Imus In The Toilet

All Eyes On The "Bye-Man"

In addition to the justified outrage of every parent whose child is working hard to achieve excellence as they begin adult life - as are these young women from Rutgers, Deirdre Imus' reaction to her husband's idiocy will be brutal. He calls her the "Green Ho". She's gonna call him a cab.

"'The NCAA and Rutgers University are offended by the insults on MSNBC's Don Imus program toward the 10 young women on the Rutgers basketball team,' their statement read. 'It is unconscionable that anyone would use the airways to utter such disregard for the dignity of human beings who have accomplished much and deserve great credit.'"

You just can't make this stuff up, eh I-man ?

...and from 'Beat Visitor', a message-board poster:

"Just one question for those of you who say 'Hey Relax, it's only a joke.'

"How would you feel if this were YOUR daughter these three old men were joking about on air?

These fine players for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights are mostly freshmen and sophomores; none are old enough to drink. It would be wrong if Imus and his buddies were making racist comments about male adult professionals, but they are commenting on the appearance, race, and sexual actiity of players who are just out of high school, which makes it hundreds of times worse.

Again, what if it were your daughter? Would it be a "joke" then? Do not defend them. They are indefensible."

But it might be forgiveable. Imus is an unusual American original - and it's worth the effort to know something of how he makes a connection with a continually growing number of viewers.

From an interview with Jeff Greenfield in February 2000 on CNN:

"...we're the only program that does beat CNN... and it's this pathetic cable news thing, MSNBC. They have these robotic, like, security cameras trained on the two of us sitting there doing a radio program, and people watch it. And the reason they watch it is because we're sick of turning on the "Today" show or that dreadful "Good Morning America" and these people pretending they're happy. They're not happy. How can Al Roker be happy? He's fat, he can't be happy. How can Matt Lauer be happy? He's in a marriage he's got to get out of. You know, he wanted out of that quicker than these people got married on Fox wanted out of that marriage. He's happy? How can he be happy? He is not happy. Those people are not happy. They are miserable. And they pretend otherwise, and people know that, because people are miserable."

...and, from elsewhere...

..."Here is the only reasonable hope. Those politicians who go on Imus' show, those who pander to him during his "serious" segments, need to turn down the guest appearances. Maybe they will, at least until he launders himself. Those politicians he considers friends have been using Imus, every bit as much as he has used them.

Today, he is useless to them. He is worse than useless. He is McGuirk."

...and yet more...

from "Best of Tucson":

..."Once past the initial shock, however, you'll be unable to listen to anything but Imus in the Morning. The show is crude, juvenile, misanthropic, racist, cruel, sophomoric, tedious, funny and thoroughly addicting. In many respects, the three people primarily responsible for the show--Imus, news director Charles McCord and producer Bernard McGurk--function as embodiments of Freudian theory. McCord, a born-again Christian, is the superego, constantly urging calm and conciliation; McGurk, a savage wit who delights in shocking, politically-incorrect statements, plays the role of the id; and Imus, of course, is the ego, fluctuating constantly between both poles."

However, and nonetheless - and despite his major lapse of judgement, I truly believe Don Imus to be a genuinely decent person, possessing unique qualities, worthy of admiration.