What an idiot! Don Imus, who has surrounded himself with others who are funnier than he is, finally got some comeupance for opening his mouth without thinking. Sure, he's done good things with the Imus Ranch (though I personally have questions about some of the information on his organization's Form 990; for example, where is the donated air time for his radio telethon placed? It obviously isn't considered a fundraising expense, but the non-cash amount of public support revenue is only $4,005 in fiscal year 2006, and that doesn't equal 28 hours of airtime on WFAN). But a person's charitable acts do not completely trump his words or actions.
The women of the Rutgers University basketball team deserved better treatment than they received. They had a fantastic season -- better than expected -- finishing with a loss in the national championship game.
If this experience has any positive result, I hope it's that these women and their coach are recognized for their humanity and intelligence as well as their physical abilities on the basketball court. They will have proven that they can handle unprovoked adversity as well as the expected pressures they face. God willing, they will pass along their knowledge and strength to their successors at the university and their children and families.
As for Imus, I hope he loses sponsors. I hope his forgettable show fades into the background and political office seekers will find somewhere else to get their message to mass audiences. Time to ride off into the sunset, Don. If your legacy will be helping children in need, start helping some more and do it full-time.
1 comment:
There is another possible positive result. Now that Imus has lost both his radio and television shows, he can help lead discussions of racial tolerance. Get rid of the "funny but serious" persona -- you aren't really funny, anyway -- and prove you can be a leader of thought. That's a far more important legacy than hosting a talk show.
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