The gritty talk show host Don Imus (upper picture) was suspended for two weeks because of his racial comments. Many black leaders want him fired after he referred to the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos."
Whether Imus is fired or not, his comment was, in the words of the Rutgers coach, "despicable and disgusting." A two week suspension is a gentle wrist slap.
Compare that to 1988 when Jimmy “the Greek” Snyder (lower picture) was fired from CBS for voicing his opinion that negro slaves were bred for strength, explaining their superior athletic ability. His exact comment was:
The slave owner would breed this big Black with this big Black woman so he could have a big Black kid.
His statement was probably true in many instances during slavery in the pre-Civil War south. However, CBS fired him as a result of intense pressure from the NAACP and prominent black leaders who said the Snyder comment set the black movement back 100 years.
One other racial observation by Jimmy the Greek was his comment that “blacks are diluting their race.” This comment was based on the fact that well-educated blacks have small families while poorly educated blacks have large families. Consequently, the percent of upper-class blacks dwindle with each generation
The irony is that Imus got a two-week suspension for a racial slur while the Greek was fired for telling the truth. His comments were insensitive and hurtful but what he said was true.
A bit more about Jimmy the Greek:
He was not known for his brilliant odds making. One notable example was when he gave 200 to 1 odds against South Dakota Senator George McGovern becoming the Democratic nominee for President in 1972 proving that he should stick with giving odds on football games.
If McGovern had not changed the rules of the Democratic National Convention that year, the Greek may well have been right. McGovern won the Democratic nomination but lost the presidential race by 60%–38%, the second biggest landslide loss in American history.
The Greek, who died in 1996 at the age of 76, did make one big gambling score in 1948 when he bet $10,000 (that was a huge amount in 1948) on Harry S. Truman to win over Thomas E. Dewey in the presidential election. Most people thought Dewey would win and Jimmy the Greek was given 17-1 odds. His winnings amounted to a small fortune in 1948 dollars!
Posted by: fussball | March 02, 2009 at 04:32 AM