The I-Man

Please don’t feel that I am beating a dead horse by covering the Imus scandal. While this issue is clearly over, I would still like to weigh in on the matter. What Don Imus said on his radio show was obviously a heinous comment. However, the fact of the matter is that this man is – or was – a shock jock, nothing more. Imus was an entertainer, he was not a news anchor, he was not a journalist, he was hardly even a talk show host. The goal of his show was to entertain those who listened or watched.

Imus isn’t a stereotypical role model. It makes sense for people to complain about professional athletes who are arrested for possession of drugs. An athlete’s goal in life is not to get high, it is to play whichever sport he plays. Children want to grow up to be the next Barry Sanders or Michael Jordan, because they want to play football or basketball as a profession. So when an athlete is caught toking on a crack pipe, parents have every right to throw a fit. Athletes, whether they want to be or not, are role models.

If one finds Imus to be a role model, then that person condones, if not appreciates, his sense of humor. A comment like “nappy-headed ho” won’t offend that person, because he understands what makes Imus so successful. Those who look up to Howard Stern are probably not offended when he brings the mentally handicapped Beetlejuice on his show, because that is the very reason they look up to him: he is a shock jock. He is famous for pushing the envelope.

Instead of apologizing to Al Sharpton and the whole black community, Imus should have apologized only to the Rutgers basketball team. To anyone else, Imus should have said, “Get over it. It’s comedy.”

Recently iTunes deleted all of the “Imus in the Morning” podcasts. Apparently Imus’ comments are too racially charged and controversial for iTunes. But don’t fret; still available for purchase is Dr. Dre’s album, “The Chronic,” in its entirety, including such politically correct tracks as “A Nigga Witta Gun,” “Bitches Ain’t Shit,” and the classic “Lyrical Gangbang.” Good ol’ Dr. Dre owes nobody an apology.

Imus was not a source of news. He was a source of entertainment. Those who were offended by his comments did not hear them live, rather they heard them a few days later. On the other hand, faithful followers of the I-Man probably heard the comments live, and while they may not have agreed with them, I’m sure they chuckled just a little bit.

To Al Sharpton and anyone else who thought Imus deserved to be fired, I’ll say what he should have said on his show the morning after the comments: “Get over it.”