Imus Shows Us the Strength of the 1st Amendment

I confess, I'm not a fan of shock radio. Imus has never graced the airwaves of my radio or television. Quite frankly, his words hold little meaning to me or most of the members of my generation (x), which has generally moved on from listening to radio or giving it much weight in our daily lives.

So I'm a little awestruck over the reaction his silly, racist comments have conjured up. Certainly, I think it's an awful overreaction to evict him from his job. I don't respect CBS or anyone else involved in taking away this man's livelihood. This is America, after all.

I think Americans have lost their perspective when it comes to discussions of race, sex or homophobia. Now, even a lighthearted comment can mean the end of a person's career. And while it's certain that the "awful white male" has had his day of suppressing others, I think this backlash is overboard.

It's time to put this in perspective. To be blunt, Imus' stupid comments don't hold enough power to change the life of a single little black girl who dreams of joining the WBA. His comments don't hold enough power to do more than make most people chuckle in discomfort. But the 40 million dollars his yearly Radiothon raised for good causes hold much more sway in the real world of little black girls. These are 40 million dollars that will no longer be there to help humanity.

We need to stand up for our right to say whatever we choose, be it racist, ignorant, homophobic, anti-authoritarian, or sexist. And just as I would not support a company for firing someone because of religion or sexuality or race, I can't support a company that terminates a man's position because of a dumb-ass comment. Not this time. Especially not after he apologized! I don't see CBS's decision as noble. They have decided to eliminate 40 million dollars for needy people, just to make themselves look good.

Imus said nothing more demeaning than what has been uttered by 4 scores of rap stars since the early 80's. Yes, it can be argued that rappers evoke an artistic license when spouting their provocative lyrics, but what is Imus if not just a mild form of entertainment (one most people would say is less influential than rap)? His was never the realm of political activism. The invective he conjured up was merely intended to be vitriolic and condescending (to many people, mind you, not just black women). While he was certainly wrong (yet again), I think the good he did for people far outweighs the momentary slip of judgment he made this time around.

Give Imus his job back and stop ignoring the true horrors of our world, like what happened in Iraq this past week. MSNBC and CBS, you ought to be ashamed of yourself, not Imus' stupid commentary. Either give Imus his job back, or give 40 million dollars to the poor, disenfranchised people you are alienating by getting rid of him.