The Imus Standard: Should Letterman Be Fired?
by Pam Meister
A friend of mine sent a link to a website that advocates CBS firing late-night host David Letterman for his over-the-top jokes about Sarah Palin and her children. The site tells readers what they can do to help make this firing happen.
But should Letterman be fired?
His so-called jokes were crass and tasteless. Not only did he refer to Palin herself as being “slutty,” but he used a crude sexual reference to Palin’s 14-year-old daughter Willow, whose only sins are the fact that she is a Palin and she attended a Yankees game with her mother in NYC.
Letterman’s first attempt at an apology was half-witted and half-hearted. His excuse that he mistook the 14-year-old Willow for 18-year-old Bristol was disingenuous at best. Does the fact that Bristol is now (barely) of age and an unwed mother make it OK to attack her thusly?
Now a new, lengthier apology is out, with Letterman saying that “if you have to explain the joke, it’s not a very good joke.” Hmmm…his audience that night guffawed right along with him. However, the Palin family has graciously accepted his apology.
Regardless of whether you agree that it’s OK to drag Sarah Palin’s children through the political mud (I have seen arguments for and against), again, I ask the question: should Letterman be fired?
I would say no. And here’s why:
No, I am not a David Letterman fan. I think he’s smarmy, smug, and seriously un-funny. But neither am I a Don Imus fan and I didn’t think he deserved to be fired for his “nappy haired ho’s” comment about the Rutgers ladies’ basketball team a couple of years back.
There are a few differences between the Letterman and Imus flaps. Letterman’s jokes were scripted and went through the stages of writing, rewriting, and final approval before the taping of the show. A lot of people saw them and thought they were just fine. Imus made an off the cuff comment during a live broadcast. Tasteless, yes, but not something he thought about previously. The apology process was a lot more different too. While Letterman first tried to justify his jokes about Willow by saying he was “confused” about which daughter really attended the game – and then asked Sarah Palin to “come on the show” – Imus not only apologized on air, but visited the Rutgers team to apologize in person and even sucked up to self-proclaimed spokesman for black people, Al Sharpton. Imus got fired anyway.
The reason, of course, is that an old white guy making any kind of slur against a protected minority group is verboten. But an old liberal white guy making crude sexual jokes about the young daughter of a conservative politician is fine, because who the hell cares what those knuckle-dragging conservatives think? Considering the relative paucity of criticism from like thinkers on the left, who would have been up in arms had a similar joke been made about Obama’s children (heaven forbid, I might add), is telling.
The double standard is astounding. However, both are examples of freedom of speech in America – not to mention examples of how low societal standards of humor have sunk. We all have the right to criticize what we don’t agree with – that’s also free speech – but to demand that Letterman be fired for exercising his rights, no matter how distasteful, smacks of totalitarianism.
If you’d like to see Letterman out on his rear, by all means vote with your remote and your wallet. Don’t watch the show and don’t patronize its sponsors. If Letterman’s ratings fall far enough, the suits at CBS will take appropriate action. And, with his most recent “mea culpa,” it’s possible that some pressure is being brought to bear – perhaps by network brass upset with the loss of some lucrative advertising sponsorship.
The same applies to Bill Maher, who took an even uglier shot at Palin and her family on his HBO weekly show Real Time with Bill Maher. Crass, vulgar, disgusting – all of those superlatives apply. But he broke no laws except those of common decency. Not that common decency often matters in the world of entertainment anymore.
Email this to a friend | Print |
Share on Facebook
| Tweet this
| 
Follow Us on Twitter
Subscribe via RSS
Tips & Feedback
157 Comments
Typical Liberal Double-Standard is how I am seeing it…
And my thinking on it is… If it's not ok for a GOP leader to call Michelle Obama a descendant of Gorilla's on Facebook then it's definitely not ok to call Sarah Palin a s**t and advocate sexual relations (no matter who Letterman was "implying") of a young girl…
I agree and already stopped watching that show years ago.
The answer: no. But neither should Imus have been fired.
And isn't it disgusting how all the leftie blowhards can do is try to one-up each other in being hateful?
I didn't think Imus should have been fired and I don't think Dave should be either.
But if he does it AGAIN…. go for it.
I respectfully disagree with your logic. Whether Don Imus or David Letterman, what passes his lips is his responsibility. Doesn't matter who wrote it or if it were practiced, Dave said it. If he wasn't a jerk he would have known it was inappropriate and not said it-even against a late teen. In both cases the comments were uncalled for. They cheapened the performer and probably distressed the innocent people who were held to public ridicule solely for the speakers personal gain. In Imus' case he was addressing adults using terms not uncommon on the street and probably less inflamatory and degrading than are sometimes used within the subculture. Letterman's comments were directed against a child. A culture that doesn't respect it children and its women will not survive.
The reason, the only reason, Imus was fired is that he was a loud detractor of the presumptive Democrat nominee, Hillary Clinton. The outrage over the "nappy headed hos" comment was guile, meant to give cover and hide the truth.
Thank you! I agree completely.
One thing that I feel gets glossed over in all this is that this is a prime opportunity for conservatives to point out the hypocrisy in the left. If the "moderates" and undecideds are open minded, and if they are shown how liberal causes are only applicable to liberals, then maybe we can begin to grow conservatism instead of trying to be water-down liberals.
The answer is "yes".. but not in the way you're thinking…
Let the free market handle it… if CBS can't get sponsors for the show, then they'll have to change something.. whether it's the show or the host… And I will be avoiding any products of sponsors on that show as much as possible… So they're not getting money from me, to pay for those ads.. so they won't advertise, and won't be giving CBS money… UHOH.. something's gotta be changed!
But it's gonna be one of those where everyone has to stick to their guns to force this change to be pushed upon CBS…
Letterman is right, his intent was to make an audience laugh, but then he enraged a mass of clueless idiots.
Letterman's better off without you, and so is the world.
Fire his angry, ignorant, and unfunny butt. He has outlived his usefulness.
Fire mean, angry, bitter Pervert Letterman now!
[...] The Imus Standard: Should Letterman Be Fired? by Pam Meister [...]
If Letterman should be fired, that should be between Letterman, CBS and their customers (audience). I did not approve of what he said, I sent off an email to CBS telling them so, I've exercised my free speech rights, and now CBS and Letterman can decide how they choose to proceed.
Personally, I think an hour long infomercial by Ronco would be more entertaining than Letterman. And a lot more educational too.
Oh Ricky your so fine Your so fine you blow our minds HEY RICKY HEY RICKY!
Yeah, you're one of the classics all right.
Ahh but you provide high-quality excrement that seems to be in great demand these days…
Should I slow down at the stop sign or come to a complete and full stop?
Les Moonves said misogyny was coming to a full stop at CBS over Imus.
http://gawker.com/251913/imus-is-done-says-les-mo...
By not releasing Letterman or some of that crack writing staff, Les Moonves is condoning misogyny now.
I think David Letterman should be fired because Don Imas was fired. It boils down to that. Liberals have declared war on conservatives for far too long. If they want war then they are going to get war!
Character is what we do when no one is watching.
Letterman's "joke", having been screened and scripted in private, makes it worse than Imus's off the cuff remark. In a perfect world, if Imus was suspended for his insulting remarks, so should Letterman.
CBS is showing its bias against conservative women by sticking by Letterman. Letterman's second apology rang just as hollow as his first. (Who takes a week to apologize if they understand what they did was wrong?)
I am already not buying or patronizing Letterman's sponsors. Since Letterman is free to say anything he wants on his show with no real consequences by CBS, I am perfectly capable of watching Conan (or not watching TV at all) and buying other products. Ain't America grand?
I can sum up this whole fiasco in a quote from the late great Elliott Smith:
"I haven't laughed this hard in a long time, I better stop now before I start crying"
War is here.
We're all descendants of monkeys, and sadly we're all related.
Ditto.
If they want to play this game of attacking humor they don't like, then we have to play the same game. That's the only way to stop this whole thing.
If we just say, "gee. . . well I'm not really outraged", then the left gets to keep applying the double standard.
And keep in mind, the left wasn't really outraged by the Imus thing either. Half the liberals I know said worse after the Imus incident. But they saw it as a chance to impose their will on the culture and to re-enforce their position as cultural cops. We can't play into that game anymore.
He should be fired and here is why. This is a pattern which must be stopped before something seriously goes wrong.
As I have said on another thread, Dave's "jokes" came after at least two weeks of constant vile being spewed towards Conservative women. First we had the entire campaign where we had PDS emerge. This in my opinion led to the two weeks of vile kicked off by Guy Cimbalo's Playboy article. Next was the scorched Earth policy of MS USA, and MS USA CA scum Keith Lewis against Carrie Prejean. Then the herpes joke from some clown I have never heard of on MSLSD. Next up! David Letterman, making the most disgusting jokes against Sarah Palin and her daughters. The cherry on the top was Bill Maher who thought it would be fun to add his two cents. See a pattern here? I sure do!
In each case mentioned, there has been a level of animosity, which either directly stated or implied crimes to take place against these women, or at the very least in the case of Keith Lewis, any future promising career opportunities. All of these incidents have without a doubt more than indicated to me Conservative women should be afraid of taking stands on any issue, and this is combined with a definite desire to chill free speech of any kind coming from Conservative women.
On Greta last night, one of the sponsors of the web drive to fire David Letterman said that if his target was Bristol Palin, it was offensive on the basis that he made unwed mothers equal, or on the level of prostitutes. She said many women make mistakes, and his remarks should not make them feel bad for their choices. Key word, "choices". For me, and me only, this really registered as to why Bristol is so attacked by scum like Dave. She chose not to have an abortion, and therefore she must suffer. There is the added plus side for taking stabs at Bristol because of this happening to someone on the Right, but I believe Bristol is a reminder that abortion is not the only option. Of course Dave's now wife did the same thing, but hey, let us not observe that glaring fact!
This was not an apology. It was an insult to those who were offended because we are just too stupid to get his jokes. No offense to those who dislike foul insults, but kiss my lilly white ass Dave! You do not have to have a law degree from Harvard, and been on the Law Review to know the joke was offensive, out of line, slanderous, and advocated a criminal act on a minor. As a Conservative female, I do not accept your non-apology apology. Grovel at my feet Dave, and at all the feet of Conservative women across this country who want to see your head delivered to us on a platter! I have a silver heirloom platter I can provide if necessary.
What most people are not getting out of this is that these patterns of behavior are not going to stop until someone finally gets it that we are fed up, and there is a price to be paid. I even think they should have paid for the outrageous treatment of Hillary! And no, the excuse of her being a grown up does not count just like the "slutty" stewardess comment does not count just because Sarah Palin is a grown up, and a public figure. Misogyny aimed at anyone needs to end.
In conclusion to my rant I would like to add the meme from the Left that nutjobs are prolific out there in the wide, wide world of the net. For days, and days after the shooting of Tiller and the Holocaust Memorial, we constantly were told nuts come out of the woodwork like cockroaches. Really? What happens if a nut decides he wants to act on all this venom spewed at these women and girls? What happens if any of those on Cimbalo's "hate" list are harmed? I have observed in the past 10 years, an extreme hatred for all on the Right the likes of which I do not think we have ever seen in our country. Part of it is because we have been hesitant to respond. We just wanted the garbage to go away. Look at the BDS types who advocated for Bush's death! Constantly! But the other part of this constant hatred, and the rising of the level of hatred is due to the fact none of those of the Left have ever had to pay a price. It is time to pay. It is time to stop this before someone is hurt. It is time someone on the Left gets Imussed!
Rant concluded.
Are you people autistic? THE JOKE WAS DIRECTED AT BRISTOL, NOT WILLOW. If Letterman is guilty of anything it's not checking (or, actually, having his WRITERS check) which daughter was at the game. As soon as I heard the joke I knew which one it dealt with – THE ONE THAT HAD BEEN PREGNANT. It was only later, after Sarah the Moron decided she needed some attention, that I found out Willow was the one with her. Funny joke? Not really. Disgusting and perverted? HARDLY.
I think most rational, reasonable, THINKING folks realize the joke was aimed towards the older Palin.
And how come you don't see Alex Rodruguez getting all fired up at Letterman, if the joke was REALLY about Willow, eh? After all, if the joke was REALLY about satuatory rape then Letterman pretty much called A-Rod a pedophile. So again, how come the Yankees aren't calling for Letterman's firing? Wait, let me answer the quesetion for you, since most of you are probably to slow to realize this: BECAUSE A-ROD UNDERSTOOD THE JOKE DIDN'T REVOLVE AROUND PEDOPHILIA, THAT'S WHY.
Christ. You people really need a reality check.
I think Dave Letterman should also apologize to Alex Rodriquez — his so called distasteful joke also
demeaned a wonderful athlete!
Sooo…..it was all just a big misunderstanding then.
Thanks youareamoron–I guess we're all just red-faced now…
So it is true. . . your mother and your father are related. I thought so. We could tell by the poor spelling and the utter lack of coherence.
I can sum up your stupidity with a quote from the late great Redd Foxx.
"Shut up dummy!!"
OT- I forget who asked for the Cheney "f"bomb memory refresher, but here is the link.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36...
Apologies to posting it here, but the request was 20 hrs ago on an older thread, and I wanted to make sure whomever asked for it had it. Sorry.
You are king of the clueless idiots fool.
It reminds me that a segment of the society is perv. Perv associates with perv. That is why Maher feels it is no big deal for Letterman.
I agree with the column.
However, I cannot find fault with a private company firing an employee over such an issue, even in response to public outcry.
It's far better than having the leader of the free world fiire a private-company CEO.
There is such a double standard when it comes to stuff like this. The LEFT LEANING MEDIA has been sticking up for him and the little reporting by the big three media comapnies is pathetic. The only reason why I have a issue with his comments is simple… they where SCRIPTED, the Imus remarks where off the cuff and he was CRUSHED by the media….
(Tried this on another post)
Am I wrong for this joke? "I saw Obama at a ballgame with a couple nappy headed hos. Nevermind, it was just his kids".
It is open season on the kids now. Isn't it?
A word of advice Edword…..don't feed the trolls (like ricky boy) If you ignore them they'll go away.
Hank S, don't feed the trolls. Ignore 'em and they'll go back under the bridges from whence they came.
It's the reps showing there true seedy under belly.
Maybe you should apologize to bill maher
All these Mean-A$$ed Hack so called Comedians like Letterman and that other Fool Maher days are numbered.Give me the Likes of Steve Allen, Durante, Jackie Gleason and the list goes on. Gentlemen Entertainers one and all and by the way they Were Funny.
Wonder how many people who comment on here actually watch his show, I don't so have no comment. But if what i read about what he said is true, he's an idiot. But then already new that, that's why I stopped watching him years ago.
the truth will set you free
try again loser
Fail
yes you are wrong for the joke. Didn't we just get done saying "leave the kids out of it?" and to bring in racism on top of it?
I wonder why so many think the right wing is racist. I doubt you are really a conservative, but who knows. I have negative points on this. I find that amazing. That is a sad commentary on the type of people trolling on this site.
Hey-has anyone heard the one about Joe Biden?
Me neither.
I agree with Meister: I don't care for either Letterman or Imus, didn't think their jokes were funny, but don't think either should be/should have been fired.
AndrewPrice makes a good point in a prior post. Basically, we have to fight fire with fire to stop the liberal double standard. I'm sympathetic to that view, but I'm not sure I can go there (yet). I see two main problems with trying to impose a right-oriented version of this. The first is that it might not work. Many liberals don't care about the hypocrisy. It's about results not process. In their view, liberals good, conservatives bad, so the double standard is justified. Of course, the media is on board with the liberals, so any attempt by conservatives to hold them to the same standard will likely fall flat. (continued in next message)
(continued from prior message)
Second, there's the whole "this brings us down to their level" argument. I'm not a fan of that argument, and there are lots of exceptions to applying it, but it's certainly true that if you opposed Imus's firing on free speech principles, then you should oppose firing Letterman as well. (Voltaire, anyone?) If Letterman offends you, don't watch. If enough people don't watch he'll be fired. Same result, but respecting free speech and free market principles.
Naw, he's OK – it was a joke toward a white person. And that's OK to make crude jokes toward white people. Now, if it had been toward a black person – then they'd give him hell. Again, let's use the double standard.
When Imus was fired, I make the same economic 'turn them off' argument to approaching offensive entertainment rather than have him fired.
The thing is, since Imus was fired most of the offensive entertainers have indeed seen both their economic and celebrity life improve.
Ironic out of all the offensive junk and foul people the entertainment industry has pumped out of the sewer for several decades it's just Imus who ends up getting fired for the word 'ho'
Dave Letterman is like Sandra Bernhardt, both deliver rape jokes without impunity and both are strangely obsessed with Gov Palin.
I want Letterman fired so he will not be allowed to profit like all the other offensive entertainers who get away with projecting their personal perversions onto the population.
Wonder why the culture is sick?
Take a good look at who has cultivated it; the likes of Lettermans, Bernhardts, Mahers, and Stewarts.
Are you completely oblivious? It doesn't really matter which one it was directed at now, does it? It was tasteless and inappropriate. Childish also comes to mind. You are the none in need of a reality check. Do you have daughters? How about we all make some jokes about them? How would that make you feel? Or are you one of the slutty flight attendants he as talking about? Are you getting it yet? If we don't stick up for our children, all of them, who will? Neither of those girls did anything to him to provoke these asinine attacks. Except that their mother is a conservative, strong female politician. Letterman is a bitter has-been who is not funny and hasn't been for years. I used to watch him, I should know. Maybe he should go back to throwing watermelons off the tower and talking about big-a$$ ham. Ridiculing people for a laugh isn't funny. That went out in grade school. At least for some of us it did. Apparently not for you, which says a lot.
I'm already Free and I'd like to Stay that way Thank You very much . The Question is whats it going to do For and To You! Ricky the Poo.
"Not only did he refer to Palin herself as being “slutty,” but he used a crude sexual reference to Palin’s 14-year-old daughter Willow, whose only sins are the fact that she is a Palin and she attended a Yankees game with her mother in NYC."
And that her mother uses her children to draw attention to herself.
I actually enjoy reading stuff from these left-wing nutjobs, and it gave me a convenient reason to quote Fred Sanford….
You tell 'em Hank!
Letterman decided to issue the second apology after an uncomfortable moment when Larry King knocked up his wife.
[...] Greg Gutfeld, Daily Gut: Letterman’s Obsession with Sarah Palin Pam Meister, Big Hollywood: The Imus Standard: Should Letterman Be Fired? The Live Feed: Conan O’Brien’s ratings rise, dominates in demo; Letterman apologizes to [...]
Seriously, learn English before you post here. U r a joke.
your name says it all… YOU are a moron, Youareamoron.
[...] Easy As ABC…President Obama’s Official “State-Run” Media Pam Meister, Big Hollywood: The Imus Standard: Should Letterman Be Fired? ButAsForMe: “Cut the Mike” — Steamed Contessa Brewer Says After Palin Defender John Ziegler [...]
Wow that was so NOT clever Are you reading your comments from the little book of grade school insults?
No, of course you aren't, you can't read.
you first
[...] Of The Year: Jackass David Letterman Is Nominated Dummies Of The Year Pam Meister, Big Hollywood: The Imus Standard: Should Letterman Be Fired? Moralia: Because hot conservative women have to stick together Frugal Café Blog Zone: [...]
[...] to Palin Family Mark Levin Fan: Obama supporter Bill Maher disses Palin Pam Meister, Big Hollywood: The Imus Standard: Should Letterman Be Fired? Fort Hard Knox: Liberal Bill Maher Attacks Sarah Palin Rantings of mine: Whatever Happened to [...]
"I think most rational, reasonable, THINKING folks realize the joke was aimed towards the older Palin."
I guess thinking doesn't apply to the writers, the reviewers, and ultimately Letterman.
Good point!!
Do I think it was a joke revolving around pedophilia?? Of course not. Was it inappropriate, tasteless and extremely un-funny. Of course. As a father I would be really pissed off at Letterman for insulting first my wife then one of my daughters. Letterman deserves a knuckle sandwich from Todd Palin for it.
Your keeper will set you free monkey boy. Then you starve.
You sound like the little retard kid — ricky ross. You two should mate. Monkey boy meets troll boy, a love that dare not speak its name.
You made my morning, Hank Scorpio… thumbs up!
"And that her mother uses her children to draw attention to herself."
You base this on what exactly?
Excellent points made… bravo. I totally concur.
Ignore him Hank, Trolls are here for your enjoyment! Swing away Hank. . . swing away.
MegaTroll here, doing quality control. I grade you at a C-.
1. You need to bring it all together by blaming Bush.
2. Not enough All Caps.
Improve or lose your trolling license. I will be watching.
The people who believe this comment is OK when directed at Bristol but not at Willow themselves have serious mysogynistic problems and should seek help.
"grow conservatism instead of trying to water-down liberals" – ah, brilliance!
The despicable Media Matters had it in for him, as evidence by the fact that it was they who broke the "story" (a week after the fact)…
Letterman has a free speech right to say what he wants. Viewers and the public also have rights to boycott his channel and program, to raise the issue at Shareholder meetings if they are Shareholders, to demonstrate against this mysogynistic activity and to make public demands that he be fired and generate as much social pressure to this effect as possible. Given that this was a well reviewed, deliberate scripted "joke" intended as a demeaning assault on a conservative woman and aimed at intimidating, humiliating and harming her and her family, turn about and getting Letterman fired is fair play.
LOL! Oh My Friend Thank You. I needed that.
Yeah I'm beginning to think this guy is mildly retarded. Poor fella….
Okay, then let's fire EVERYONE (on both sides of the political spectrum, and even those in the middle) that at least some people will find objectionable until no one is left, with the possible exception of Ellen DeGeneres (maybe)!
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!
I have to invest in a coffee-proof keyboard…..
Not only an excellent excuse for the Sanford quote, but it is rather fun to play with a chew toy
Since the liberal bottom feeders created this environment of character assassination against all those that don't share their communist views I say Letterman should be fired. What's good for the goose is good for the liberal degenerate.
The only reasoning is…because Palin didn't abort them. Therefore, she's using them to draw attention to herself.
Apparently, Palin has magic powers. She can FORCE Letterman to make sexist jokes about her. She can COMPELL him to make an ass out of himself. Therefore, it's her fault.
Thank God we didn't elect her. Imagine if we had a vice president with magic powers instead of Joe Biden. The world would be doomed. Doomed I tell ya.
No need, Hank. Just wrap the keyboard in plastic cling wrap, and you are good to go. It's cheaper than buying a new keyboard, since you can use the CHANGE left in your pocket to buy a roll
Ok, I'm really sorry Bill Maher is an extremist left-wing nutbag with a minimal IQ and very little humor. I am also very sorry that he's stealing money from HBO.
There….whew…..I feel better now, thanks…..
I'm glad to hear somebody's watching these trolls. Keep up the good work inspector!
Are we going to fire everybody who says something stupid, crass and vulgar in public? Either speech is free or it is not. Governor Palin is quite right that it is good to live in a country where David Letterman is free to make crass, vulgar jokes about her daughter and she is free to say it is disgusting, perverted, crass, vulgar and over the line. And ALL of us are free to make up our own mind as to whether or not we keep watching (the right to speak, after all, is not the same as a right to an audience).
I shudder to think what will become of us if we continue to pursue this regulation of speech via politically correct speech codes, "hate speech" regulations and laws, hate crimes, and so on.
David Letterman should be fired & go back in Barack Obama's bum where he has been sniffing the special sauce vapors from the kool-aid he drinks daily. It's getting crowded in Obama's anal cavity…
The answer, of course, is no…
Dave ceased being relevant, say, ten years ago. He is now just an angry old man cloistered in New York surrounded by leftist acolytes, and as such represents that narrow ideological stripe.
Let them support him.
I am not sure the Free Market will have a say in it for very long:
http://www.drudgereport.com/flashaot.htm
Seems to me the merger between the MSM and the Obama Administration is congealing nicely. How long before they get a bailout?
Ditto for a test pattern.
I was gonna say the guys in the white coats will set him free once he's declared sane.
I like yours better….
You should see what Trolls get on their keyboards. Ever have a dung-smoothie?
I notice that person did not respond with anything, so I have to agree with you that Palin has magical powers.
And hopefully the Avalanche have a better season this year bro…
Attention is drawn to Sarah Palin's children because they are Sarah Palin's children.
What do you suggest, Einstein? That she pack them off to the Aleutians while she's in office?
Probably not on your troll radar, but the children of public figures used to be off-limits even to undue media scrutiny, let alone being used as the target of lewd jokes on network TV.
Ding, ding, ding! You sir go to the head of the line! Thank you, thank you ever so much!
And not only were they scripted, but it was in the news for 2 days that Palin was going to be in town for the parade and charity event. I believe there were details as to WHO was traveling with her.
Seeing as how that's all that comes out of their mouths anyway…..
Oh I see, if a white guy pokes fun of hip-hop culture by using their terms in a sarcastic off-the-cuff remark then it is out of bounds, but if a dirty old white guy has a rehearsed joke which he and his staff thought long and hard about, regarding the impregnating of a political opponent's daughter (WHOEVER it was) – and yes 'political opponent', because Letterman is a partisan hack, lib PR spokesman – then it is fine. If this was a murder then Imus's joke was a deeply regretted crime of passion, and Letterman's was co-conspired and premeditated without any true remorse. Let's face it, Letterman is not funny, and neither are his co-conspiring joke writers. Let the market decided his fate (which includes public pressure to resign btw). Conan is so much better anyways.
Buck, i agree with what you're saying. But isn't it interesting that no fuss has been made over the racial slur (IMHO) about hispanic males via the A-Rod mention? Nobody seems to be crying foul about that.
But consider for a moment the situation with GE. We all would LOVE to see Immelt tossed. Many have advocated it on the basis of the Iranian contracts, and all which led to hurting our soldiers in Iraq. We are mad at GE for its lobbying ways, and fascist take on cap and death which will lead to us making solar powered generators just so we can blow our hair dry because we cannot afford electricity and the local windmill, made by GE, IS BROKEN.
We can boycott GE and advocate for the outing of Jeffrey "The Creepy Fascist", but not David, "I Endorse Criminal Acts On Young Girls"? Not to mention David, the "I Slime ALL Airline Workers".
As your name suggests, you are a moron. I don't take offense with that. What I do take offense with is the swearing at the end of your post.
Agreed. I would prefer to see people exercise their freedom by boycotting his sponsors (and letting them know) rather than to call for his firing. Reduced cash flow will have a much greater impact on a progressive than outraged conservatives. Besides, I think it is important for (mythical?) moderates to be regularly reminded of the tolerance and maturity of the left wing.
The truly instructive point is the blatant hypocrisy. Can anyone even conceive of Letterman or any other "comedian" referring to Michelle O as a slutty flight attendant? Let alone ridiculing their kids. Never in a million years. But Sarah Palin? Fair game.
I too saw a slur against Arod and speculate whether or not Arod could bring a libel suit against Letterman and CBS. Afterall, Letterman accused the 34 year old Arod of being a pedophilic predator on 14 year olds or if you buy his "excuse," a dirty old man chasing after a barely legal.
I agree that the market should decide whether Letterman should stay or go. I hope his audience wakes up to their complicity in what amounts to defacto approval that a 14 year old is a legit target for sexual expolitation by adult males.
I am appalled at how low our culture has sunk wherein not only is the rape of a 14 year old laughed about but so many actually go to Letterman's defense.
Letterman is a dirty old man. What decent person can countenance that?
I too saw a slur against Arod and speculate whether or not Arod could bring a libel suit against Letterman and CBS. Afterall, Letterman accused the 34 year old Arod of being a pedophilic predator on 14 year olds or if you buy his "excuse," a dirty old man chasing after a barely legal. ____I agree that the market should decide whether Letterman should stay or go. I hope his audience wakes up to their complicity in what amounts to defacto approval that a 14 year old is a legit target for sexual expolitation by adult males.____I am appalled at how low our culture has sunk wherein not only is the rape of a 14 year old laughed about but so many actually go to Letterman's defense.____Letterman is a dirty old man. What decent person can countenance that?
I mentioned it a few days ago, and a few others have, I took it that Rodriguez was being singled out. I don't know if his recent issues are still too close to home, or whether an entire ethnicity was being slurred, but yeah it is interesting.
Kudos. Quite right. Good job. Yeah!
Can't give you *more* than one thumbs up…but I'd like to! Well said, friend.
Well stated rant to which I completely agree.
Had David Letterman made a joke about President Obama daughters being raped at NY baseball game and that President Obama wife dresses andact like a " slutty stewardess " , CBS would have FIRED him and the MSM would not defend David Letterman.
To David Letterman sponsors, I have send a list of his sponsors to family and friends and ask them not to buy their products or services.
"We all have the right to criticize what we don’t agree with – that’s also free speech – but to demand that Letterman be fired for exercising his rights, no matter how distasteful, smacks of totalitarianism."
In an otherwise decent piece (like many have said, Letterman's fate should be left to CBS and the market), it's hardly "totalitarian" or fascist or speech squelching to demand that Letterman be fired. He is on public air waves and made an ad hominem attack on a 14 year old girl. Letterman is not entitled to television show, and if CBS fires him, there will be nothing wrong with that. You've created a false argument, and not a very clever one.
I haven't watched Letterman in years, and I don't plan to start now.
Thanks and Perfectly stated…… I am floored that NONE of the MASS MEDIA covered that!!! Can you say HIDDEN AGENDA!!!!
I have been livid over the media flap for even some comments that Rush has made or even Oreilly (tiller) he has been in the mainstream media headlights for about a week already. I just think that the media needs to really rethink there strategy, becasue Obama is not going to be in office for more then 4 years…..
Right…a wonderful athlete who didn't decry the joke about him taking advantage of a young girl….very classy of him.
I've never liked Letterman and I adore Sarah Palin to bits. Calling for his head though is a bit much. Palin made her point and won the PR battle, at least among normal Americans.
So, in essence, your answer to Mark_S' comment is for his demise? Wow, how tolerant of you…..
Yes. Fire him. He's offensive to some people.
No. I don't think Letterman should be fired for his stupid comment. But he will possibly be fired soon because of his lackluster ratings. And I don't think Imus should have been canned either. Oh, and Soupy Sales. He shouldn't have been fired either. Neither should Jimmy the Greek.
+ 1,000
Offensive? If you where to be fired for being offensive, I do not think that any media person would still have a job…..
I just think the biggest problem here with Maher and Letterman there JOKES WHERE SCRIPTED people…..
Umm, no, it is a common primate ancestor from which the lines of modern "great apes" and humans evolved separately. Please try to research and understand information before accepting and relaying it. Although with your version one may be slightly more justified commenting about "that monkey in the White House," sadly it is incorrect.
Liberal fascists – your time is drawing near. NObama, aka Barry Soetoro, aka Barry Dunham is going to sink you fools like a three foot putt.
Yes, you should stop now before you start crying. You don't want your mascara to run, do you?
I noticed you are avoiding using your registered account. Trying to avoid an enraged mass over your crass despicable Willow Palin "joke?" While you continue to leap to Letterman's defense, you are ignoring an important difference between you and him. He only plays at being an idiot.
Hear, hear!
What the hell did A-Rod do? (I mean besides steroids and Madonna.)
Look, I love the New York Yankees the way some of the people who post here love Sarah Palin, but I do not think he's owed an apology.
And I especially don't think he has any obligation at all to comment on this whole, stupid "joke" business — he's got much more important things to do — like helping to make up two games against Boston in the AL East.
It's over: bad, nasty joke; outrage expressed; apology; another apology; apology accepted.
I agree with Pam — this scalphunting business "smacks of totalitarianism."
Fired ! He would have been Publicly Hanged with a sign on him saying "I Will Not Take the Name of God Nor Any of His Family in Vain Ever Again"
Sorry to keep beating the gong here, but I wish some of you thinking this firing idea is a violation of free speech, or a totalitarian dance would broaden you view here just a bit.
This is not about free speech rights. This is about a pattern. This is about a larger scope where people who express their frustrations with the federal government get placed on a DHS memo watch list. This is about people who are taking Alinsky techniques, and applying them like fly paper to every aspect of our lives. This is about NBC executives meeting with their employees, and telling them they are forbidden to SAY anything negative about Obama. This is about an ideology and engrained philosophy which tells certain groups in America you have no rights to speak you mind, or to defend yourselves if attacked.
Obama called many Americans racists during the campaign. It was his right to say so, but my right to object to the labeling and not vote for him. A person can yell, "FIRE!" in a crowded movie theater and go to jail. Even morons disgruntled with the service from McDonalds can go to jail for exercising their free speech opinions to 911. There are severe ramifications for abusing your rights to free speech. Free speech is a right, but not an entitlement. You must assume responsibilities with your rights. I look at it in this light as well, I have the right to defend myself, but not go around randomly killing people.
I for one do not trust the free market. There was a poll last week that said around 50% of those polled had no clue as to who Sonia Sotomayor was. Then there is the apathy factor, and the fear factor. This nation is where it is now because far too many did not want to get involved, or draw distinctive lines with the Left and their behavior. I give you Bush, and the Leftist media.
This is really not about Dave's free speech rights, it is about the content of what he said, and how often he kept slamming his target. Having Dave punished is not totalitarian. It is a desire for the media to be more disciplined in how they operate. Where were the totalitarian fears when Trent Lott was canned? And the list goes on and on where Republicans, Conservatives and all that is the Right are held to a standard the Left is not.
Another way to look at this is when Willie Nelson's wife was fed up with him coming home drunk. She rolled him up in the sheets like a burrito, and whacked the holy mess out of him with a broom. She was not being a totalitarian, she was not taking away Willie's rights to drink until he was drunk. She was just making it clear he could not come home to her drunk. He was punished. I am an advocate for punishment not totalitarianism, or the denial of free speech. And does anyone think because some on the Right are asking for Dave to be fired that it is going to become some new tsunami, and Lefties everywhere will bill fired for goofing on Palin? I think not. Nor will it endanger our free speech rights. DHS has already done that, along with all the other Fascists in Washington and Leftist media!
Thank you, thank you very much. I am working on trying to rant in fewer paragraphs, but it is not going so well today.
The audience will vote by not watching the azzhole anymore. That will hurt and ultimately get Letterman replaced just like Dan Rather. But Letterman's replacement may be worse like probably Bill Maher or Jon Stewart so be careful what you wish for.. So who needs to 'fire' the turd anyway?
Please note the jury is out as to whether Maher is any sort of "nutbag." We are awaiting the independent third-party medical report on the issue.
OF COURSE I WANT HIM GONE. Not that it will happen, but it should. If you don´t want to get him fired all your outraged comments are completely pointless. Write letters. Write to his sponsors. If Letterman is fired, others will think twice next time they feel like destroying a conservative. That is how you get your way in the long run. They will respect conservatives only when they fear the voice of their supporters. That is the only way this cycle of ever more vicious attacks will break.
Now write his advertisers. That will help CBS make their decision.
But you must let the sponsors KNOW that you will avoid their product and why. Otherwise the free market won´t function.
Big Hollywood' is great. And I love it. But let a real man step in here. It has to be said. Most people jumping on Mr. Letterman are 'weak'. You live in that sorry a** comfort zone looking for any 'relief' in your littles lives, to make you 'feel good about yourselves'. Your the worse so-called humans, known to mankind. Get in the real world. If he said that joke about a 14 year old boy or girl, we put him in check. That was not the case. Should he apologize to the BLACKS, and Hispanics,etc for all the crude jokes he has ever made? No he doesnt. And he has made some serious ones. As for most of the so-called men on here supporting Palin, you've all been B****** down. She's no different, and shes a joke, like her daughter. Joke's on her, and Barack, and the rest of us by Mr. Letterman? any difference? I dont think so. So wake, weak one's, and the next time your in that restroom, try p***ing out all that 'politically correct' "feel good about myself" urine in your brain. Its made you, what you are. And we know what that is..
We are in the Age of Obama. Obama himself set the "Imus standard".
So, yes, if we are to believe the Left, not demanding Letterman be fired would be unpatriotic, and probably racist, as it suggests Obama is fallible.
No one should be fired. Imus should never have been fired; that was a hysterical reaction led by a hypocritical lynch mob. People will "fire" entertainers by choosing not to listen to their shows.
" But let a real man step in here"
ROFLMAO
Like a liberal has any clue as to what a "real man" is.
You probably laughed at Obama's retard joke on the Tonight Show, too.
As conservatives we are supposed to be against the thought police, the people who pick apart what people say and think they have the right to destroy anyone and every one who says something they don't like or agree with, this is a leftist attitude and I oppose it, you can punish letterman by not watching him, but it's time to stop having a double standard just because they do and let it go.
Are any of the Palins black? Or Hispanic? If not, there isn't a snowball's chance in hell of that bastard getting fired. And you da*n well know it!
[...] the original post: The Imus Standard: Should Letterman Be Fired? This entry is filed under America – Blogs, Big Hollywood. You can follow any responses to this [...]
I say let's take a stand now for women everywhere – this man has no regard for women, even the one he reluctantly married. When you see the damage done by domestic violence, you never forget it. Shouldn't we be worried more about how his son is being raised?
Letterman is a PIG and should be fired. His "joke" was not an off-the-cuff remark made on a talk show- IT WAS CAREFULLY PLANNED. Letterman thinks it was okay if it had been about the older daughter. HE IS A PIG. BOYCOTT CBS- GE- ALL HIS ADVERTISERS. I'm finished with him.
Why should he be fired? He should just apologize (which he did, to the best of his ability.)
Oh- and that "apology" was a joke- both of them. He "apologized" that we didn't understand the joke. What a fool. He still doesn't get it. And the women's groups are pathetic.
Now THAT is funny!
Very well stated. I will admit to being a little touchy after 8 years of 'Bush is stupid' and the unbelievably lop-sided coverage of the election and the viciousness with which Letterman has continually attacked Palin. But this- about her daughter- and the pejoratives he uses towards Palin- which would never be tolerated from the right- have pushed me over the edge. I want him fired. Anyone on the right who said something comparable would have been fired already.
Letterman should've been fired years ago because he's not funny, and he's an ugly bor0n.
Same goes for Maher; uuugly , dull AND hateful.
The reason the Right is held to a Higher Standard is because We Aspire to One. The Lefts Standards on the other hand well lets just say …..their Actions and Behavior Speak for Themselves. IMHO
[...] the channel. Big Hollywood, which linked my post calling for Letterman to be fired early yesterday, went all squishy by the evening and was more concerned with REAL problems, like someone getting on Letterman to [...]
"The reason, of course, is that an old white guy making any kind of slur against a protected minority group is verboten."
I used to think that women were a protected minority group. Thanks to Sarah Palin, I now know that only liberal women are a protected minority group.
Obviously neither Letterman nor Imus deserve to be fired for such mild remarks. Do you Americans realize that to most of the world this is a no-brainer?
" Does the fact that Bristol is now (barely) of age and an unwed mother make it OK to attack her thusly?"
Well, that and the fact that she took adult self on a solo, national, 'look how well abstinence worked for me' tour while using the media to carry out a public feud with her ex-boyfriend. Those things make it perfectly ok to make a joke about her getting knocked up, yes. Since she's recently made a career out of the fact that she got knocked up. God knows she doesn't seem to have many other career prospects.
It was a perfectly normal joke. It was a perfectly nonoffensive joke – as demonstrated by the fact that no one took umbrage when Conan, Leno and Ferguson all told the exact same joke (though Conan referred to Bristol's "penalty box," which is arguably cruder).
Of course, the media whore wasn't out whoring around the city those guys were in when they told the jokes, and thus no one asked her about it, and thus she didn't realize she could have gotten attention by pretending to be outraged and then lying about what the joke was about. Oh, and then lying about her kid – who has been 15 for nearly half a year.
Fine by me. Liberals fired the first shot and I see no reason to lie down and die out of some devotion to "higher principles," when they get you killed. Conservatives are dying because they aren't putting up a fight. Imus, Pajorian, Mormon Prop 8 supporters. Just because we don't want to do something doesn't mean the other side is going to suddenly give up. Hilter's Germany rose to power because everyone wanted to be nice to the monster until it was too late. As for the dead, wars have casualties.
LOL… I love all the outrage in these comments… People need to calm down and worry about things that matter… The show is a comedy and David Letterman is a comedian and guess what, usually comedy and jokes are offensive to someone and should never be made to be politically correct, or else the humour will be gone. Yes, David Letterman make a joke that implies statutory rape which is obviously in bad taste, but honestly why care so much? He's apologized and tried explaining it as a mistake (I can understand how this mistake could have been made whether it's the truth or not) and Sarah Palin has said she accepts his apology. Sounds like this is done and over with…. He said something offensive, apologized to the people it's offensive to and now they have moved on, maybe everyone here should too perhaps? Also, all the throwing around of comments on how Davdi's sexist or a pedophile, etc is just plain stupid… People need to learn how to control their emotions and not take jokes so seriously!
[...] apology to the Palins – UPDATE: Palin accepts it…we should too Pam Meister, Big Hollywood: The Imus Standard: Should Letterman Be Fired? PajamasMedia: I am afraid I no longer believe…That we have an inquisitive American media as we [...]
Well, they can't have a worse season…
Whore? What does your mother have to do with this?
If that offends you, then maybe you should rethink your propensity to attack teenage girls from behind the anonymous safety of your keyboard, you cowardly POS.
Oh, and just to explain to your feeble brain; Bristol didn't go on any trash daytime shows to talk about her sex life. Her scumbag ex did. Not that I expect you to deviate from your Leftist talking points of constantly blaming the victim. Plus, the fact that she got pregnant means that she WASN'T abstinent. Duh. What is it about this issue that makes you libs so completely incoherent?
She was irresponsible, she owned up to it, and now she is trying to help other kids avoid the poor decisions that she made. I would suspect though, that in your opinion, her only bad choice was her failure to rip the baby out of her womb and discard it in a dumpster.
[...] Easy As ABC…President Obama’s Official “State-Run” Media Pam Meister, Big Hollywood: The Imus Standard: Should Letterman Be Fired? Jenn Q. Public: David Letterman and the Culture of Liberal Entitlement Josh Painter, RedState: [...]
[...] Big Hollywood: Conservatives Need to Fire the Marketing Department Pam Meister, Big Hollywood: The Imus Standard: Should Letterman Be Fired? Jenn Q. Public: David Letterman and the Culture of Liberal Entitlement Josh Painter, RedState: [...]
You must be logged in to post a comment.