No Tears for the I-Man
A Cause Celeb Conservatives Can Do Without
As conservatives around the country gnash their teeth and rend their garments for the martyrdom of Don Imus, let’s ask a simple question: What has Don Imus ever done for us? Nothing, zilch, nada. He’s not one of us, never has been, and never should be. He has no cause, and he’s no martyr.
We’re so accustomed to false charges of racism that we’ve developed an instinctual reaction to defend anyone else under accusation. It’s a noble instinct, but do consider the object of your new found affection. When has Don Imus ever risen up to take the bayonet for a falsely accused conservative? Why would he? That’s not what he’s about.
Imus is a world-class jerk who’s pulled off a world-class con by somehow basing a successful broadcast career on a broadly demeaning attempt to be the coolest kid in the cafeteria. There may have been some novelty to this routine when talk radio was in its infancy; but in his dotage, the I-Boy’s shtik is simply depressing. Lenny Bruce said it long ago: There’s nothing sadder than aging hipster.
When there’s snow on the roof and Beltones in the ears, it’s time to stop using cool words like “hos.” You don’t know what they mean, and you’re going to use them at the wrong time with the wrong people.
Imus’ greater fault lies in contributing to the coarsening of our culture. We can rightfully bewail the extremes of Political Correctness, but let’s also remember a time when such strictures were irrelevant. The cohesiveness of civil society depends upon bonds of trust and cordiality. Pre-Coulter Conservatives understood, as Southerners and Christians still do, that there is inherent value in treating one another with respect – even before it has been earned.
We smile at our neighbors, we greet each other at church, and we even go so far as to bathe almost daily, simply out of consideration for others. We don’t “keep it real,” because we choose to rise above the corralled beasts of daytime television. We certainly do not go out of our way to offend. Imus has made millions over the course of 3 decades by going out of his way to offend, and his comeuppance is just. He did not fly too close to the sun; he lingered too close to the sewer.
The tragedy of it all is the wasted focus of the conservative movement. We need to draw on lessons from our past and choose our battles more wisely. Unmannered elderly, such as Imus, and spoiled libertines, such as the Duke Lacrosse lads, do not merit our defense. If we are going to continually betray our beliefs by wrapping our reputations and resources around the poorest examples of men, we can expect to continually lose.
POSTED BY IJ REILLY AT 4/14/2007
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