthony joked about raping women to death on their XM show, rather than CBS’s FM version. That apparently allows CBS to distance itself from the remarks without having to fire them.
On the other hand, it took no time at all for CBS to fire Major Gen. John Batiste for appearing in VoteVets ads criticizing George W. Bush’s management of the Iraq war. Gen. Batiste served in the military for thirty years before resigning in protest of Bush’s failed policy. He’s made no secret of that, and CBS certainly knew it when he was hired as a consultant.
So, let’s review. A history of racist, sexist commentary that culminated with an unprovoked attack on a championship-level basketball team? Fired only after a national outcry and the loss of major advertisers. A racist prank call? Fired only after a three-week suspension and outcry from Asian-American groups. Yukking it up about how funny it would be to rape women to death? Oh well, they didn’t do it on our network, so we’re off the hook.
Criticizing the Dear Leader’s war strategy on your own time? You’re outta here!
May 13th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
Where’s the outrage over Rush Limbaugh’s “Barack, the Magic Negro” song? Evidently he’s been hyper-playing it since March, but the press didn’t think it worthy news? I would provide a link, but I am computer-stupid. Google at will.
May 13th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
I’ve read the words to that lovely little ditty, and you’re right — it should be at the top of the outrage pile. I’m beginning to think that Limbaugh, Savage, Beck, et al, can get away with anything because they make money for their sponsors. And they can marshal the “anti-censorship” forces to scream anytime they’re criticized, secure in the knowledge that the general public doesn’t understand the difference between the right to free speech and the privilege of hosting a talk show.
May 13th, 2007 at 11:48 pm
Rush Limbaugh runs his own show, so he’d have to fire himself. I guess the stations he’s on could stop playing him, but that would be both silly and cost defective.
I didn’t personally think Don Imus deserved to get fired for his comment, but that’s mainly because I had barely even heard OF Imus prior to the news about and I’ve never listened to his commentary. But if hthe people who give him money didn’t want his services anymore, that’s their business. Same with the other fellas you mentioned.
I don’t know anything about Batiste (don’t watch CBS), but if they think it’s smarter to fire him, then fine. I’ll continue to not watch their network.
I’m not saying it makes sense, I’m just saying it’s their decisions. I know you weren’t really saying it wasn’t (and you pointed out the “freedom of speech / freedom to be provided a forum” thingie that I always harp on), but I just don’t get too worked up over stuff like this. The internet provides me access to just about everything and everyone I want an opinion from and it’s a better medium to find that raw data so that I can make my own conclusions.
May 14th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
Is there some sort of “unspoken gag order” on posting about Doug Layton? I’ve been googling my fingers off…
And yet even in this post you don’t mention him — seems pertinent to me.
May 14th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
Tricia, AFAIK, his situation isn’t clear. I heard that he had been fired, but then I heard that Gene Lankford, a United Methodist pastor who works with Hispanic ministries, had been invited to appear on his show and discuss the situation. Let me see what I can find out.
May 14th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
Thanks, Kathy.
Last I heard Rev. Lankford appeared on his show Friday, and things went quickly downhill. But I don’t necessarily trust our local TV talking heads to tell the whole story in their 30-second soundbite.