My politics and humor is in line with Bill Mahr and I understand why Bill Mahr has a good friendship with Ann Coulter even though they differ on politics.

If Coulter was a humorist like Maher is, I'd buy that for a nickel. She isn't. She's a paid flack whose charter is to seek out & destroy political enemies. Reference: Elves. Federalist Society.

I know all about institutional racism, I went to see Angela Davis last night.

Oh? I didn't go see Angela Davis, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.

I think if Imus was making jokes about Jews we would not be having this conversation right now.

Neither would Imus. His partner Sid Rosenberg probably would have reached across the table and punched him in his worthless, jabbering maw.

If Condeleeza Rice was working for a Democratic or otherwise liberal president, Angela Davis would not have made jokes about her case being one of diversity gone awry last night.

Condoleeza Rice wouldn't be working for Al Gore or John Kerry (a) because she is a Republican loyalist, and (b) because she is otherwise under-qualified to hold the jobs that she's held in the Bush administration. The fact that she's our chief diplomat is a cruel joke.

Rush Limbaugh said today there is an "industry of the offended" be it from racism to second hand smoke. I agree, I'm sure Sharpton has loved the ratings and Jackson the renewed speaking engagements.

You realize that you are defending the man who made cheap sport of a Parkinson's sufferer and the same guy who lost his job at ESPN because he said some racially-charged stuff about Donovan McNabb, right?

And why is it that Sharpton and Jackson are considered fair game by the people who bray the loudest about "political correctness?"

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People getting rich. Some people saying "Markets!" More death. Neil Young. Death.

It is one thing to make nasty cracks about politicians and rich entertainers, or even well-paid professional athletes, black or white. It is quite another to make that kind of a "joke" about a bunch of 18-21 year old kids who are just trying to excel. It wasn't even a "slip". He actually heard the word from one of the other people in his crew and he expanded on it and made it worse. Then he goes on Sharpton's show and talks about "you people".

There is just no excuse.

So it's "Political Correctness Gone Awry" when Imus uses the basest, nastiest words to describe black women who are, by all accounts, hard-working, accomplished young people?

Successful humor dealing with race, I think, serves to undermine stereotypes, or foster discussion in some way, or simply make fun of racists and racist views, overtly or in a subtle way. Do you see any of that here?

Imus ought to have his ass canned.

A misogynistic bigot who doesn't know better than to keep those beliefs to himself should not have the platform that this man has. It doesn't matter who his friends are, nor does it matter that other public figures have said other awful things. One at a time ...

not stickin up fer the guy , he should have stfu, maybe used one of his brain cells to ponder.."should I say this rite now?....."
my question, if a black fella, radio/tv type, say, called (insert white team here) a buncha "greasy haired crackers" or ho's(if they are ladies) would there been half as much stink brought up? just a question, i aint sayin he was right in what he did,

and Rush Limp-Jaw, is just a shill, he and o'reily should get married and have offspring, and bring about the anti-christ......

I like politically inccorect humor as an equal opportunity offender.

Hey, why not let's turn this into a game. Kinda like "Name that Tune."

I wager I can utterly and completely offend your sensibilities in...10 words.

And I can have you calling your lawyer in 15.

Have you ever been in a group and watched when someone was going to tell a racially, ethnically or sexually off color joke? Typically the jokester looks around to see who is close or behind him first. That is because only the biggest morons or, those who believe they are somehow above prosecution do not bother to consider their audience. That is what that glance around is you know, verifying their audience. Imus is broadcast on CBS radio and MSGOP TV. There are no excuses for what he said or how he said it. Period.

I have sat and had beers with clergy and told ribald jokes with them. You know where? In a fucking bar. In church, I suspect that we both would completely avoid that behavior. I might speak to a group of bikers in a different way than I would a league of women voters meeting. That is because I am smart enough to consider my audience and recognize the value in doing so. I'm very disappointed that you do not see that and suggest that you reconsider your position.

Imus should be canned. Not for two weeks, for life with his current employers. If some local yokels wish to hire him, I could not and would not stop them but, regardless of the meaningless disclaimers, Imus DOES represent the views of CBS and MSGOP until they show that he doesn't.

CAFKIA

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It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.
  - William G. McAdoo

Personally, I felt insulted just a couple of days ago while reading a National Geographic. The author of the article that I was reading was comparing Neanderthals to Hillbillies. I thought about taking National Geographic to court and suing them, but I was afraid my testimony might only offer them more evidence to support their claim.

Adrift in the Sea of Humility

Matthew Yglesias:

What was the joke here? One can imagine such a thing as a racist joke. There's an anti-semitic joke I like that goes "what's the difference between a Jew and a canoe?" Answer: "A canoe tips." That's a joke, albeit an anti-Jewish one. "Nappy-headed hos" isn't, as far as I can tell, an actual joke any more than "George Soros is a rich, greedy kike" is a joke (get it?). It's just a racist insult.

The whole exchange was just bizarre. Who thinks throwing out random racist remarks, just in and of itself, is funny?

The most surreal Imus show, though, was on the morning of Sept 11. I turned his show on before getting into the shower, about 2 minutes after the second plane crashed into the WTC, and I literally had no idea for almost 15 minutes that he wasn't making the Worst Fucking Joke Ever. Jesus. He's completely incapable of not sounding like an wise-ass jerk, even when he's deadly serious.

... to screw American discourse after Imus. They're giving us Michael Smerconish.

Liberty and justice for all.

The fact is that if Chris Rock had been in exactly the same situation and said exactly the same thing he'd still have a job. The great thing about constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech is that it protects even speech that is offensive to the majority. I'm no fan of Imus. I think he's an ass and his show is (was) boring, but he shouldn't have been fired unless the market dictated it. Not Jesse "Hymietown" Jackson and Al "white interlopers" Sharpton. There is a very disturbing trend in this country to absolutely destroy anyone who says the wrong un-pc thing in a public forum.
Political correctness is a concept created by the old soviet union. If you held political or social views that were considered incorrect you were sent to a re-education camp until you were "corrected". Remind you of anyone recently? Perhaps the actor who went into rehab to repent for the unpardonable sin of using the word "faggot" to describe a co-worker? Do we really want to inch ever closer to a marxist society here in the land of the free? When your life or career can be destroyed because of something you said, things are going way too far.

I'm no fan of Imus. I think he's an ass and his show is (was) boring, but he shouldn't have been fired unless the market dictated it.

Well, look at how many advertisers pulled out of Imus' show before Imus was fired.

Markets!!! Markets!!! Markets!!! Markets!!! Markets!!! Markets!!! Markets!!! Markets!!! Markets!!! Markets!!! Markets!!!

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"If people think nature is their friend, then they sure don't need an enemy." K. Vonnegut, 1922-2007

The advertisers pulled out because they were scared of the rabble rousers Sharpton and Jackson. His ratings were as good as ever.

The advertisers pulled out because they were scared of the rabble rousers Sharpton and Jackson. His ratings were as good as ever.

So, if Sharpton speaks and no one reacts, do his words still have an impact?

See also: Duke rape case.

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"If people think nature is their friend, then they sure don't need an enemy." K. Vonnegut, 1922-2007

How dare those black rabble-rousers keep the white man Imus down!

So do you have any evidence that the advertisers pulled out exclusively because of their "fear" of Sharpton and Jackson? Or do you just "know"?

"There is a very disturbing trend in this country to absolutely destroy anyone who says the wrong un-pc thing in a public forum."

Seen "South Park" lately? Guess not.

My thought is that the advertisers were afraid of what Sharpton and Jackson picketing in front of their buildings would do, so they pulled. same as the country stations did when they banned the Dixie Chicks, they didn't want a right-wing frenzie of people calling their stations or advertisers anti-American so they caved. neither was a true public outcry, just a loud few worked into a hysteria. many folks would like to see South Park pulled as well, and they have its whole run, as well as Rosie O'Donnel, Rush Limbaugh, many video games, anything that makes them squirm.

The advertisers pulled out because they were scared of the rabble rousers Sharpton and Jackson. His ratings were as good as ever.

The advertisers pulled out because they no longer wanted to advertise on Imus' show. Imus was not fired because of what he said, he was fired because he lost his advertisers and was no longer going to be making money. The advertisers thought this because thousands of people were emailing them telling them they would no longer use their products. Jackson and Sharpton were not the ones behind the emailing campaign, although they certainly helped promote it. People from Kos and other blogs were. What finally happened is that the market decided Imus' fate. And now we have white men whining like little kids because they do like what the market decided. Quit being wussies and accept what the market has dictated. You live by the market, you die by the market. God, I hate big babies.

Kos and other blogs are part of the hysterical echo crowd. Most people probably didn't care.

His advertisers did in the end. Let the market make the decision. Why are you whining? After the main stream media and the GOP spent 8 years as a hysterical echo chamber relating to anything Clinton, and are doing it again, why are you suddenly complaining about a hysterical echo chamber now- not that I am calling the lefty blogs a hysterical echo chamber myself, those are your GOP talking points. An old rich white man got canned. Why should I care? He was a lying, bitter, old talk radio host who never should have been on the radio to begin with.

How much are you going to whine about this? Are you really an 8 year-old girl?

"Most people probably didn't care."

Those of us who are concerned about how the world views our daughters care. Trust me.

Oh, and Bill Maher has also made some incredibly stupid remarks about women; we care about that too. But, that friendship thing with Ann Coulter? That you've even given that relationship the amount of thought required to "understand" it is, well, just creepy.

Shorter Stacey Diamond:

"You should agree with me about Al Sharpton. Any other consensus is an echo chamber."

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Georgia's in Florida, dumbass!

Ann Coulter... mmmmmm what a babe!