He called them (snort) racists....

ELM SPRINGS, Tenn. - Apr. 17 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- The Sons of Confederate Veterans, one of the oldest veterans organizations in the United States, have publicly challenged NBC's "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno over comments he recently made on the program.

In his monologue to open the April 10, 2007 'Tonight Show," Leno stated in reference to Don Imus, the talk radio host recently fired because of racist comments made on his program: "They say [Imus] is still working on raising funds for his favorite charity, the sons of the Confederacy (sic)."

"Sadly, this is a predictable statement made by someone who obviously doesn't know better," Sons of Confederate Veteran's Commander in Chief Christopher Sullivan said in reaction to Leno's comment. "Even though he is in front of millions of Americans every night, Jay Leno is a product of the same media system that has systematically attempted to equate the Confederate soldier with racism."

I'm really sorry about that beverage, and your monitor. That keyboard on the other hand was really due for replacement anyway, don'tcha think?

[Update 2: I can't even muster the snark for it] (Updated with a very revealing Bob Herbert behind the wall quote) Quick: when I say "black man" what's the first thing to pop into your head?

So I'm going to tackle the misogyny issue in depth more later, but the race angle to this affair is one I can address in short form. Pam raises some good points about how sexist videos on BET don't let Imus off the hook for his words; two wrongs don't make a right and all that. But I'll add: not all Black people like hip hop and watch BET and use the word "Nigger" among themselves and their friends and families. The women Imus chose to mock are perfect examples of what I'm talking about; friends who watched their TV interview said they came across as classy, not angry, and incredibly astute about the entirety of the matter. Yes, folks- some black people are atheists, have naturally red hair and blue eyes, listen to classical music (Farrakhan and Condi come to mind), enjoy hockey and sci-fi, speak with completely whitebread middle American accents, and some are even multimillionaires who've never been on welfare or prostituted themselves.

This whole affair has reminded me that too many people still really do think that we are "all alike." Check your in'gance, whitefolk.

Ouch.

I swore to myself I was going to let this drop, but after hearing the statement “national dialogue about race” multiple times on Hardball and then again in the first few minutes of Countdown, I can’t restrain myself.

I know some of you are under the grand delusion that this is the greatest thing for civil rights and the African-American community since OJ was acquitted, but it really is no victory for anyone involved. For those of you who are too dim to figure this out, here is what happened:

Stolen blatantly from the boards, because it makes sense:

Imus, in some sense, is a tragic figure. Here's a guy who was once a junkie, who managed to clean himself up, get married to a woman who has a charitable nature, and supports the environment, made a lot pof money and became part of the establishment.

But, he could never get rid of the part of him that was a rebel. He was addicted to it, if you will. I think, deep down, he wanted to be accepted as mainstream, and this is a much bigger blow to him that it would be to say, a Howard Stern. I think Imus, unlike most of these losers, actually does care about being accepted, and probably enjoyed his influence.

Maybe if he were a much younger man, he would brush this off. But, I suspect, he's going to be a wreck for a while.

Imus could just never completely transition from the lockerroom/frat boy humor into a more respectable form of expression. And it finally caught up with him.
Hesiod | 04.12.07

Apply this insight to many of the media bobbleheads, and it explains a lot.

JON MAKES US LAUGH as always, and yet there is a tone conveyed in these jokes that imply that there is too much attention on this "offhanded remark uttered by an elderly man on the radio," as Jon calls it. That Imus is not the entirety or end-all be-all of RACISM, and yet we all paying sooooo much attention to his "gaffe."

This minimizing by the non-targeted of the claims of the targeted reminds me of certain complaints of hidden speech rules that I am sometimes told are so hard (and unnecessary) for the White to navigate.

The Grey One has some interesting things to say about Imus, and what Imus represents, and I've got a slightly different take on it.

MSNBC gives Imus a slap with a wet noodle by suspending him for two whole weeks.