RebKell's Junkie Boards

[inky]

Smoovie, please tell me you didn't actually think that criticizing Mechelle Voepel's appearance by saying employees of an abortion clinic would be surprised she'd been able to find a sexual partner was funny.

You say that Voepel's basing conclusions about Braxton's character on actions is despicable. How much more so is making such assertions about Voepel based on her appearance?

I've been posting here for half a year, and lurking around since you renegades banded together against the evil espn board. I've always had respect for you, in particular. Please reassure me that you're better than that. Because what you said was disgusting. I hope you misspoke.

[jammerbirdi]

[herrade]

[bluewolfvii]

[jammerbirdi]

I don't know how many of you watch or listen to Imus in the Morning. His often stupid and repulsive politics aside I think I have an excellent read on why that show is what it is. (And if you don't know what it is then whatever. I've resolved to shorten my posts so I won't explain.)

Two things give that show the juice that it has.

1. The crackle of electricity that exists when a talented and smartly irreverent bunch of hooligans sit around chewing over the events of the day with an overlay of vicous taunts, name calling, and absolute political incorrectness of every strain that exists. Juvenile attacks on people's appearance (when Chris Matthews or Tim Russert are scheduled to appear, Imus will often refer to either one as "that fat pig") are almost as common as the really nasty insults that the principles heap on each other... at a rate of about one every thirty seconds or so.

Overlay that with...

2. The fact that the show is the center of the political universe in terms of early morning media. The morning phone interview line up reflects a who's who of mainstream American politics and the political press. Senators and congressmen call in every day along with the major writers and editors of the establisment media. Whatever you think of Imus and his boys, this show has THE JUICE. A lot of viewpoints are expressed there that would never be heard in respectable company. Generally, if there's some slant that represents the absolute worst angle of a story, something that everyone is thinking but no one is saying, one of Imus's clowns will most certainly blurt it out.

The combination of those two factors creates, on a daily basis, something like what happened on today's show, which I happened to be up watching on MSNBC. Sen. Joe Lieberman was scheduled to call in and prior his call, Imus and his hooligans were RIPPING on his performance as a Senator, inlcuding MANY incredibly politically incorrect digs at his Jewishness, calling him a beany cap wearing etc., probably in league, it was suggested, because of his Jewishness, with the guy Abramoff who is also Jewish and who ripped off the poor Indians and is at the center of the Tom Delay scandal, and on and on.

And then... when Lieberman gets on the phone... it's like none of it ever happened as far as the senator is concerned. None of it is or was taken seriously. When Imus recalls much of it, severely toned down to be sure, to Lieberman himself... Senator Joe just laughs it off.

Point is that none of it is taken seriously. It all contributes to the unpredictability of the show and to its value as entertaiment and that, my friends, is where the show GETS its juice and is at the very heart of why the show is as successful and powerful as it is and why it continues to be a stopping off point for so many in the maintream of American politics etc. (Is Imus taken seriously in academia? Yeah... right. lol! But writing off shows like Imus or even Hardball, FOX NEWS, etc. as being only entertainment and not political is very naive. Power politics depends on the ability to persuade or placate masses of people. These shows certainly do that.)

So what's my point in regards to this group? There's a couple. First this group has the JUICE as well. Who can deny that? It has the inside track on information and the peeps of the women's basketball world. But it also has the off topic intelligence and the crackle of wit and a tradition of irreverance. Sometimes a new poster will say... "why don't you guys stick to basketball?" The answer is because that would cut out everything that makes this group unique, in my opinion, and it would very quickly look like WNBA TALK or one of those other sites that never had a chance of taking off.

My opinion is that no sport, no matter how exciting, can draw and attract the attention and conversation of truly intelligent and well rounded people every single day on its own and hold it together as well as this group has held together over the years without people being able to have a Mao quote sig line or talk about software or act like some 8th grade fools at the lunch table now and then.

It takes a village, people. (or comrades, if that's your trip.)

And a sense of humor.

[sambista]

this is your shorter post?

_________________
no justice, no peace.

[jammerbirdi]