How do you fire someone who can bring up to $50 million (MSNBC reports $15 million) to the mother-ship, every year?
Money talks; the rest is just hot air.
"I've been running my mouth for 30 years and I've said some stupid stuff," Don Imus said. But this time, the radio personality continued, his remarks were "really stupid."
"Stupid" is stating it rather kindly. He has said things that were terrible about races and faiths, but each time the group insulted was not strong enough or united enough to kick up the fuss that might jeopardize Imus' future.
Think of the money, CBS executives must have said among themselves, and life continued. In the past, he saved some of his most poisonous ire for the free-fire zone of Muslim-bashing.
He called Arabs "goat-humping weasels."
He called Palestinians "stinking weasels" and suggested they all be killed.
When an Iran airplane crashed killing 43, he said, "who cares? Too bad it wasn't full of Saudi Arabians."
America laughed.
Note to the House of Saud: Licking American boots is not nutritious. Note to Iran: Brace up, baby, we're coming your way.
On the first comment, Imus was "forced" to apologize later; we can see his apologies really had meaning. Earlier, he had made references to "money-grubbing Jews" concerning his employer, CBS's management, in addition to a string of other epithets.
So many listeners liked Imus' brand of invective and hate, that advertisers actually lined up to get a spot on his show. Scary, isn't it?
It is interesting that the length of the advertising cancellations on Imus' show by some of the big companies, at first, coincided almost exactly with the length of Imus' suspension... two weeks.
Black American groups almost created a monster when they kicked up the fuss over Imus' "nappy-headed hos" comment. If they hadn't pushed the advertisers with all their power, and if other groups hadn't joined in with their clamor (Muslim groups were in), Imus could have returned more popular than ever before... and thus, invincible.
It should be noted that Imus is not alone. Other, lesser talk-show hosts routinely pepper their hate toward groups in their programs, but they are not yet as big as Imus so they target groups with no discernable unity or strength: groups like Arabs and Muslims and faiths like Islam.
These "lesser" talk-show hosts range from Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and many others who make a lot of money by promoting hate and suspicion towards Arabs and Muslims. Listen to their shows these days and you can hear their rebellious support for Imus, probably because they fear they might become targeted themselves if bigotry and hate suddenly become vulnerable. Considering America's growing Islamophobic mood these days, it does not appear too likely. Their jobs are safe.
I certainly hope the local talk show hosts are rethinking their Islamophobic bigotry, after the crash-landing of Don Imus. I doubt if Imus' career is destroyed. He may not be able to maintain his current life-style, but he will probably go to another radio station, satellite broadcast or some other media and do quite well, thank you.
Some hosts are quite brazen about their hate of Muslims and Islam but others, like Seattle's Michael Medved, promote hate and fear of Arabs and Islam indirectly, by inviting guests who are very outspoken, in spite of their ignorance, about their hate and fear of Arabs and Islam. These talk show hosts hide behind the invited bigots with an air of intellectual inquiry, and I fear that may continue to protect them.
KIRO AM's Dori Monson may have to temper his feelings toward Muslims as well. It wasn't that long ago that he advocated blowing up a full mosque with a missile or grenades, if anyone thought they were preaching violence in there. His station manager angrily defended Dori's right to "freedom of speech," to Seattle protesters.
The flag of caution is out now. I even heard one of the hosts on a Seattle talk radio show say that this will change the way their shows are conducted from now on.
Amen!
The Imus storm may be a turning point in American radio, we just don't know which way the turn will be. This is showbiz!
Remember, in the absence of group-strength, money talks; the rest is all hot air.
Local writer Jeff Siddiqui may be reached at this link.
