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April 16, 2007
An Upcoming Birthday, the I-Man and Rutgers, and Mother Nature on Crack
The Thinking Fool will be two years old in just over two weeks. If the site celebrates a third birthday (which I suspect it will, but no guarantees on that), I have no idea what I’ll be doing or if I’ll still be living in the Washington, D.C. area. However, I do know one thing for certain. I won’t be working where I’m currently working, and for that, I’m eternally thankful. I don’t do well with being bored, and I’ve been bored at my current job since day one, which was approximately 19 months ago. Needless to say, it’s been a long time, and I’m eager to say bye-bye, even if I love my boss and most of the people I encounter at work. Any ideas on how to celebrate the Fool’s second birthday? I’m open to suggestions.
I don’t feel like writing a long diatribe about the absurdity that was the Don Imus terminations, but I’ll just let it be known that one stupid joke – said without malice – is not worthy of the death penalty. It’s like the guy committed a misdemeanor and had capital punishment imposed on him. The show made fun of everyone – black, white, Jew, Christian, conservative, liberal, wife, husband, brother, old, young, Muslim, bald, fat, etc. – that’s just the way they did things. Over the last week, I’ve read almost every single column written about Imus, and I think Pat Buchanan’s is the best. Check it out.
The captain of the Rutgers team said that Imus stole “a moment of pure grace from us.” Really? Is she serious? I don’t doubt that his comment was offensive and hurt the players, but were they really in a state of pure grace when they heard about his comments? Last time I checked, they lost the championship game. They did not win. I don’t know what it was like for you when you played sports, but I was involved in a couple championship games when my team lost, and even though I never took winning or losing all that seriously, I never once felt like I was in “a moment of pure grace” after losing a championship contest. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think the Rutgers team was as giddy as it claims it was after losing, even if the team did much better than everyone expected.
Another quote that struck me as absurd was the following one: “We were stripped of this moment by degrading comments made by Mr. Imus last Wednesday. What hurts the most about this situation is that Mr. Imus knows not one of us personally.” (Emphasis added.) Really? The fact that he didn't know any of them really hurt the most? Since when do strangers’ words hurt more than friends’ words? Maybe I lead a different life than most people, but I take insults hurled at me from family members and friends a hell of a lot more seriously than ones hurled at me by strangers, especially ones in cowboy hats with radio shows (and yes, I've been insulted by such a figure).
I can’t find the quote, but I remember reading something about one of the players where it was suggested that this was the worst thing that has ever happened to her. (Maybe I dreamed this. If I did, disregard the following.) If that is in fact the case, as someone who has lived an incredibly blessed life – with wonderful parents, human relationships, and great educational opportunities – I would just like to say that even though my life has been great, if this is the worst thing that has happened to one of these players, I would very much like to trade lives with her.
Hmm, so much for not writing much about this.
Finally, would whoever is in charge of the March lion please come claim him. He was supposed to leave at the end of March and be replaced by a lamb. Well, so far, the son-of-a-bitch hasn't gone anywhere. It's time for the weather to turn a little warmer!
Comments
We're in different geographical areas, and I agree completely. That lion needs to die.... but I think he might have eaten the lamb we're looking for.
Damn him.
Posted by: Faith at April 16, 2007 11:23 AM
Hey, have you read the comments of Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star? Worth checking out.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1815474/posts
Posted by: teahouseblossom at April 16, 2007 08:02 PM
Hey, hey, hey! I don't think the lion needs to die; he just needs to be removed promptly and without any sort of disturbance! :)
THB, I did, in fact, read the Whitlock column. Thanks for passing it along.
Posted by: Fool at April 16, 2007 11:40 PM
I was curious to see your response. Personally, I think Imus is coarse, juvenile and crude, but it sells so CBS and co. kept him on. I don't buy into the "he insults everyone this way so that makes it OK" rationale, either. It means he's rude and nasty to everyone... ie, a jerk. Maybe its a generational thing, but insult humor isn't ...well, funny. What is funny is all the liberals who once flocked to him now running the other way when the light is shined on his show. I am reminded of the great scene in Casablanca where Lt. Renault is "shocked to find that gambling is going on" at Ricks, and is then handed his winnings by the maitre de. Imus was crude and rude for years and not one of the bleeding heart liberals seemed to mind. But nothing compares to Al Sharpton acting as the moral compass for the nation. Now, my choice for immediate firing...the 88 faculty members of Duke University who convicted those lacrosse players without a trial. Yep, lets hear their apologies... then their resignations.
Posted by: Lo at April 18, 2007 04:44 PM
Just escort the lion out of the building please. No death necessary.
Posted by: LisaBinDaCity at April 18, 2007 08:27 PM
I'm a bleeding heart liberal who never liked Imus. He honestly was not very liberal, but as the right thinks that anyone on popular media who hasn't drunk the "we are winning in Iraq" Kool-Aid is practically a jihadist, this doesn't suprise me.
To be honest I find the whole "but... but... Rappers call women ho's too!!!!" line of argument completely disengenious.
Allow me a brief moment of honesty to explain why:
1. White folk don't get to call black folk names anymore. Black folk can call white folk whatever they want. I know, its unfair, but so was 200 years of slavery. You got the better end of the deal. Trust me.
2. Don Imus is old. Oooooollllllddddd..... I don't care how many cowboy hats you wear grampa, show the dignity of a man who is over 60 years old for Shrists sake. I can understand young people disrespecting women, as most young people are complete idiots and should ignored completely. But I just think it is creepy when an old guy calls a young person ho's.
3. Yes the press conference was unseemly, and the women seemed to have ridiculously thin skin. But hey, I'll go with the eggshell-skull doctrine here: it's not their fault they have thin skins, Imus still shouldn't have said it.
4. The reason Imus is off the air is because advertisers decided that a decrepit old white racist just wasn't going to sell their product. Free market at work, conservatives should love it.
Posted by: over_educated at April 23, 2007 07:34 AM
Lo, We disagree. I think insult humor can be quite amusing.
Over_educated, I agree that white folks don't get to call black folks whatever they want. I've never argued otherwise. I disagree that the free market was able to work. His product was discontinued before the market was allowed to undergo a massive correction. And some advertisers canceled their contracts with WFAN (his home station) when CBS fired him as a show of support for the I-Man. The Rutgers coach signed a book deal following the incident. I wish someone would insult me and let me write a book about it (for money).
Posted by: Fool at April 24, 2007 12:22 AM
