"Would he have a conversation with Pat Robertson and say "You people..."? I don't think so."
Yes he would. Does it all the time. Its the Imus version of "y'all". Sharpton's been on and I'm sure has listened on and off for years (NY AM radio icon for 30yrs...)
And you know...pop culture is building this double standard. "Ho" and "bitch" are common greetings now in hip-hop. Pop culture is more demeaning to women than Imus could ever be. Its the racial double standard that bugs me the most. A word of a phrase said by one black to another is acceptable, and said by anyone else makes them racist.