Don Imus is Back on the Air
Imus Apologizes for Racist Comments but is he Sincere?
Don Imus apologizes for racist comments yet again but is he sincere? Now that Don Imus is back on the air, what has he learned?
Don Imus is back on the air. And although Imus apologizes for racist comments, Vivian Stringer--coach of the Rutgers women's basketball team that was targeted by Imus' sexist and racist comments--says she's still angry (Read her statement). But, she's willing to take a wait and see approach now that Imus is back on the air.
I'm not a "Viscous Racist."
As for Don Imus, he's happy to be back on the air eight months after having been fired. He insists that the ensuing furor was a "life-changing experience," that he has learned something, that he is a good guy who made a mistake, and that he's not a "viscous racist."
"What I said was reprehensible. I humiliated myself and I humiliated them, putting them in the eye of a hideous storm they didn't ask for and didn't deserve," Don Imus has said.
Imus Apologizes for Racist Comments Again but is he Sincere?
To prove he's willing to make some changes, he's added two black cast members to his show: Karith Foster and Tony Powell--professional comedians who Imus says will help the show become a leading force in discussing the subject of race in the United States. Whether or not this comes to fruition, Don Imus is back on the air and the new show is being aired with a 30-second delay…just in case.
Don Imus apologizes for racist comments, vowing that he will "never say anything in my lifetime to make the Rutgers women regret or feel foolish that they forgave me or think I didn't deserve a second chance." He also said his show's basic template would change very little. Whether or not he chooses to tackle the subject of race more constructively in the future, and whether his new sidekicks will ultimately play any kind of supporting role in tackling the subject of race will be anyone's guess.
Some Americans may still wonder, "Is he sincere?" We will all have to wait and see.
A Brief Summary of Events Following Imus' Racist Comments:
April 4th: Don Imus refers to the Rutgers women’s basketball team as “nappy-headed hoes.”
April 6th: Don Imus apologizes.
April 7th: Black journalists call for Don Imus’ firing.
April 9th-12th: CBS and NBC first suspend and then fire Imus, pulling the plug on his “Imus in the Morning” show, which had aired on more than 70 stations and the MSNBC cable network. Don Imus meets with the basketball team at the governor’s mansion.
November 1st: WABC announces it will be hiring Don Imus as a morning host.
December 3rd: Don Imus is back on the air on WABC and at least 20 other stations nationwide.
