Medved show trolls for denominators low and common

(Don Imus is watched and revered by the power structure; his infuence is disproportionate to his listenership because his show plays on screens overhead in the U.S.Senate gym as the solons are gerbilling away on their eliptical trainers, and treadmills. This accounts in part for the surprising impact this story is having in the media).

We got pause today listening to the scorn sneered off at the Rutgers women's basketball team by Michael Medved's (KTTH m-f,12-3p) 2nd tier fill-in, Peter Weissbach and his hooting grasshopper, Dave Boze.

In case you've been in Oblivia, hell is being paid after the mostly black team was called "nappy-headed," and "ho's" by talk host Don Imus.

Weissbach and Boze laughed uproariously at the women's victimhood, and played "You are so Beautiful" by Rod Stewart.

It was heavy-handed; the joke didn't work; and their forced laughter was awkward. 

(The Rutgers women have not acted like victims- they've been the very picture of dignity and restraint. The outrage has been expressed by others- like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Clarence Page, CBS, and MSNBC).

As Medved listeners found out again today, there's good reason why Peter Weissbach, 59, only works part time.

And we've reported that Medved was none too happy having Weissbach fill-in during the recent Jewish calendar holidays. Too bad he lost the argument with staff, and the be-ponytailed contrarian/libertarian returned. (Oddly, Boze isn't even paid for this little talk foray into radio extinction).   

As much as racist, Imus' "casual" remarks were breathtakingly sexist! We hate political correctness and the censorship it can spawn- but this reveals more about Imus and jerks like Weissbach's base resentments agsainst women more than anything. 

And if you think these assholes are exceptions- you should have heard the multitude of talk radio calls today defending Imus saying, "There's a double standard- minorities can say anything they want about whites, but poor little ol' us can't say shit about them."

They believe, apparently, that we should be able to call their women whores- even if they're Ivy League sports champs around which there's not a whisper about promiscuity or sexuality.

Of course it's OK to be promiscuous if you're a man; and because these women were black, and obviously not one of our wives, girlfriends or daughters, they must be hookers or nymphomaniacs.

No joke gone bad, no slip-up. Don Imus simply would not make those jokes about a team of men... or white women.

We got a brief glimpse into an ugly corner of his heart.

He should go back to the ranch- and maybe there's room in the bunkhouse for Peter Weissbach.

Comments

[sparky]

Lovely...
Just listening to Randi and she had an interesting question...as Imus is rightly suspended for what he said, why doesn't anyone make a big deal out of what Neil Boortz says, who is equally offensive on a daily basis?

[lukobe]

1. It was heavy-handed; the joke didn't work; and their forced laughter was awkward.

Maybe they can post it under HUMOR IN A JUGULAR VEIN :)

Is Medved really libertarian, BTW?

[blathering michael]

Lukobe: Weissbach calls himself a libertarian, but Medved never would.

[not Roger Rabbit]

Medved is not a vegetarian .. I should know!

[joanie]

A live on-line meeting of Democratic candidates is happening right now on AA.

Promo says: "MoveOn and Air America present a virtual town hall with Clinton, Obama, Edwards and more"

They said Kucinich also. It is about how to end the war I think.

[not Roger Rabbit]

The fuss over Imus reminds the not Rabbit of the old Bugs Bunny movies. Was it funny to make fun of the old, deaf guy??

And did you hear the one about the Ho who had so many children she must have been a rabbit?

And what about Welsh rarebit?

Lets get rid of all ethnic jokes and only make fun of meat eaters! "Hey grease mouth, was you mother a carnivore too?"

Just consider the inventiveness of this new kind of humor! "Ban Cow Farts, eschew the meaties!"

[joanie]

I think Imus is sort of a scapegoat here. I'm not condoning his comments or his bigotry; I'm saying what he did is done eveyday to everybody on a large segment of talk radio.

The whole notion of being "pc" is condemned and tossed about as being stupid and not hip. But being pc has its value. Our society has become crass, hateful, intolerant and disrespectful.

I think so many people feel so much slipping away that fear is becoming an unrecognized but rampant reaction. Fear separates people and makes them suspicious and hateful. And a lot of radio hosts are making bucks off the fear and anger of regular people.

Imus is an old man trying to be hip because he gets paid for it. And paid well. He is attracting people who also want to be hip. Putting down other people gives them the satisfaction that they are hip and better than someone else. It's a self-esteem thing and a fear response.

It's a tragedy.

[Andrew]

A correction needs to be made. The Rutgers players and coach are definately acting like victims. The coach said "Imus' comments have overshadowed the accomplishments of the freshman-laden Rutgers team" and "I would like to express our team's hurt, anger and disgust at Mr. Don Imus." Their admission that they were afflicted by what he said is the definition of victim-hood. Even the fact that they want to meet with demonstrates that they believe they are owed something.

If they had as much class as, say, a five year old they might say "sticks and stones...". Who the fuck is Don Imus to them anyway? Since when did they attach their emotional well being to some radio host's opinion of them?

This is going to hurt race relations because if black people realy want equality they need to diminish the power and relevance of racial epithets, not act like they are deeply hurt, crying like babies and asking everyone to kiss their booboo.

I don't think a lot of black people realy want equality. When black people use the N word with eachother they know full well they are using an exclusive word that only they can use, a word white people aren't allowed to say, and it serves to reaffirm the importance of racial identity and bolden the division between whites and blacks.

[eva]

Whem I hear the word 'Ho', I think of whore - and I don't care who is saying it. This was a sexist remark. Why was the first apology made to Al Sharpton and why was it the apology that mattered? As to the 'girls' playing victim, they get to be offended.

[joanie]

I partially agree with you here. When whites use derogatory terms for themselves - white trash, bitches, it betrays a sort of disrespect for each other and ourselves. So it is with their use of those words - betraying a disrespect for themselves. They denigrate themselves.

I don't think I've ever called myself or anyone I know a disrespectful name.

This blog notwithstanding, I don't operate within a social group that does that.

It isn't about who is allowed and who isn't; it is about the need to self-denigrate at all.

If anybody listened to Randi Rhodes this evening, she called it perfectly. Fear, anger and baiting via hate talk by a whole lot a people besides Imus. BTW, Imus voted for Kerry in 2004 according to a caller. Hmm, guess you never know. I never listen to him so I don't know. Caller also said he gets good guests from both sides.

And, Eva, I agree. Nobody can second-guess the motives or feelings of the injured party. Just have to respect and trust their response. Once you offend, you lose the right to judge.

[Andrew]

joanie said Nobody can second-guess the motives or feelings of the injured party. Just have to respect and trust their response. Once you offend, you lose the right to judge.

Trust their response?! If you truely believed that then you would be infinately gullible. If a person intentionaly jumped in front of your car in order to sue you for all you were worth I don't think you'd be so trusting of their reaction.

Their reaction to someone's mere words, someone who's does nothing but talk for a living, not even a politician or a CEO, is exactly what I'm calling into question.

If those basketball players are being honest then they are revealing a weakness of character unbecoming of professional athletes who must be familiar with holding back their emotions in order to demonstrate good sportsmanship on a daily basis.

[Andrew]

Joanie, on the point about self denegration, I'm not saying blacks call eachother "niggas" to denegrate themselves, I'm saying they use it to address eachother as members of their special elite group, like a member of a secret society refering to another member by his special secret name.

Make no mistake, even though it originated as a derogatory term, it's now most definately a symbol of elitism given the fact black culture is now considered very cool and desirable and because only they are allowed to use the word.

[sparky]

Neil Boortz..Joanie. And there is a laundry list of hate talkers..i think people should be complaining about them as well.
Imus has a long history of being offensive and I think he should be fired, but I think his producer should be fired as well. He does run some charities which is a good thing, but I think he is toast. Several LARGE sponsors have now pulled their advertising off NBC and MSNBC and that will strike fear in the executives.

More and more I turn to streaming so I can be very selective of what I listen to.

[joanie]

if a person intentionaly jumped in front of your car in order to sue you for all you were worth I don't think you'd be so trusting of their reaction.

C'mon, Andrew. You're stating an extreme case . . . one which will not win you your point. That's a manipulation or act for illegal gain and certainly not what we're talking about here.

What I am talking about is tolerance. You are being intolerant of their victimization and how they are responding. I think we owe it to them to be tolerant and not judging . . . I think we owe all people in such circumstances that courtesy.

Even if the offense has been exaggerated and I think it might have been blown out of proportion given the nature of talk radio and hip-hop these days, they still have the right to respond in any manner they choose. It is not for me to judge.

[joanie]

Sparky, Randi listed Boortz, Beck, Limbaugh . . . many others who do the same thing. Her point was that Imus is an old man who tries to be cool and does it to be funny. The others do it routinely for partisan hatemongering. They are not trying to be funny but mean what they say.

Since I don't listen to Imus, I can't say. I was impressed by what callers had to say - both pro and con - about him. One woman who said she was a black physician and was very well spoken says she listens to Imus every morning. She argued with Randi more over the motive for all this sudden notoriety but she seemed to be defending him.

Randi wonders why Imus who is not the worst offender at all - just an old guy who is trying to be entertaining and just plain doesn't get it - should be so targeted. When I heard a clip of his apology on Sharpton's program, he sounded humbled and genuine. No argument and totally willing to personally address his apology to the girls.

Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

[Andrew]

Actualy, everything can be judged and should be judged. Puting anything beyond reproach is a recipe for tyranny.

You might think the scale is too small for a word like tyranny but the principle holds true regardless of size. Everyone is responsible for every action they take and decision they make, even if that action is in the form of bitching and whining, and people should always be held acountable for what they do.

If you ran over your cheating lover in an emotional outburst you could try your theory on the jury but it would probably fail.

[joanie]

f you ran over your cheating lover in an emotional outburst you could try your theory on the jury but it would probably fail.

How is this relevant? The jury would not be judging the response of my lover (the victim). They would be judging the act of me running him over - which, btw, is illegal in most states . . . :)

[Andrew]

That's what I'm saying, the jury wouldn't not judge your running said lover over simply because it was a reaction to something, likewise I'm infinately willing to judge the reactions of the basketball team.

[joanie]

But Andrew, my lover is the offended party . . . he is the victim. I'm not the victim . . . I'm the offender. The jury judges me and they do take into account intention. That may determine the charge: homicide, manslaughter, accident. (Not a lawyer but I think that's about right . . . Fremont?)

The team is the lover in your case, not me. Imus is me. Judge Imus but not the team.

Your analogy does not hold up.

[joanie]

Sparky, just reread your first post. Don't you think Randi handled the topic pretty well?

[joanie]

BTW, Sparky, how's school going? You backing into the groove yet?

[Andrew]

Antything can be judged, ANYTHING. There doesn't even need to be a victim.

You can say it's impolite to judge, but I think it's impolite to feign outrage at the expense of race relations. By self-inflicting injury upon themselves in the name of words, something harlmess by itself, they are disgracing all the black people who fought for decades to deprive the word of its power. They should be ashamed.

[robinz]

Andrew the only thing I've noticed in this argument is you do a very nice job of is blaming the victim. It's so easy to brush off other people feelings and concerns when you don't have to walk in their shoes every day. As I've noted before some people have absolutely no ability to feel empathy for others.

Robin

[sparky]

WEll, the Bible says "judge not, lest ye be judged.." so I will let you argue with God, Andrew :-)

Joanie, I listened to Randi on KPOJ at 3 so I heard her earlier this afternoon..it was a very thoughtful discussion..

school is ok...the weather has helped to get back in the groove

[joanie]

Yes, anything can be judged. Whether the judges and their judgments are heeded, that is up to each of us.

I don't have to judge. You are welcome to judge if you must.

It seems to me much of what is wrong in our democracy is too much judging. My credo? Live and let live. I will not judge the girls.

We'll agree to disagree. :)

[SeattleJew]

Joanie, Joanie

PUhleeezzz. I have never enjoyed Imus, OR Seinfeld, OR Chapelle .. but then the fun went out of ethnic jokes a long time ago for me.

That said, this is another Tawana Brawley affair. Imus' point .. true or not .. was probably that the women are typical black athletes. THAT is a REAL race issue! UW and a lot of other melanin deprived schools claim to be equal but fill their non-quota statistics with african american athletes on scholarship to drop balls through hoops or push other black guys around rather than getting an education.

I do not know much about Rutgers but I would be wiling to bet that the melanin content of the basketball team is VERY different from that of the Freshman honors math section.

If folks would focus on that, rather than on Al Sharpton OR Imus, something good might happen.

[Andrew]

Robin, don't be suckered by their act. They were attacked with words, not in any physical way. One thing all kids are taught is that words can't hurt you. Their claim to victimhood is laughable.

They should have said "Don Imus is ignorant and we won't let the ignorance of others deter us", but they didn't, and they have done wrong.

What if I had said it? What if I mailed in a letter to their head office and said "You're a bunch of nappy headed hos." Would they be just as emotionaly devastated or are they only offended when radio hosts say those things?

Joanie, "judge" is realy just another word for "form an opinion about something", so if you want to bury your head in the sand and not weigh the pros and cons of things in life then be my guest but please don't insist that anyone follow your lead.

[joanie]

I do not know much about Rutgers but I would be wiling to bet that the melanin content of the basketball team is VERY different from that of the Freshman honors math section.

You're right, you don't know much about Rutgers. You make many ass-umptions.

Comparing honors math with another field might yield interesting results. Wonder what the Asian to white ratio might be?

I think we both need "discovery" before pursuing this line of argument. Don't you?

[joanie]

But I don't have to have an opinion, do I? And if I choose not to have an opinion about the team - other than that they should have the right to feel anyway they wish - you call that burying my head in the sand? My, you are judgmental.

And an opinion can be informed or based on nonsense. A judgment generally implies some knowledge about the subject. Not just your feelings . . .but something of substance.

I reject the substance you have proffered so far. I guess I do have an opinion on your opinion . . . :)

[joanie]

Oh, I just love Boston Legal!

[Steve]

I didn't see the game or the show but if the players hairdews looked nappy and they looked like ho's, whats wrong with plain honesty these days.

It's sort of like B'lam posting a picture of Lionel Richie for a white talk show host who goes by the name Lionel, or saying since a black athlete was shot in an SUV, he must have been a Basketball player. Is B'lam a racist, I would say no, he is just trying out his comedy routine on us before he hits the stage at the IMprov.

Thick Skin people. Thick Skin.

[SeattleJew]

Andrew

I do imagine it is possible that Rutgers has a star basketball team that looks like the average NJ kid and that they got to this level without the usual ghetto recruiting. Possible. Not likely.

The Rurgers prexy was UW prexy before he was found to have the Clinton disease. Dick McC was famous for talk about his devotion to serving minorities .. yep. He was serious about recruiting AA for the football team.

Frankly, I could give a good god damn. I have no interest in what the UW does to amuse the hoi poloi as long as it does not detract from the UW's lesser goals .. education and research, But I do believe we should serve the USA and stop counting AA athletic recruits as if they were part of our student population.

I hope the Rutgers girls are wonderful scholars, but I would not want to bet money on it.

[Steve]

And what kind of sheltered life did Dave Ross grow up in. Not knowing what a Jiggaboo was. Hilarious or just a white guy telling a little white lie to please his audience. And yesterday refering it as the "H" word but today, not having any problem with saying the "Ho" word.

And Frank Shiers today. I remember when the BCC test question came up a few months ago, he couldn't stop repeating the question on the air to inform his listeners what was said. This time, I didn't hear him repeat what Imus said once while I was listening.

Thick Skin People, Thick Skin.

[Steve]

What are the odds a video will come out on "You Tube" showing these Rutger Players calling each other ho's.

[joanie]

but if the players hairdews looked nappy and they looked like ho's,

Tell me, expert Steve, what does a "ho" look like?

[Steve]

And did any of you Global Warming nuts hear that guest that Frank had on yesterday afternoon debunking everything Al Gore said is happening to the planet. You all must be praying that Al will make an appearance (Maybe on an Eggo) to recharge your faith in him and his cause.

[Steve]

Joanie, I'm an expert now.

Who are you and what have you done to the real Joanie.

[joanie]

She's out looking for the real Steve . . . now, what does a "ho" look like?

[Steve]

Joanie, you can also learn by watching channels other than C'span, try BET once in awhile when they play some good ole Rap music and you can see for yourself what a ho looks like. Or do it the hard way, go downtown on a weekend night and step inside a nice hip hop club and you will see plenty there. If I were you though, just watch BET.

[Steve]

Artist like Snoopp Dogg and 50 cent decribe them way better than I could ever do.

[Andrew]

joanie says And if I choose not to have an opinion about the team

You implied that I was wrong for having an opinion in saying that I was jusdgemental. You should admit to yourself if nobody else that my being judgemental is nothing more than holding, and that there is nothing wrong with having an opnion.

I don't buy the concept that certain subjects can't even be thought about objectively.

[Steve]

Here you go Joanie, just Scrool down to P.I.M.P

[Andrew]

SeattleJew, you're right about the college athletes being cherry picked for their athletic skills over their scholastic abilities, but that's another topic outside of the realm of what Imus said or how the team overeacted.

[joanie]

and that there is nothing wrong with having an opnion.

I don't buy the concept that certain subjects can't even be thought about objectively.

Andrew, you can judge/have an opinion on everything and everybody. It's a free country after all. And few people are going to care if you opinion matters at all. So be my guest, judge everybody.

But, you're risking sounding like the right wing neocons. :)

[Andrew]

Joanie, it's unhealthy to not form an opinion and judge this situation in particular because in abstract ways it resembles situations you might find yourself involved with in the future, and if you have weighed the merits of either side before hand you might be better able to deal with similar situations when they arise.

You might not match this scenario detail for detail, but it has universal components that could apply to future conflicts, for example, do words realy hurt people or do people let words hurt them? What does the perpetrator owe the victim when the crime is nothing more than an offensive characterization of them?

Aren't you a teacher? I'm surprised you aren't more of an authority on matters of verbal conflict.

[joanie]

And when will civility reign once again?

[Frank]

Steve's only experience with women are with the kind that inflate.

What a bunch of racist clap-trap on here..unless you are black, Andrew and Steve, it is laughable that you think you know anything about what they think, feel, know or deserve out of life. Of course you can render an opinion, but your opinions are always presented as "fact."

[robinz]

Robin, don't be suckered by their act. They were attacked with words, not in any physical way. One thing all kids are taught is that words can't hurt you. Their claim to victimhood is laughable.

I'm not black so I don't know about the nappy hair part so lets leave race out of this. As a woman if someone referred to me as a ho I would damn well be pissed and offended.

What if I had said it? What if I mailed in a letter to their head office and said "You're a bunch of nappy headed hos." Would they be just as emotionaly devastated or are they only offended when radio hosts say those things?

Apples and Oranges....I know you believe that there is a vast audience that hinges on your every word but I hate to break it to you, they don't. Imus on the other hand has a large audience that listens to him every day. They think he's right and smart ect. so when he is offensive, yes it means more than your opinion.

Oh, and I didn't realize till I read an article on Fred Barnes and friends this morning where you got this clap trap. You should watch more than that Media infection Faux.

Oh, and Steve, I've discovered that people only suggest thick skin when it's not their skin. It's all in who's ox is being gored. Oh, and by the by, I saw pictures of those nice ladies this morning and IMHO they do not fit your "lets be honest rap" in that A) yes, they are mostly black and B) all are women

Robin

[sparky]

Robin..you rock!

[sparky]

Robin..you rock!