I wrote that I was bored with this thing, but clearly I was lying. 🙂
Some random observations from watching the fun on the first hour of this morning’s “Today” show:
* I see Jesse’s doing his usual shakedown for jobs. I don’t think this bruh-ha-ha should be about Imus, MSNBC, CBS Radio or NBC hiring more Blacks. Or about Blacks appearing on Imus more frequently. (All that would do is give the next Juan Williams- or Robin Quivers-type a national platform.) I think it should be about Black people letting white people know they can’t use the power of the radio to degrade others.
* I know at least one person who doesn’t like Matt Lauer. I think the test for whether or not you like an interviewer is that you should watch him or her interview someone you don’t like, and then watch him or her interview someone you do like. I think Lauer is a tough interviewer on a tough, tight format. I think he and Meredith did very well this morning.
* Boy, Imus really isn’t used to being challenged, huh? 🙂 I’m not particuarly proud of it, but there are few things I love more than watching powerful white boys squirm, particularly when the issue is their racism. 🙂
* It was good seeing Earl Graves, Jr. on, representing Black Enterprise.
 * With the two-week suspension, Black activists have been given a great opportunity. If they just pressure Imus’s advertisers to not be associated with his show, saying that if they do, a national campaign against them will start and never end, well, there ya go. 🙂
ADDENDUM: Al Roker’s clear. I’m not surprised. Don’t let the morning weather-clown act fool you; the brother gave the strongest interview about 15 years ago, when Philip Nobile wrote a Village Voice cover story about white racism in local New York City television news.
Drums in the Global Village 
I agree Todd-the pressure should be on advertisers. There is no need to go begging and trying to pressure networks to be less racist.
However, we can pressure advertisers-whose products we buy-cause blackfolks are big consumers (or so I’ve been told) to distance themselves from these shows and let the rest work itself out.
If we do this to anyone who disses us, say for just one year, I gurantee this would send shock waves through the industry and entire society. Then we could sit back and see what it feels like to be respected.
I thought it was insane the way the today show put spin on the issue-Imus comments spark race debate.
What debate are they talking bout? Whether the Rutgers team got nappy heads or whether MSNBC/CBS and the rest of the white-controlled networks will allow a “wildcard” to continue to spit stuff that they’d like to say, but know they can’t get away with.
This is why we always need black radicals, Malcolm X overstood this-because without them all you get is folks offended by white folks trying hard as hell not to offend other white folks.
Got to go, I hear my theme music….
Melki
As usual, you add clarity to any situation.