Wednesday, April 11, 2007

The Imus Stages

The decision by radio host Don Imus to go on the Reverend Al Sharpton's radio program to issue an apology for racist remarks could have been made by Machiavelli.

The choice of forum immediately raises questions about Sharpton's standing to judge anyone - he is a noted race hustler - makes the loutish Imus look relatively better by comparison, and creates sympathy - in my judgment undeserved - because of Sharpton's attacks.

In the meantime, John McWhorter analyzes the reaction.

These episodes have become all too familiar. The stages seem to be:


Offense - Indignation - Exploitation.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Imus's fate will ultimately be determined by the market for his material. If they feel as I do that what he said was reprehensible, then he will eventually fade out and off of the air. I still don't understand why he said it. Is he not aware of the increase and necessity of diversity in the workplace?

employment diversity

Michael Wade said...

It will be interesting to see if he survives. Usually the market makes the difference but it doesn't seem to apply to some celebrities.

DM Pantheons said...

Greetings all,
I do not agree with imus' comments but this dilemma becoming an issue of diversity is inaccurate. How can it be so easy to just make this a diversity problem.

One of the problems with diversity is that it has been loosely attached to everything. Therefore when something bad happens its like a magnet. And then we wonder why there is such a backlash in the workplace against those intiatives. Undoubtedly, there will be repercussions in the workplace from this fallout. However, the political agenda that have been attached to this situation are open for ridicule. In the bigger picture, we should follow to see what happens among board members at CBS. That is where the "diversity" issues will arise with the way it was handled.

In my recent work, Diversity Science Research Series, I detail some of the experiences of minority groups in the workplace. While the language is not the same it appears that many people in the workplace experience what the Rutgers basketball team did with Imus' comments. That may be the reason why so many people are upset. Very interesting dynamics and multiple dilemmas.

I do think that diversity in America is changing. And I have the data to prove it.

Michael Wade said...

Carlton,

Thanks for posting. I'm interested in seeing your research. I'll check it out.

DM Pantheons said...

Greetings Michael,
I have had some early feedback from the book and most people have been very surprised. Researching and writing this document had a deep impact on me in regards to what I thought I knew about diversity. I am hopeful that this document will impact others similarly. It is a different read compared to other diversity related books.