Al Sharpton: Comedy Critic and Dictator
Cross-posted at The Huffington Post
How sad to see Don Imus submit to a ridiculous verbal assault by the not so nappy-headed Al Sharpton, who thinks Imus should be fired from his CBS Radio and MSNBC television jobs for having told an edgy joke. As nothing about these employers is really the issue here, Sharpton presumably would also object to another outfit hiring Imus. That’s fair. One controversial comment, and kiss your career goodbye. Maybe all comedians who offend the portly preacher should be banished from show business.
Sharpton contends Imus should be held to a higher standard than, say, Chris Rock, because Imus frequently interviews politicians. Seriously. That’s Sharpton’s position. In the world according to Al, performers whose work is racist or sexist are allowed to earn a living, unless and until they host a show that books elected representatives or candidates as guests on the program.
I say Al Sharpton is a racist, because he’s imposing a requirement on a white performer that he has not imposed on any black performer. Furthermore, I am in GREAT MENTAL ANGUISH about this matter. In fact, it would not be enough for Sharpton to apologize. No, the pain is far too great. The only acceptable remedy is for Sharpton to be relieved of his radio gig and to have his left testicle removed by an alligator. I know it sounds harsh, but that’s what I need. I’m upset, I’m lusting for Al to be tormented, and nothing else matters.
Did I mention how shocked and distressed I am? -- Jeff Norman
How sad to see Don Imus submit to a ridiculous verbal assault by the not so nappy-headed Al Sharpton, who thinks Imus should be fired from his CBS Radio and MSNBC television jobs for having told an edgy joke. As nothing about these employers is really the issue here, Sharpton presumably would also object to another outfit hiring Imus. That’s fair. One controversial comment, and kiss your career goodbye. Maybe all comedians who offend the portly preacher should be banished from show business.
Sharpton contends Imus should be held to a higher standard than, say, Chris Rock, because Imus frequently interviews politicians. Seriously. That’s Sharpton’s position. In the world according to Al, performers whose work is racist or sexist are allowed to earn a living, unless and until they host a show that books elected representatives or candidates as guests on the program.
I say Al Sharpton is a racist, because he’s imposing a requirement on a white performer that he has not imposed on any black performer. Furthermore, I am in GREAT MENTAL ANGUISH about this matter. In fact, it would not be enough for Sharpton to apologize. No, the pain is far too great. The only acceptable remedy is for Sharpton to be relieved of his radio gig and to have his left testicle removed by an alligator. I know it sounds harsh, but that’s what I need. I’m upset, I’m lusting for Al to be tormented, and nothing else matters.
Did I mention how shocked and distressed I am? -- Jeff Norman
posted by Jeff Norman at 6:52 PM
3 Comments:
Of course, it's a "racist" remark. He's making fun of black people for their physical appearance and their supposed morals. That's not what's wrong with this brouhaha. IMHO, a shock jock is pointless if he can't shock. Plus, he's a shock jock, not a political or moral leader; there's no reason to take what he says seriously, unless you are a right winger trying to score political points or a black leader trying to stay in the news. And, he had a valid point: what happened in the athlete culture to insisting that athletes be clean cut and undistracted by extraneous interests, in this instance perhaps not looking like the tattooed lady? FOX and Xtian radio say far more offensive things on an hourly basis; do we suspend them for two weeks and threaten their jobs (the 1st amendment is the 1st amendment)? It is another sideshow that keeps us all distracted from the real issues of political and economic power. And it is one more example of the culture of victimization that has turned the apology into an artform. What did these girls learn from this experience? To savor their weaknesses? To whine and pule when things don't go just their way? That their feelings are more important than their achievements? We live in a pathetic culture. Bathetic is more like it.
Read a great column where the author took all three to task, but of course one of the comments stated that he was trying to change the subject. I don’t understand how people don’t get it. When Al Sharpton sticks his nose into a situation he becomes part of the subject.
The columnist called J and S the ambulance chasers of the civil rights movement among other great nick names
Check it out
http://joeleonardi.wordpress.com/2007/04/11/don-imus-is-a-jerk-whats-new/
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Take a look at James Harris' take on The Imus Distraction on TruthDig: "...Imus and McGuirk’s comments triggered sharp opposition from black leaders Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. And though both civil rights bigwigs have made careers out of these kinds of remonstrations, I think Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would be ashamed of the way that Jackson and Sharpton have pimped his legacy.
"During the civil rights movement, blacks fought to gain a seat at the table, asking for basic human rights—to be able to drink from the same fountain as whites, not to be lynched by lawmakers and so on. King’s leadership in the 1950s and ’60s stemmed from one hope: 'That little black boys and little black girls would be able to sit at the table of brotherhood with little white boys and little white girls.' King’s dream has, for the most part, come true.
"But in the time since, what have blacks and black leaders done with their civil rights? What have leaders like Jackson and Sharpton done to strengthen the spirit of black children who continue to grow up in violent and disjointed communities? By and large, predominantly black areas have festered in tragedy while black leadership has failed to reverse the plight of the black populace."
Harris has a lot more to say on the matter. http://www.truthdig.com/
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