Imus Gets Suspended....So What?

It took five days and a story that wouldn't die to get Don Imus suspended for two weeks following his blatantly racist remarks about the women's basketball team at Rutgers University. The coach condemned him, Al Sharpton condemned him, Jesse Jackson condemned him and so did many people here on the left. However, NBC/CBS's response does not even come close to being adequate.

Lets face facts, Imus will never be fired, even if he deserves it (and he certainly does). What really counts to his corporate masters is ratings and money. As long as Don brings in cash he can say whatever the hell he wants. He has apologized for remarks like this before. Swore he would never do it again. Blah blah blah. The truth is that Imus can apologize all he wants but with his history, it isn't hard to say that he believes what he says.

Don Imus is only a small part of the problem. He is an example of the racist attitudes that linger under the surface for a large portion of America. The microphone gives his kind the power to voice what is underneath the facade and that is why so many people listen to him. Our corporate society allows this stuff to manifest because it is profitable for them. The greed and the bigotry go hand in hand. Perhaps if the networks would place ethics before profit, we could sever one of those hands and start to work on the real problem.