Don Imus should be apologizing to no one.

In case you have been living under a rock for the past two weeks, Don Imus is a radio air personality who has a talk show out of New York called “Imus in the Morning.” On April 4, he made a comment about the Rutgers women basketball team, calling them “nappy-headed hos”

Think whatever you may about that comment, but the thing people don’t understand is this: He has a right to say whatever he wants, including calling Rutgers team nappy-headed hos if he so chooses. It’s called freedom of speech.

I’m not saying I agree with Imus, but I am agreeing with the First Amendment. If you don’t like what Imus has to say, don’t listen to his program. It’s as simple as that.

You might be thinking to yourself “But Donny, hate speech isn’t protected!” Correct you are; however, this isn’t a case of hate speech, it was an unfunny attempt to be funny.

The most ridiculous thing about this whole ordeal is Al Sharpton’s demand for an apology and calling for Imus’ firing. What does Al Sharpton have to do with Rutgers? Does Al Sharpton play for Rutgers? Does he have a daughter on the team? No, so he should shut up. He is not directly involved in any way, shape or form.

To further illustrate the genius of the Reverend Al, when Imus did come on Sharpton’s radio show to apologize, Sharpton didn’t accept it! What’s the point of having a guy on your show to apologize (when you don’t even have anything do to with the issue at hand in the first place) and then not accepting the apology?

Clearly Sharpton doesn’t watch Comedy Central’s “South Park” or “Drawn Together,” because Imus’s alleged racist remark is nothing compared to these shows. One episode of “Drawn Together” was about a conspiracy within the school board to not let black people get high school diplomas.

A month ago, an episode of “South Park” aired with white characters saying the N-word, uncensored, 42 times. How is what Don Imus said any worse than that? I don’t see Al Sharpton calling for the cancellation of “Drawn Together” or demanding an apology from Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

Don Imus was trying to be funny, just like those TV shows, yet he gets ostracized and “South Park” DVDs sell like hot cakes.

Radio talk shows should be treated just the same as movies, songs, TV shows, and any other form of entertainment medium. Don Imus should not have been fired, and he shouldn’t of even got the two-week suspension, which eventually turned into the permanent suspension. He has the right to say whatever he wants, just like I do.

Donny Sobnosky is a video and film programming major and columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact him at [email protected].