Let The People Decide

What does a Milwaukee morning radio host listen to on the way into work?

This one chooses Don Imus.

His podcasts kept me company the past few months, including this morning when I heard him apologize for his "nappy headed ho's" crack, aimed at the Rutgers University women's basketball team.

There's no sorrying-away what Imus said, although he tried, anywhere that'll have him. His latest happened on this morning's "Today" show. Click on the link, then head for the video portion of the MSNBC website.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/



He talks about "context" and good works for sick kids and friends who are black and how he picks on everyone and....it...all...falls...short. What he said was wrong and now he's getting a two-week corporate sitdown. Some want him gone, others want stronger sanctions, and a few are probably comfortable with what he got. There might even be folks who think it's nothing.

Who should be offended?

The women of the Rutgers University women's basketball team, who are the targets of the comments in question.

Who should decide the fate of Don Imus?

Me. You. Everyone else with a radio or television that receives the Imus program. All come with dials and buttons that determine stations. You run those controls. You also decide what stays and goes.


Not the professionally pissed, like the Reverend Al Sharpton and Reverend Jesse Jackson. Both had their brushes with the ill-said, and they got forgiven. It's not up to them to be upset for ANYONE. Their outrage only seems to manifest itself when the target is large, famous, and obvious. I hope they save some of their anger for the more subtle forms of racism people of all colors endure every day....actions that don't get "Today" live-shots but are facts of life for way too many. Of course, fighting THAT won't get you a half-hour of prime morning television.


It's very easy for the self-righteous to leap onto the "he should be fired" bandwagon--they'll tell you that if you don't agree, well, then, you must endorse racist speech. Not so. You endorse it only if such talk continues, and if you keep consuming it without challenge.


Trust me, nothing--NOTHING--speaks to a broadcaster like low ratings and the lost revenue that comes with them. If enough Imus fans are truly upset, and if his guests (who include tons of Beltway A-listers and network t-v heavies) agree by putting the I-man on the pay-no-mind list, he'll go away. Ignoring the obnoxious, the distasteful and the untalented is the best possible way to make the offending party vanish from the public airwaves.

You're free to say whatever you want in this country--realizing, of course, that comments come with consequences. Imus dodged tons of bullets in his 40 years on the air, and this could be the one that fells him. I've enjoyed having him ride shotgun with me the past couple of months, and I'll probably give him another listen if/when he comes back. I want to see if he truly changes his act, how he'll carry himself on the air, and who's going to still want to play with him after what happened.

As someone who's had his share of on-air gaffes, I'm thankful for the second-chances I've gotten from various station managers during my career. But ultimately, it's the listeners who get to decide your fate.

So should it be with Don Imus.