In Other Imus News

Guess who’s sticking up for this man:

Are you ready?

Today on The View (my favorite show that I’ve never seen) Rosie declared that Imus’s “nappy headed ho’s” comments were, and should be, protected free speech:

JAMIE-LYNN SIGLER: I think people who have a public voice just need to be conscious then of what they’re saying and the effect that it can have and understand that there’s going to be consequences if they say things like that.
O’DONNELL: Right, you just worry if the consequences, you know —

BEHAR: Because you could be next.

O’DONNELL: -impede upon- which is all right. If that happens, it happens. But the point of the story is, if it impedes on free speech in America, democracy is at stake. Because democracy is based on freedom of speech and freedom of the press. So we really have to worry about that in this country.

[Applause]

HASSELBECK: And we should be concerned and responsible without freedom too.

O’DONNELL: Right, but it’s not a freedom if you outlaw certain words or thoughts, because then the thought police come and then before you know it, everyone’s in Guantanamo Bay without representation.

Unfortunately I haven’t found any video of the conversation but I’ll post it if I do.

Via Newsbusters

Comments

Rosie is wrong to defend this hate speech. "Ho" and "Nappy head" are bad words.

Rosie is confused. She should know that it's always OK to call someone a faggot on television. Isaiah Washington even won award after he call a gay collegue a faggot.

That's because faggots call each other faggot.

But as I Jew I know how painful it is when hipsters at a party say "She's a Jew". It's as though I've been raped.

You can call something you don't like "gay". That move is so "gay" means the film is retarded.

But using "Jew" or the N word or the D word in the media is a no, no. It should be illegal. Manhattan made the N word illegal. Seattle should too.

Of course she's right that it's protected speech, and because it's unpopular speech, it's the kind that needs the most protection.

But not from the people who are protesting. It deserves complete and total protection from the government. I applaud her defense of free speech, but the fact of the matter is that censorship can only be carried out by government. Private corporations punishing commercially damaging speech by their employees in the course of their employment isn't censorship. Calling for a boycott isn't censorship. It's another form of speech.

Rosie seems determined to prove what an idiot she is on a daily basis. Seriously, she doesn't understand the difference between freedom of speech (from government censorship) and getting shit for racist comments?! As if freedom of speech means no one should ever be held responsible (on a personal and financial, not legal basis) for what they say?

Then why not all those rap acts and comedians and bar patrons and ooo i dare say it your classmates and coworkers. Pretty soon you'll find everyone has said will say it and that doesn't make it right but if we funnel money to into media(not just news people) then we are aiding and abetting inflamotory remarks. Telivision will go on without your money or support. Fine don't watch Imus. But we won't be giving a rats ass either when comedy central posts sexists racist remarks everyday. Pretty soon thought police your own heros will fall the same way. This year has been full of this nutty behavior. Even rosie with her " Ching chong ' comments on the chinese. She still is a hero on the view.
And I don't want anyone telling me I cannot call Imus a 'white trailer trash uncle perv mo fo."
Not all uncles are pervs and white people are trailer trash but just sayin is all. Sorry I apoligize.
I'm starting to miss the 90s already if times are looking like these.jeez.

I don't know what she's complaining about; she pretty much got a free pass for her equally racist Asian slur of a several months ago, and she more recently endorsed the 9/11 conspiracy 'theory' without much flak.

Maybe she thinks Imus should be ignored as much as she seems to be.

She is right. People like Imus can say whatever they want. They will probably just have to answer for it.

Personally, I'd rather hear people say stuff like that so we know what they are thinking. If Imus said it, a lot of other people may be thinking the same way. This gives people the opportunity to respond, say he was wrong and change how he thinks and other people may change how they think as well.

Rosie was fairly correct on this one. But this is something I am flip flopping on all over the place. One one hand what Imus said was totally wrong (when you look at just this incident) but taken with things he has said before and how he defended himself there is obviously grounds for canning him from the simulcast on MSNBC.

But where was the massive outrage with Ann Coulter's remarks about Edwards a few weeks ago? And where is the outrange with Rush or M. Savage? And where was the outrage OVER A WEEK AGO when this actually happened?

There is some manipulation of the media coverage on this whole issue that no one is talking about.

Celeb In Other Imus News Posted by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee on April 11 at 19:09 PM

Comments

Celeb In Other Imus News
Posted by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee on April 11 at 19:09 PM