Wouldn't you just know it... right after I say "ranting, not so much", along comes something to put me on edge... the remarks of Don Imus about the Rutgers female basketball squad, and the ensuing firestorm therefrom.
Now, I'm not going to let this digress into a general rant on the state of news media today... frankly, the fine folks at JibJab have that covered. Also, I'm no fan of Mr. Imus or his breed... any media geared towards stirring up hate and discontent in a loyal "base" is downright distasteful to me. That said, there is a disturbing element in this latest reaction to the inherent bigotry of a bygone age, that being the calls for the FCC to regulate such speech out of existence.
Yes, what Mr. Imus said was distasteful, even hurtful, intentionally or not. If the targets of this language feel sufficiently aggrieved by what transpired, there are many avenues open to them, from demanding an apology (which has been given... how honestly, I couldn't begin to guess), to pressuring his employer to fire him (in progress), to boycotting his sponsors if he isn't fired, to filing suit for slander/libel, as appropriate... but, in the final analysis, Mr. Imus called a group of people a name, and there is no amount of name-calling that could convince me that ceding even a fraction of our First Amendment rights is a proper response... and I have grave concerns about any group that thinks otherwise.
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Why, it's almost like you hate America. So demanding, with your "I want free speech, I want my first amendment rights."
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