Letters to the Editor
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fetboy
You wrote, "I would support putting pressure on a network, through their sponsors, to yank a personality they hired off the air, if that personality made rape jokes, racially charged jokes, a holocaust joke, or a homophobic jokes." In a subsequent comment, you wrote, "If someone worked for me, and spouted the phrase "Nappy Headed Hos", I would fire him/her in the second, and not think twice about it."
You don't think firing someone, or agitating to have them fired, is an attempt to impose your values? Let's say you're Imus' boss. You fire his ass for saying what he said. Do you think your other employees would think twice before saying "nappy headed ho?" Have you not then effectively imposed your values on them? Have you not imposed your values on Imus by hurting him for crossing your arbitrary line? Whether or not your values are "good" is beside the point; everyone thinks their values are good. Whether or not Imus is an asshole is an opinion and therefore also beside the point.
Of course, you could argue that all my crap about free speech as a personal value renders it as irrelevant as your hardline anti-racist/sexist stance. But I'm not advocating imposing that value on anyone. I'm just sort of assuming that, at least in the abstract, it's a value most of us share.
Finally, I don't quite understand this from your last comment (italicized part is you quoting me, confusingly enough):
"But your characterization of this particular joke teller as "distasteful," "a nuisance" and spreading "hate and discontent" is all your personal opinion. Common decency may lead you to that opinion,"
I never said it wasn't my opinion led by common decency. It is my opinion, led by common decency, that Imus is a racist, misogynistic, punk, red neck, and I want to have absolutely nothing to do with him. But I support his right to say whatever he wants, just not on my dime.Did you mean "was" instead of "wasn't?" If not, huh? I was saying that common decency led you to that opinion.