So, Don Imus.

First of all, let me get it out of the way by saying that I don’t like Don Imus, Howard Stern, Opie & Anthony or any of their kind.  I don’t find them amusing.  I don’t find them entertaining.  I think they’re lowest-common-denominator humor, and I think they’re helping contribute to the dumbing-down of America.  That said, I fully support their right to do what they do.  And if other people are entertained by them, then so be it, and they’re welcome to listen. 

Don Imus made a mistake.  He made an off-handed remark in poor taste, and yeah, he probably should be punished for it… but he shouldn’t be banished in shame.  Since this fiasco exploded, Imus has publicly apologized several times and offered to meet with the Rutgers team to apologize to them personally.  We all have made stupid remarks that have insulted people, but we haven’t been made to suffer in the manner that many are calling upon Imus to undergo.  And might I call to attention that famous phrase from the Bible — John 8:7, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” I might remind Al Sharpton that he who currently has a radio show (and is calling for Imus to be fired) helped inflame matters between the black and Jewish communities in New York in 1991, resulting in the Crown Heights Riot.  Jesse Jackson, who has also been calling for Imus’ head, has publicly said that he’s “sick and tired of hearing about the Holocaust,” and has everyone forgotten that he called Jews the not-so-complimentary term “Hymies” and dubbed New York “Hymietown”? 

We’re none of us perfect.  But that doesn’t mean that we have to institute a one-strike-you’re-out rule.  Like I said, we’ve all done things that would probably be insulting to some, and we have to give people not only the benefit of the doubt, but also the ability to be forgiven.  And — most importantly — we have to start taking personal responsibility, because this Puritannical streak running through our country right now is scaring the crap out of me.  Look, there’s a lot of stuff out there that isn’t exactly PC (or PG, for that matter)… it doesn’t mean it needs to be banished.  If you don’t like what’s on, change the station or the channel, because not everyone has the same tastes as you, and this country was founded on freedoms that allow adults here to like what we want without having opinions or boundaries forced on us.  Parents, if you don’t want your kids watching a TV show, learn to use the parental controls and lockouts on your TV or cable box.  If you don’t want your kids listening to a certain radio show, lay down the law in your own household… but keep it inside your own house.  Just because you think something’s morally bankrupt, it doesn’t give you the right to take it away from me.