The Sunday Nite Sermonette
When the smoke clears and the dust settles, what have we actually learned from the Imus imbroglio? A lot of people are talking about talking about race relations, but so far (to me anyway) it looks like the frank discussion of race and gender continues to smolder. It will flare up again another day.
The issue I’m told is fundamentally about free speech. People in this country are allowed to talk their minds, no matter how small that might be. With the exception of yelling “Fire” in a crowded theater, I think we americans can and do say just about anything, just about anywhere.
But back to Imus.
For years Imus has had a coast-to-coast soapbox on which to send his often offensive views. For years and years he has earned a nice living doing this, and indeed he brought in piles of money for his corporate owners –CBS and MSNBC. And for years and years, CBS’ and NBC’s advertisers had been happy to sponsor Mr. Imus’ free speech. And for years and years folks like me have kept the dial tuned elsewhere.
It is not that Mr. Imus said anything new, or anything more outrageous than he had ever said before, but for some reason this time it stuck. And folks like you, me, and Dupree called the advertisers to complain. And enough of us called that soon the advertisers called CBS and MSNBC. Imus was suspended. Then later MSNBC dropped him, and finally CBS fired him, too.
The pundits are calling it Political Correctness gone wild, and many are predicting a quick stifling of free speech in the media. But what I think everyone is missing is this, and it is simple: Free speech works. It was all of us little people calling the advertisers and using our free speech that finally brought this bully down off his soapbox.
Collectively, we spoke, and collectively we forced them to listen to us. Does this mean Rush is next? Hannity? Savage? I don’t know, but I do know that we showed the Corporate Goliath that there is a David.
I think the reason it stuck this time is that he went after a group of young women who should have been universally lauded. Overachievers who came within a hair’s breath of doing the impossible. And yet to him, they were fair game for mockery and cheap slurs. Should have happened a long time ago, but glad the lesson, finally, was learned. Or, at the least, taught.
My only worry: attack on the 1st amendment to justify protecting against hate speech. Free speech is free until you have to pay for what you say—but to that point it ought to be guaranteed free. I don’t like Imus, or Howard Stern, or Michael Savage, or Limbaugh, or Hannity, or Coulter — but I can turn them off. I can also say they are speaking with their assholes. It’s my RIGHT.
Was what he said appropriate? No. Denigrational? Yes. Could he have said it? Absolutely. The price he paid was costly. But I will support his right to say it, even if it was egregiously inflammatory. The smart move would have been a defamatory lawsuit that cost him and his employers a ton. But firing him?—dunno. Seems excessive.
I dunno, JD’s etc – I think this shows free speech works. I agree, Imus (and his ilk) should be able to say whatever they want, but they have to consider that all of us little folks out there can say whatever we want, too.
I argued in high school that free speech is like a telephone, it works both ways.
Jimmy: Imus could make his comment on a street corner or on a soapbox, but we own the airwaves–they are our asset. More importantly–for the broadcasters–the advertisers spoke and ran as fast as they could from Imus. And the First Admendment guarantees free speech, it doesn’t guarantee the speaker the right to speak over the radio or on tv.