Tim Wise breaks it down on Don Imus and Whiteliberalconservative America's bizarre, frightening but predictable counter-attack
Passing the Buck and Missing the Point: Don Imus, White Denial and Racism in America By Tim Wise April 15, 2007 Let us dispense with the easy stuff, shall we? First, Don Imus's free speech rights have not been even remotely violated as a result of his firing, either by MSNBC or CBS Radio. The First Amendment protects us against state oppression or legal sanction for our words. It does not entitle everyone with an opinion to a talk show, let alone on a particular network. To believe or to demand otherwise would be to say that Imus's free speech rights outweigh the rights of his employers to determine what messages they will send out on their dime. Secondly, those who are telling black folks to "get over it," when it comes to racial slurs, such as those offered up by Imus, are missing an important point: namely, the slurs are not the real issue. The issue is that these slurs (be they of the "nappy-headed ho" variety, or the semi-psychotic stri...