Fire Him, Fire Him Now

MSNBC did the right thing. I have been greatly entertained by Imus through the years, but consider this. If a teacher stood in a classroom and used the words Imus did, would that teacher have a job at the end of the day? If a member of a corporate board at the annual shareholders meeting used the words Imus did, would that member still be on the board at the end of the day? If a flight attendant used those words during in-flight announcements, would the attendant's job last any longer than the duration of that particular flight? The only reason Don Imus still has a job is that he generates enormous amounts of money for his employers and, not coincidentally, himself.

It may be the worst incident but this is not a one-time event. Imus's show is, in the end, middle-aged (and older) male locker room humor directed at women, even those that work on the show, and minorities. CBS and the entertainment industry in general are always at the ready to expose the hypocrisy and profit-above-all ways of others. It's time to look in the mirror and recognize that to keep Imus is to say anything goes so long as it helps the bottom line. CBS needs to follow MSNBC's lead and should have done so days ago.