One Imus Show Down, One To Go; Next Up, That Possibly Racist Gatorade Commercial
Uncategorized April 12th. 2007, 12:26pm
Cracks in the foundation! The ship be sinkin’! The television advertisers pulled out in droves from the Don Imus TV simulcast of his radio show, and MSNBC dropped him. The end appears near for the racist radio hack who, contrary to popular belief, isn’t the ratings deity that everyone makes him out to be.
Just so you know, there’s no schadenfreude on our end – it’s never a good thing when somebody loses a job. But for this dickhead, it’s been a long time coming. How many times can the guy make racist remarks before he loses his job? And were it not for Imus, would anyoue have bought www.nappyho.com and had it direct to the Rutgers women’s basketball page?
Here’s a bit of a twist to consider: CNBC’s Darren Rovell poses a question about the new Gatorade commercial – is it racist? The commercial seems like a blatant rip from the Dave Chappelle ‘Niggar Family’ skit, which, for the record, is hilarious (on a sketchy comedy show). Check out the Gatorade ad in which Kevin Garnett (black), delivers milk to a bunch of white people, and another black basketball player, (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), cleans up the yard. Judge for yourself, and then release the anger in the comments section.
Fashion Roundup: Imus vs. Rutgers Edition (Leave the Man Alone)
MSNBC Drops Imus’s Show (Washington Post)
NBC News Drops Imus Show Over Racial Remark (NY Times)
Is The New Gatorade A.M. Ad Racist? (Darren Rovell’s Gatorade Blog)
58 Responses to “One Imus Show Down, One To Go; Next Up, That Possibly Racist Gatorade Commercial”
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April 12th, 2007 at 12:36 PM
I’m sure that Revs. Inc. will get right on it after they clear out the hip hop industry. Don’t hold your breath.
April 12th, 2007 at 1:01 PM
“Cleans up the yard?” It looks like Kareem is watering his own yard to me. I’m glad I actuall followed the link to Rovell’s entry because I was about to start cursing about him. It’s just the opinion of a couple of idiots who are obviously looking for racism where there isn’t any. What a freaking non-issue. Ugh. Now I have to go post on this idiot’s site
April 12th, 2007 at 1:04 PM
Hey, we never said it was racist.
April 12th, 2007 at 1:04 PM
Whitlock blows this whole Imus bullshit up in his KC Star column.
The things those frickin rappers say about women are a thousand times worse than anything that old buzzard said.
Soooo, Kareem watering his own yard is racist…
The things we have time to argue about in this country…sometimes it’s amazing.
April 12th, 2007 at 1:12 PM
The underground just don’t stop for hos ….
- Tupac
PS – Love this new comments thing. Most of them are going straight in, without us having to verify them. The spam filter catches the rest. Thanks, Wordpress!
April 12th, 2007 at 1:29 PM
Actually if you look this commercial is going for the Pleasntville motif.
Hell the shot with Kareem watering his lawn is almost right out of that movie even down to how he is holding his hose.
benrand is right the things we argue about will make your head spin some days.
Two black men paid to be in national commercial one is the main character of the ad. Men shown as hardworking and one being a homeowner. Ad deemed racist film at 11 lol gah
April 12th, 2007 at 1:44 PM
Perhaps the question should read: “And were it not for hypocritical rabble-rousers and the media-at-large, would anyone have bought http://www.nappyho.com and had it direct to the Rutgers women’s basketball page?” Don Imus may be a blathering idiot but he is certainly no racist.
April 12th, 2007 at 1:48 PM
I love the “rappers say it so it’s OK” rationale. So white people are up in arms about the Duke lacrosse team being hit with false allegations by a black stripper, and how the race card was played, and blah blah blah. I can’t imagine why white people would be upset. There is an extensive history of white women accusing black men of rape. Let’s not even try to forget Susan Smith. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Smith
No harm no foul. No need for righteous indignation. Ya’ll do it too! Now, how stupid does that sound? Pretty stupid don’t you think?
April 12th, 2007 at 1:51 PM
Sir, of course it is a racist commercial. It is meant to imply that, despite Kareem’s achievements on and off the court, as a Negro he is no better than a Mexican gardner. And despite KG’s fame and fortune he is not good enough to enter the home of Peyton Manning, but only to deliver things to the stoop.
It couldn’t be more clear.
April 12th, 2007 at 1:53 PM
Don Imus is CERTAINLY no racist? How are you so sure? Because he does a few things for black kids? Strom Thurmond took care of his black child, but he was most certainly a racist. Maybe Imus isn’t, but he has a curious way of showing it.
http://tompaine.com/Archive/scontent/3087.html
“On media critic Howard Kurtz: “boner-nosed, beanie-wearing Jew boy.”"
April 12th, 2007 at 1:58 PM
Reverends Al and Jesse, along with the Swag Monster and Jim Bakker are part of the reason organized religion isn’t held in very high esteem in my house.
Men of the cloth, my ass.
April 12th, 2007 at 2:11 PM
Don Imus – poor old coot. Lost his job because he said something trying to be funny. Obviously what he said was ‘racist’ but I doubt he meant it with malicious intent. He was just trying to make fun of them.
And why isn’t anyone feeling bad for the Tennessee girls? A creepy old man called them cute. That must have made them uncomfortable.
April 12th, 2007 at 2:13 PM
The rationale isn’t “rappers say it so it’s ok,” the rationale is “rappers say it thousands of times a day over the airwaves, so maybe it should get at least 1% of the attention of one guy saying it once.”
How many people in Imus’s audience adopted that term as a permanent part of their thinking and vocabulary after that? How many in the rappers’ audience? Imus saying it has much less social impact than the rappers, but somehow gets infinitely more outrage. It’s so tedious.
April 12th, 2007 at 2:13 PM
Everybody’s racist to some extent.
April 12th, 2007 at 2:15 PM
The first time i saw the Gatorade commercial, I immediately thought of the Chappelle skit.
It would have been more realistic had Kareem been puffing on a blunt.
April 12th, 2007 at 2:16 PM
A couple of great racial weeks we’ve had huh?
People willing to call each other racists without any self-soul searching and all with their own agaenda.
Some of the points that killed me about these issues are the “unmentionables”:
1) there were white girls on the basketball team
2) the fact that NOTHING will happen to the black woman that made false accusations and by here own black friends admission said she wanted to get money from the rich white boys so she tried to ruin 3 lives and did so for at least 1 year
3) I wonder if there’s any guilt from the rediculous amount of people who protested the 3 kids from Duke only to find out they were innocent this whole time
What we can all learn is that:
1) about 90% of the entire population are complete idiots because no one stops to get the whole story
2) Dave Chappel was right – if it’s a black/white issue and as he illustrated in one of his skits, for the most part, black people will ignore many resonable facts and will not believe a black person screwed up without video evidence.
3) White people in most forms of power have “0″ backbone and have become weak to the point that even despite evidence do not want to offend anyone because they will sell out whatever necessary to keep whatever power they have
Too pissed the last couple of weeks – need a vacation.
April 12th, 2007 at 2:17 PM
Sorry, not seeing the racism in this Garnett bit. And I’m pretty sure he’s not, either.
April 12th, 2007 at 2:21 PM
Is this the “racism” blog now? Seriously, TBL, it’s time to move on …
April 12th, 2007 at 2:22 PM
This Kills me…its a dog pile for the Reverends to gain more exposure and make more money…It is the media getting a chance to thump there chests and show how not racist they are while hovering like vultures over the carcass. This arguement that he can say what he wants as long is it is not over the public airwaves is crap…I didn’t see that in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights. I get offended when ever people but a race monger like Rev Al on the air…someone who by the way did more to harm race relations in the late 1980’s in NY then anyone…and of course he is forgiven and given a voice…enough… if you don’t like Imus don’t listen…but the fact that he is fired from MSNBC and probably CBS Radio are people running scared from groups who have a loud voice but nothing to back it up…well done…When people but on Rev Al I change the channel I don’t call for firings because I am offended that is how free market works
April 12th, 2007 at 2:33 PM
Rappers don’t get criticized for their lyrics? Really? What planet are you currently inhibiting? I hate to break it to you, but not all black people like rap music. Some rappers don’t use deragotory language in their lyrics. Some black people like these rappers and detest others. Some of these black people do in fact speak out about it. So I ask you, do you even know what you are talking about Jobe? Just because you don’t hear about it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.
April 12th, 2007 at 2:49 PM
If you don’t think rap artist catch flack for their lyrics, you don’t remember the whole “Cop Killer” by Body Count debacle. Ice T said, “Whe the President of the United States mentions your name in anger, the shit has hit the fan.”
When is the white equivalent of the National Action Network going to protesting the Insane Clown Posse? They say some crazy shit. It took small white churches protesting Marylin Manson to bring it to the media’s attention. At least Don Imus’s dumbass has sparked the conversation.
The media is now the 4th branch of government. Bring back the Digable Planets!
April 12th, 2007 at 2:51 PM
Jesus, I need a proof reader!
April 12th, 2007 at 2:51 PM
Racist? Are you serious? The fact that someone could look at this commercial and think ‘racism’ the first time they saw just boggles the mind. Why don’t you try and take it for what it is, a commercial. I have a feeling that the marketing guru’s working for Gatorade didn’t have racism in mind when they made this commercial. I guess we can’t make anymore commercials that depict Garnett being a ‘milkman’ because, God forbid, it’s degrading. Gasp! How is Kareem, who is watering his own lawn, viewed as racist?
April 12th, 2007 at 2:53 PM
http://thestartingfive.wordpress.com/2007/04/11/interview-with-espn-columnist-jemele-hill-part-1/
http://www.fallacyfiles.org/tuquoque.html
This is about Imus period. Rappers will get theirs soon enough..Trust.
April 12th, 2007 at 3:02 PM
I don’t recall what happened with “Cop Killer” – did Ice-T loose his job or not be permitted to do another album or was somehow reprmanded in some fashion? If “yes” then there is no bouble standard, if “no” then one must conclude that there is a double standard.
April 12th, 2007 at 3:07 PM
Diallo: I agree, just because I don’t hear about it doesn’t mean it’s not happening. However, I do tend to hear about fortnight-long media extravaganzas, so I’m pretty sure I can say that it’s not happening to that extent. The vast majority of anything that ever gets to that level is “black person/group accuses white person/group of racism, black ‘leaders’ are outraged and calling for white person’s head, film at 11.”
Like it or not, right or wrong, the tendency after dozens of the same stories is to roll ones eyes and dismiss the entire thing.
I’ve always wondered why, when we have a national discussion about science, health, law, etc., we bring in experts in those areas to share their knowledge and opinions. When it comes to important social issues like racism, homophobia, etc., we take any jackass with any sort of popularity and give them a gilded pulpit to speak from. Our entire national awareness of social issues is being presented by ratings- and money- and fame-mongering fools. Is it a huge surprise that we’re going about them all wrong?
April 12th, 2007 at 3:10 PM
I was just saying they do catch flack. The funny thing is that he now plays a cop on TV.
Irony can be pretty ironic sometimes. – Buck Murdock
April 12th, 2007 at 3:18 PM
Jobe, that’s a function of the media because that sells ads. The thing I find hilarious is that you have no idea how many black people feel the same way you do about Al and Jesse. No one handed me a ballot with their names on it for “Black Leader.” Nevertheless, their involvement shouldn’t deter one from examining the issue at hand. Just because they’re involved doesn’t mean the charges don’t have merit.
Don-
Ice T was dropped from his label and he hasn’t gone platinum since. Don still has his radio show. Only the video broadcast was cancelled.
April 12th, 2007 at 3:46 PM
Hmm. Lots of references to the Broadway musical “Avenue Q” here.
“Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist.” http://avenueq.com/video/racist_high.ram
There’s also a song called “Schadenfreude” – but no sound clip at http://avenueq.com – go see the show.
April 12th, 2007 at 4:09 PM
“How is Kareem, who is watering his own lawn, viewed as racist?”
Sir, it is racist because it implies, that as a Negro, Kareem has run through his fortune and can’t afford to hire help.
The implication being that a Negro is incapable of managing the money he makes.
Is that racist enough for you?
April 12th, 2007 at 4:10 PM
yeah of course notorious_NOISb says it’s racist.
Nice solution he came up with on his blog.
http://nationofislamsportsblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/imus-fallout-and-solution.html
April 12th, 2007 at 4:16 PM
>>>Sir, it is racist because it implies, that as a Negro, Kareem has run through his fortune and can’t afford to hire help.
The implication being that a Negro is incapable of managing the money he makes.
Is that racist enough for you?
Left by notorious_NOISb on April 12th, 2007
April 12th, 2007 at 4:18 PM
you CANNOT be serious, notorious…
please pass that bong around
April 12th, 2007 at 4:24 PM
1. Kareem is dressed in a golf shirt (in good condition). He’s the next door neighbor, not hired help.
2. You say you never said the commercal is racist. Well, maybe you didn’t overtly but the implication is there loud and clear.
3. America has lost any semblance of humor. Any uproar over this commercial proves it.
4. Plus, the commerical should have a disclaimer to advise the younger audience that at one time milk was delivered to people’s doors. My guess anyone under 40 has no idea about that ever happening.
April 12th, 2007 at 4:39 PM
Diallo: Of course I know that few black people accept Al and Jesse as their mouthpiece. I knew it before the Imus story, and I’ve heard it repeatedly during coverage of that story from Mike Wilbon and others. I’m talking about things at a national scale and how the “public” is served the story, not about my own understanding of the Revs. Few white people know that, and that’s a problem.
I’d love to see them relegated to Pat Robertson status, and hopefully articles like that great piece by Whitlock will help accomplish that.
April 12th, 2007 at 4:43 PM
The Big Lead is just as lame as ESPN on this Don Imus issue. One thing I absolutely hate about ESPN is that it has a giant agenda of pushing social issues covertly in its sports reporting. ESPN can’t wait until a gay player comes out and calls anyone that even remotely says anything bad about homosexuality a bigot and hateful person. With this Imus stuff, ESPN won’t let it die even though the comments were so tame compared to Michael Irvin’s “Tony Romo must have some black in him”. I don’t care about these allegedly racial comments or other social issues. I just want sports. I originally looked at The Big Lead because of the Collin Cowherd story, and thought it was a cool website, but if it doesn’t drop its social issue commentary, I am not coming back. Heck, Collin Cowherd the other day said it was racially insensitive for the Yankee announcer to say “A-Bomb for A-Rod”.
Are you guys kidding me? Just give me the sports. If I want social commentary, I’ll go look for it.
April 12th, 2007 at 4:44 PM
It’s all a relevant conversation. Glad everyone’s actually talking about it and not just filing it away under T for taboo…
http://www.mindritesports.com/2007/04/12/msnbc-drops-imus-whitlock-dubbed-whistleblower/
Whitlock had some pretty bold things to say about it all… he’d probably blow a gasket talking about that commercial!
April 12th, 2007 at 4:52 PM
Oh God, don’t get me started on Whitlock. That’s a whole other discussion. Curious how he lambastes Al and Jesse, but he injects himself into issues for personal gain. And it is for personal gain, as far as I’m concerned. But enough about Big Greasy. The more I talk about him, the more IQ points I lose.
April 12th, 2007 at 4:53 PM
The national story is served by the media, which is my point. If the media marginalizes these guys, then they become less important. But showing their faces gets attention. So there you go.
April 12th, 2007 at 5:02 PM
What’s the bigger problem here – the “hos” or the “nappy headed” phrase?
April 12th, 2007 at 5:10 PM
I’m with Diallo on this one. The reason you see the same lineups run out on the cable talk shows every time (and it isn’t limited to Sharpton and Jackson; think Bill Donohue of the Catholic League as well) is because they’re in every media rolodex and available at all times for this sort of thing. The coverage always jumps off to more coverage of the outrage than actual analysis of what the incident means and actual discussion of race in America.
That commercial isn’t even close to offensive.
April 12th, 2007 at 5:14 PM
Does that mean Peyton Manning is Timmy N****r?
April 12th, 2007 at 5:57 PM
no one in the world caught the racial implications of that commercial besides Darren. Of course it isn’t racist.
As for rappers, comedians, and whomever else the entire media is questioning now that Imus has brought this whole thing to light – this is not a unique thing for black people, I watch the Daily Show on Comedy Central and John Stewart makes jewish jokes all the time, that you or I (assuming you aren’t jewish) could never and would never make. I have Italian and Irish friends that do the same thing, making fun of their own stereotypes. Its been going on for decades. That is why Chris Rock can say things that Imus can’t, just like John Stewart can say things that I can’t.
Oh, and Jason Whitlock is the biggest hypocrite (pun intended) out there. I’m done with him.
April 12th, 2007 at 5:59 PM
oh, one more thing: Anybody else hear Stu-yah weighing in on this Imus situation on Mike & Mike? What a complete ass he is.
I just wish this whole thing would go away already…
April 12th, 2007 at 6:16 PM
It’s called the double standard of familarity. Your best friend can crack jokes on your wife with no repercussions, while a perfect stranger would be picking his teeth up off the ground. It’s not fair, but if life were fair I’d be knocking Jessica Alba right now instead of conversing with you guys.
April 12th, 2007 at 7:10 PM
TBL, even entertaining the thought that the Gatorade ad was racist is blatantly dumb. You should not have even put anything like it up on your page… I watch a lot of TV, I’ve seen that ad 15 times and the thought of it being the slightest bit racist never entered my mind. People get all up in arms about shit like that, shit like Imus, etc. but no one liked it when I proposed on this site a few weeks ago that the public’s mainly negative perception of Kobe Bryant is a direct cause of racism. Stuff like that is the shit that needs 50 fucking comments in a post, not meaningless bullshit like Don Imus. This whole thing pisses me off like nothing else… wake the fuck up people, we already have a president that doesnt make me proud to be an American and now everyday the people make me feel the same way. Do you guys enjoy being ignorant?
April 12th, 2007 at 7:40 PM
In retrospect that gator-aide ad is weak ……grinning, shufflin, coonery ….Racist ..no …..In the tradition on Mantaan Moreland, Willie Best, and Martin Lawrence ..yes!
April 12th, 2007 at 8:48 PM
Ok, let me get this straight. Imus fucked up. Apologized. And Jesse and Al are on a crusade against him.
Didn’t Jesse and Al BOTH degrade and verbally convict the Duke kids? Now that THEY have been vindicated, when is Jesse and Al going to apologize to them?
I am not saying that Imus should get off here. I am saying that Jesse and Al are NOT the people we should be watching roast him.
April 12th, 2007 at 8:50 PM
“Didn’t Jesse and Al BOTH degrade and verbally convict the Duke kids? Now that THEY have been vindicated, when is Jesse and Al going to apologize to them?”
Agreed.
The context are interesting as well. Imus was supposed to be a joke. The Revs indictment of the Duke boys was meant to foster public opinion against them and was an unmitigated attempt to ruin their lives.
But, let’s worry about Imus making a bad joke. The Revs’ actions don’t need an apology. They fight for civil rights.
Someone shoot me. In the head. Now.
April 12th, 2007 at 9:24 PM
To; Diallo Tyson
Well D, since Imus now lost his job and according to you, ICE-T lost his contract, I guess there is no double standard so both races can now an STFU.
April 12th, 2007 at 9:38 PM
To Diallo,
Regarding Imus’ comments about the Jewish guy, where was the media outrage calling for his firing?
April 12th, 2007 at 10:02 PM
IJ,
I have no idea where the media outrage was. Maybe the media was focused on Michael Ray Richardson and Charlie Ward for offensive comments they made about Jews. Oh wait, Michael Ray Richardson didn’t lose his job, did he?
April 13th, 2007 at 2:21 AM
>>>Sir, it is racist because it implies, that as a Negro, Kareem has run through his fortune and can’t afford to hire help.
The implication being that a Negro is incapable of managing the money he makes.
Is that racist enough for you?
April 13th, 2007 at 2:21 AM
Wow, I can’t believe that you actually said that Notorious. I’m not sure whether I want to laugh or just shake my head. Why would it be a problem to water your own lawn? Are you implying that watering your lawn is degrading work, because that’s what it sounds like. That is ridiculous. Good job over-analyzing!
April 18th, 2007 at 2:10 PM
You know, have to get this off my chest! I NEVER have went to a blog and now CAN NOT wait to write this! Don Imus SHOULD NOT be fired! what a bunch of crap! We all hare these black rappers in the radio EVERY day “singing” about bitches,ho’s pimps drugs, sex, guns etc…. NO ONE is suggesting they are banned from radio and here we have this white man making a statement we here out of black rappers played over and over on the radio lose his job! This makes me sick! what a bunch of crap! All these “hip hop community people” can sit around and preach and justify “their community” they will keep “singing” about pimps, nappy ho’s,sex,guns,drugs you name it and it will be swept under the rug because no one has the balls to step up to the plate! Why don’t you hypocrites open your eyes and see who is REALLY saying this stuff and gets away with it and who is the first to bitch when a white man says it! GIVE ME A BREAK!!!! Practice what you preach! and stop being “the victim” Im sick of hearing about it! If minorities want to be “treated equal” stop making a federal case when white men say something that your all saying or rapping about or excepting it from the black “community.” If you want to be treated equal, bitch about the black rappers too!!!!!!!!!!!! I do not consider myself “racist” BUT call me a racist if I am sick of black people very quick to point the finger at a white man at any little thing and call them a racist and I have to watch and hear it on TV and the radio for days or weeks. I NEVER hear everyone talking on the radio about an outcry of hearing the word PIMP, HO’s, Guns, SEX, DRUGS in almost all African American songs I have to listen on the radio every damn day! All the African American videos have a bunch of girls with skimpy clothes and hanging all over these guys with guns and money AKA “PIMPS” calling the girls their “bitches” Ho’s” and men their “nigga’s” God for bid a white man said that! Wake up!
Everyone is jumping on this band wagon because it is a white man! Why am I going to drive to work and listen to the radio and the African Americans will be singing about shooting, drug dealing, snorting some line, drinking some krystal,banging one of their ho’s,and hang’n wid da niggas? Tell me why? I never listen to Imus! but he doesn’t deserve to be fired. All these people should be ashamed of their selves! OMG! this is truly ridiculous!
If any white man where o do a skit like the one Dave Chapelle did “Niggar Family” they would be ridiculed and all the African American would scream “racist”
Everyone is blowing this out of porportion! You are hanging onto every little thing Imus said and analyzing it. Start talking about the real problem of African Americans actually say worst things about their own race. I guess blacks can say nappy ho’s but whites cant. “Sticks and stones” Make an example out of the black community instead of using a white man! Focus the problem where it really is. In the black community.
April 18th, 2007 at 2:54 PM
No ONE said “all blacks like rap music”
as far as the cop killer thing, I didnt hear oprah do a whole segment on it, I didnt see sharpton making a federal case about it like he has with this whole Imus thing. I didnt see and hear about it 24/7
I find that a big number of black people walk around with a chip on thier shoulder and has to anylyse everything that is said out of a white mans mouth. If they really dont like the “stereotyping” than black people need not speak their slang. Nigga’s, down wid dat, im a playa,stop glorifying that “packing” is cool and all the bling bling and mouth full of gold. If black people want to be treated with respect they need to enforce it in their own comunity instead of just crying about a white man saying the wrong thing.
April 22nd, 2007 at 11:10 PM
Wow. Now the have http://www.nappyhos.com, http://www.nappyhoes.com, http://www.nappyhoe.com. I heard the owner was threatened by the Rutger college and Al Sharpton.
May 25th, 2007 at 7:18 PM
The only slightly racist thing I can think of in this advert is stereotyping. Has no-one noticed how the shape of a gatorade bottle looks like an oversized (but slightly unproportioned) penis? Black milkman delivering early morning penis to a couple of white girls. That thought makes me chuckle though. Y’all are taking this whole thing too seriously and focusing on the wrong thing. There’s plenty things wrong with advertising that are less obvious than racism like subliminal messaging etc. Ever thought about that?