Imus(t) have missed that headline

This whole Don Imus thing simultaneously amuses and annoys me to no end. I'm fairly certain you've heard about it - Don refers to the Rutger's women's basketball team as, collectively, 'nappy headed hos', and the requisite indignation and outrage ensues. It's been in the papers. It's been in the news. It's been on TV. Hell, it's even been featured on Oprah, and everybody knows Oprah only covers what's truly relevant and important to the people.

So you've heard about it, right?

Right. Now see, that's my problem. Don is being (rightfully) raked through the coals for his comments and is in danger of losing the means to his livelihood. Who can argue that a man who walks that fine line between shock and outrage, who eventually veers over to the side where apologies are no longer sufficient, should still hold his post as a crier to and for the people? Don has lost his MSNBC airtime and his resignation from his nationally syndicated show is being called for by any number of public media figures.

So yeah, I'm betting that you know all this already, but I pretty sure you don't know who Miss Jones is.

Who?

Please, allow yourself to bask in the soft glow of my enlightenment as I retell the saga of 'the tsunami song', given that the token coverage that media likes to throw out for the sake of those bothersome Asians was scarcely sufficient.

On January 18, 2005, Miss Jones twice airs 'the tsunami song' on her morning show on Hot 97. The tsunami song was concocted by members of Miss Jone's DJ team and mocked the victims of the tsunami that wiped out large regions of Indonesia. The song went like this:

There was a time
When the sun was shining bright
So I went down to the beach to catch me a tan
Then the next thing I knew
A wave 20 feet high came and washed your whole country away
And all at once you could hear all the screaming Chinks
And no one was safe from the wave
There were Africans drowning
Little Chinamen swept way
You could hear God laughing "Swim You bitches, swim"
[Chorus]
So now you're screwed, it's a tsunami
You better run and better kiss your ass away
Go find your mommy
I just saw her float by, a tree right through her head, and now your children will be sold child slavery
[Repeat chorus]

Delightful, yes? Well, this controversy had it's own fallout. Some media coverage. Some very dedicated activists fighting to get Miss Jones booted off the radio. A New York city councilman, John Liu, publicly denouncing the despicable racist content and calling for action by the Hot 97 radio station. What did we get?

Fired - Producer Rick Del Gado, who created the song, and morning-team member Todd Lynn, who cracked on the air, "I'm gonna start shooting some Asians."

Not fired - Miss Jones.

But I bet you didn't hear about that, did you?

So what's the deal here? Can anyone objectively look at the content gassed from both these programs and truthfully say that Imus's is MORE objectionable than Miss Jones'? Anyone?
Anyone at all?

Right.

So where's the outrage? Where's that national unity? Where's the sincere and heartfelt apologies? Miss Jones was quoted as saying, following the hubbub of the Hot 97 reticence on behalf of the morning show team:

"I relly don't care about people,especilly asians, and am only apologizing to save my livelyhood."

But she's still on the air! Today! Employed!

And I swear, anybody who even attempts to perch themselves on that rotted out soapbox, preaching about who's entitled to bitch about racism and who's not by virtue of some sole mystical right to indignation, will have their legs chopped out from under them. There is nothing overt or subtle about racism against Asians these days, and I'm sickened by the free pass given to perpetrators of what's deemed as 'innocuous' comments made 'in jest' or 'in ignorance'. That's an excuse? No. That's a fucking double standard.

I kid you not.