Matthew Yglesias, talking more Imus sense:
"I don't really see the comparison between Don Imus talking about "nappy headed hos" and hip-hop artists rapping about "bitches" and "hos". I don't see US Senators and major political journalists doing guest appearances on rap albums and praising misogynistic rappers as praiseworthy sources of information on weighty topics. Indeed, quite the reverse. Politicians generally enjoy hanging out with celebrities (enjoy it a bit too much for their own good) with shy away from rappers for precisely this reason."But what about Ludacris' boast that "by the time you figure out why your record ain't spinnin/I'm in the strip club smokin, with President Clinton"? Posted by Stephen Silver at April 12, 2007 05:16 PM
Believe me, I have no sympathy here for Imus. However, I despise the people who fired him more than I despise him. If you are going to hire someone to make millions of dollars for you by being a jerk on the radio, firing him when he's more of a jerk than normal seems hypocritical to me.
I have to say I also don't think any entertainer who uses similar language has any defense either. Frankly, the hypocrisy meter is wayyy off the scale on this one. If Imus is a jerk for saying what he said, and he is, then anyone else who says similar things is also a jerk.
However, record companies have yet to have Sharpton and others attack them. Until that happens, they're going to continue happily raking in money while their performers make racist and sexist comments.
Posted by: Rob Howell at April 13, 2007 08:08 PM