We all remember the terrible events of April 4, 2007. That was the tragic day when radio personality Don Imus referred to the Rutgers University women’s basketball team as — DEEPLY, DEEPLY OFFENSIVE CONTENT AHEAD — “nappy-headed hos.” This meanspirited remark sent shockwaves across the country and threatened to tear this great nation apart.
Fortunately, some were brave enough to mount the highest available horse and call for Imus to be fired. Among those stalwart few was ESPN.com’s Page 2 columnist Jemele Hill, who said on April 10, 2007:
If it were up to me, security would have escorted the longtime radio jock out of his CBS Radio cocoon with belongings in tow days ago. But for now, I’ll have to settle for a two-week suspension that doesn’t begin until next week. That’ll show him.
Days have passed since Imus, executive producer Bernard McGuirk and sports announcer Sid Rosenberg took turns taking cheap shots at the Rutgers women’s basketball team, but I’m still boiling because too many people continue to defend Imus behind lame free-speech arguments — remember, speech is free, but consequences are not — and the idea that black women just don’t know a good joke when they hear one.
Hill got her wish the very next day, when Imus was dropped from MSNBC, and the day after that, when he was fired from CBS Radio. A triumph for freedom! The freedom from being offended by anything, anywhere, at any time.
So, what has Hill, a true American hero, been up to since then? Oh, just insulting millions of people. According to the Boston Herald:
ESPN.com columnist Jemele Hill was suspended yesterday after sparking outrage by comparing rooting for the Boston Celtics to Adolf Hitler and nuclear war…
Yesterday, Hill amplified on her earlier apology for writing, “Rooting for the Celtics is like saying Hitler was a victim. It’s like hoping Gorbachev would get to the blinking red button before Reagan.”
“In expressing my passion for the NBA and my hometown of Detroit I showed very poor judgment in the words I used.”
Apparently heroism affects the memory, because Hill should have remembered that all of Imus’s apologies, even those he made in the presence of Rev. Al Sharpton himself, were completely futile. That’s the new rule, the rule Hill helped create: If you’re in the public eye and you say something that offends somebody, no apology will ever be sufficient.
As a very wise person once said: Speech is free, but consequences are not.
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Any and all comments should definitely include the phrase “Speech is free, but consequences are not.”
Deceiver legions… GO!
LOL!!!!! She should know that it works both ways.
I wrote in, Kurt!
I will reiterate a point I made some time ago on this site. The more someone plays the ‘victim’, pulls the race card or compares Hitler to anything, makes me care less about their cause. It tends to ‘numb’ the senses after while.
I’ve sent in my “question” for ESPN. Why is Jenele Hill still employed?
I just wanted to clarify that it was a commenter advocating some kind of letter-writing campaign, not me. I’ve said my piece.
There is a morning radio show in Dallas on K-1-oh-fo (K104) called “White Boy Wednesday” which is hosted by black americans and they make up nonsensical jingles and down right stupid bashing comments and tirades about whitey, while the crew laughs hysterically in the background and gets many callers who “love them”. The next time anyone throws racism around I will ask them to listen to that show and ask me again if what they are feeling offended about is out of line.
Here is my question and ESPN’s answer. Submitted and replied on June 19,2008.
Q: “Why is Jemele Hill still employed. She is an offensive sports reporter.
She said it herself when she was leading the mob against Don Imus,
“Speech is free, but consequences are not.” Bye-bye Ms. Hill.”
A: “Thank you for contacting us.
Both Jemele and ESPN.com apologize. The column, as originally posted,
made some uncharacteristic, but absolutely unacceptable comparisons.
We’ve spoken with Jemele, and she understands that she exercised poor
judgment. She’s been relieved of her responsibilities for a period of
time to reflect on the impact of her words. Within hours of its posting
on Saturday evening, the inappropriate references were removed from the
site, but our system of checks and balances failed Jemele and our
readers and we are addressing that as well.
Here is Jemele Hill’s Apology:
“I deeply regret the comment I made in a column Saturday. In expressing
my passion for the NBA and my hometown of Detroit I showed very poor
judgment in the words that I used. I pride myself on an understanding
of, and appreciation for, diversity - and there is no excuse for the
appalling lack of sensitivity in my comments. It in no way reflects the
person I am. I apologize to all of my readers and I thank them for
holding me accountable. This has been an important lesson for me and
illustrates that, like many people, I still have a lot of growing and
learning to do.”
Thanks for visiting ESPN.com.
For live assistance with this or any other issue, please call Customer
Care at 1-888-549-3776 (ESPN) between 7:00 am and 2:00 am EST.
Regards,
Scott
ESPN.com Customer Care”
“This has been an important lesson for me and illustrates that, like many people, I still have a lot of growing and learning to do.”
You also have a job. I guess Imus just didn’t apologize enough.
It wasn’t that he didn’t apologize Kurt, Imus’ problem was he wasn’t black or a rapper. If he was no one would have noticed or cared. I could go on but that ship has sailed so I won’t.
Anybody that gets that wrapped up in sports, I don’t care if it is your job, needs a lobotomy. I have an ice pick, I’ll do it for free.
Jeez, I’m torn. While I think PCness will be the literal death of us all, I can’t help but be heartened by this small and rare instance of impartiality.
Surely they must have wanted to dump her and were happy to get a reason served up on a platter. I must assume this as I had never heard of this person.
Oh and I think an ice pick might be overkill. I used to be a frothing, score following devote’ but I got a life.
I meant a real ice pick. You know with the wooden handle. This seems much nastier.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Icepicks1.jpg
Paybacks are a Bitch
Not that I believe Imus is worthy of airtime, or even oxygen for that matter and needs to be avenged, but keep the pressure up so Hill can feel the sting of being nationally embarrassed and exposed as a true hypocrite.
I also wrote to ESPN. Good times!
That’s why I wrote in Stig. I hate Imus myself, even before his racist comments that got him fired, but fair is fair.
Before or after this comment Hill was not a true American hero.The media and the rest of society
cannot continue to water down the word hero.American hero should be used only when the actions and/or words truly are heroic.A media sports person who calls for Imus’s firing is not an
American hero.They are just speaking their piece and doing their job.
Using Hitler’s name in any context these days will get you a career torpedo from the PC police.