At the risk of sounding like the elderly former editor of my newspaper who calls me once a week to complain about the way things are, today I am wondering what happened to the good old days of media people getting fired for their goof ups?
Don Imus was back on air today after he was suspended, I guess, for calling a women’s basketball team a bunch of [insert racial epithet here]. It was a big deal, you’ll recall, and there was a whole lot of media hoola and Oprah forgiveness interventions and discussions.
What I don’t understand is why he’s back on the air today. We live in an almost over-populated world (depending on what Malthusian opinionista you talk to), so why are we giving second chances to racist mouthpieces when there are a whole slew of equally talented other mouthpieces who can do the job?
There’s the argument that we should all forgive and forget, people make mistakes, the guy said sorry. But that isn’t it. I mean come on, what credibility does he have once he’s said the kind of things one is never supposed to say on air...or in public? I for one don’t buy the “it was a moral slip-up” argument. Did Don wake up that day a radically altered racist and accidentally express that? Or did he say something he was thinking and come under fire for it later? I’m inclined to think his true colours were the ones on air before his spin doctors told him how to apologize.
So why wasn’t he fired? Why wasn’t his radio slot given to some equally-opinionated and colourful radio host who could do the same job? Sure, he wouldn’t have the same following as I mus, but really, does Imus have the same following he used to? I don’t know, call me crochety but it makes me wonder, are we all apathetic, or willing to forgive and forget? Maybe the people who decide he goes back on air want to bank on his notorious name. But what would their mommas say?

Labels: opinion