Imus insults black people

Such a firestorm about his remarks about Rutgers' Women's basketball team (he called them "nappy-headed hos" on his radio show). Of course I'm glad that people are objecting, and loudly. A colleague of mine said, "he's not racist," which is the standard defense for someone who makes thoughtless remarks. I replied that saying "nappy-headed" was racist by definition. But I'm more bothered by this knee-jerk defense of a high-profile white guy. I think most whites, especially white men, need to believe that racism doesn't exist, or if it does, other whites are not afflicted. I don't think Imus hates and/or fears blacks, but there are different kinds of prejudice, and feeling comfortable making such an ugly and disparaging remark, publically no less, is certainly an indication of something dark in his soul. Misogyny is obviously included.

ADDENDUM April 11, 2007

MSNBC has dropped the a.m. simulcast of Imus's radio show and has the unmitigated gall to state that it's due to the moral values of the Board. If they had fired him immediately after this brouhaha started, that unlikely statement might have credibility, but since they waited until half the show's sponsors dropped their contracts, it seems much more probable that the basis of their decision was purely financial. Another example of extreme corporate hypocrisy. It's hardly surprising, but it's still disappointing that they can offer such a bald-faced lie with such equanimity.