# Anthony Cumia of "Opie and Anthony" fired for "racist tweets" **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 5, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381 "2014-07-05T00:02:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/21 "2014-07-05T02:30:29Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Of course I’d be pissed. But I’d be pissed at the five or six people who beat me up. I wouldn’t be pissed at everyone who happened to have the same color skin as the five or six people who beat me up. [I hate to try to speak for him and his beliefs, but I don’t think he’s in a position to do it himself right now, and I’ve listened to them long enough to get a decent handle on his opinions, so here I go. Use all the salt you need.] I believe that he believes that the people that he had a run in with are part of a sub-culture of blacks that are racist against white people, that live off of taxpayers (thanks to socialist Democrats), and that should have long ago used their government funded opportunities to become contributing members of society, but choose not to because their community makes it such that anyone who does is an “Uncle Tom”. [Again, it pains me to use this, because it’s been overused, and I’m sure Chris Rock hates it too, but I feel I need to.] IOW, it’s like Chris Rock’s famous bit: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3PJF0YE-x4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3PJF0YE-x4) > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > If you’re the victim of a black criminal and you decide that all black people are criminals, you’re a racist. Probably, but he didn’t do that. This isn’t the first time he’s ever met a black person. Some of the running jokes on the show are how he is a racist and a pedophile (both of which are gross exaggerations). ---
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/22 "2014-07-05T02:34:45Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > So you figure when he said “the black community” he wasn’t talking about the black community? I don’t figure he was talking about all people of African descent, otherwise he wouldn’t have used the word “community”, now would he? What do you think that “community” means? ---
**Author:** ![planetcory](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/planetcory/32/1032_2.png) [@planetcory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/planetcory)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/23 "2014-07-05T02:40:46Z")
> [@Rucksinator](#): > > I don’t figure he was talking about all people of African descent, otherwise he wouldn’t have used the word “community”, now would he? What do you think that “community” means? I am familiar with the show, with Ant and with his ‘black people’ rants. Just because he thinks some of us are the good kind doesn’t make him any less of the racist he’s always been. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/24 "2014-07-05T02:50:54Z")
> [@Rucksinator](#): > > I don’t figure he was talking about all people of African descent, otherwise he wouldn’t have used the word “community”, now would he? What do you think that “community” means? Now you have me confused. Are you sure you know what the word community means? Because when somebody says the black community, they’re talking about all black people. That’s what the word community means - it’s all the people who have something in common, in this case being black. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/25 "2014-07-05T03:04:31Z")
> [@Rucksinator](#): > > he believes that the people that he had a run in with are part of a sub-culture of blacks that are racist against white people, that live off of taxpayers (thanks to socialist Democrats), and that should have long ago used their government funded opportunities to become contributing members of society, but choose not to because their community makes it such that anyone who does is an “Uncle Tom”. That is such a stupid, ignorant opinion that it’s nearly impossible for anyone who’s not racist to take it seriously. If he genuinely believes that, it’s yet more evidence–not evidence as strong as that repugnant rant, but still evidence–that he’s a stupid racist. > [@](#): > > [Again, it pains me to use this, because it’s been overused, and I’m sure Chris Rock hates it too, but I feel I need to.] > IOW, it’s like Chris Rock’s famous bit: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3PJF0YE-x4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3PJF0YE-x4) :rolleyes: Yeah, it pains everyone when Rock’s routine is used to defend racism. Rock has himself disavowed the routine for exactly that reason. You say you felt you needed to. That’s a pretty shitty feeling on your part, not least because it’s totally incorrect: you really didn’t need to. > [@](#): > > Some of the running jokes on the show are how he is a racist and a pedophile (both of which are gross exaggerations). Gross, sure, but given how little exaggeration it takes to believe he’s a racist, I’m also keeping him away from my kids. ---
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/26 "2014-07-05T03:13:55Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Now you have me confused. Are you sure you know what the word community means? Because when somebody says the black community, they’re talking about all black people. That’s what the word community means - it’s all the people who have something in common, in this case being black. I think that you are using the word “community” as loosely as people use the word “racism”. I guess I’ll have to google it again: > [@](#): > > a group of people who live in the same area (such as a city, town, or neighborhood) > > a group of people who have the same interests, religion, race, etc. I had no idea that all people of African descent lived in the same city and had the same interests. So Obama, Maya Angelou, Serena Williams, Chris Rock, and the members of Boko Haram are all part of the same community? ---
**Author:** ![chicagowhitesox1173](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@chicagowhitesox1173](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chicagowhitesox1173)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/27 "2014-07-05T03:17:38Z")
I do admit that after seeing the photo he took of the girl, that it is a odd photo to take. I mean why is he taking a photo of a scaffold for? The girl was a good looking girl and maybe he was being a pervert and I can see how she would take this the wrong way. ---
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/28 "2014-07-05T03:18:43Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > That is such a stupid, ignorant opinion that it’s nearly impossible for anyone who’s not racist to take it seriously. If he genuinely believes that, it’s yet more evidence–not evidence as strong as that repugnant rant, but still evidence–that he’s a stupid racist. I think that this is the opinion of most right-wing republicans. It’s not an opinion that I hold, but I think that calling it “racism” dilutes the word to the point that it’s meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/29 "2014-07-05T03:25:53Z")
> [@Rucksinator](#): > > I think that this is the opinion of most right-wing republicans. It’s not an opinion that I hold, but I think that calling it “racism” dilutes the word to the point that it’s meaningless. It does nothing of the sort. If you’re correct that most right-wing republicans hold this opinion, then that means most right-wing Republicans are stupid racists. Saying that dilutes the meaning of racism is ridiculous: there’s not some quota on how many people are racist. Once it was true that the overwhelming majority of white people in the US were viciously racist. The problem is much less bad now, but we’re far from a world in which racism is a tiny niche opinion. It sucks that so many people are so stupidly racist, but there you go. Your defense of this stupid racist is wholly unpersuasive. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/30 "2014-07-05T03:30:27Z")
It’s worth noting that the pictures hardly support his story that he was taking pictures of Times Square and that some woman, was caught in a corner angle punched. They show a woman in full frame who’s clearly already agitated and angry with him. She’s also wearing a short dress and looks like she was dressed for a night clubbing. It’s possible that his story is true but it seems much more likely he was taking pictures of her and she, understandably got upset. ---
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/31 "2014-07-05T03:32:42Z")
> [@chicagowhitesox1173](#): > > I do admit that after seeing the photo he took of the girl, that it is a odd photo to take. I mean why is he taking a photo of a scaffold for? The girl was a good looking girl and maybe he was being a pervert and I can see how she would take this the wrong way. Thank you for talking about his actual claims.\* I listened to a guy on The Young Turks claim that he was just looking for pictures to use later in his bathroom (Implying that Anthony is secretly infatuated with black women. (Basically, a version of the old “gay bashers are secretly gay” argument.) This argument would hold some water if it weren’t for the fact that you can look up free porn of any variety on the internet. It seems that Anthony’s claim is that he took that picture so everybody could see who the “cunt” was that attacked him (and that’s why that particular picture didn’t just have her “in frame”, but damn-near centered). The problem with that is that, in that first picture, the lady doesn’t appear to be very angry. - I’m not shying away from the discussion about the meaning of “racist”, but I would like to discuss the story itself. I know that they can merge threads, but I wonder if it’s possible to split this into 2 threads: One in GD where we discuss what is and what isn’t “racist”, and another where we dissect his claims and speculate on his motives. ---
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/32 "2014-07-05T03:41:44Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > It’s worth noting that the pictures hardly support his story that he was taking pictures of Times Square and that some woman, was caught in a corner angle punched. > > They show a woman in full frame who’s clearly already agitated and angry with him. > > She’s also wearing a short dress and looks like she was dressed for a night clubbing. > > It’s possible that his story is true but it seems much more likely he was taking pictures of her and she, understandably got upset. OK, in my last post I said that she didn’t look very angry. Looking again, the expression on her face seems to be partially covered by a hand saying “no, no, no. What do you think you are doing?” ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/33 "2014-07-05T03:46:29Z")
Figures that whiny little pussy carries a gun. He can talk the talk, alright. ---
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/34 "2014-07-05T04:29:14Z")
I started another thread in CS about this, but it turned into mostly a discussion about what is racist. If you want to debate whether or not his tweets were racist, or what “racist” means, you can discuss that here: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=17521289](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=17521289) If you want to discuss free speech vs. an employers right to fire their employees, feel free to start your own thread. I didn’t even mention that in the original thread because I felt that discussion has been done to death. Here, I would like to discuss the specifics of Anthony Cumia’s story. ---
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/35 "2014-07-05T04:30:17Z")
I think it would be best to split this discussion up. I’m going to ask a mod to move this over to GD with the amended title "[meaning of “racist”] Anthony Cumia of “Opie and Anthony” fired for “racist tweets” (or however much of that will fit). I have started a new thread in CS just to discuss Anthony Cumia’s version of events. You can view it here: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=17521387#post17521387](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=17521387#post17521387) ---
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/36 "2014-07-05T04:38:12Z")
Copying and pasting some of the relevant comments from the previous thread: > [@Rucksinator](#): > > The weird thing is that he didn’t call the police or make a report. He just claims that it happened. Therefore, people are doubting his version of the story. (IDK that there is another version of the story). > > Another angle is that O&A have admitted that years ago they wanted to get fired from their Boston job (for a prank on Mayor Menino\*) so that they could take a better job in New York. They complain a lot about stuff at SiriusXM and have implied that their next destination is podcasting, which they have already started. > > I like their show and listen to them when I can, so I tend to believe his version. However, something is very fishy about the whole thing. > > Thoughts? > [@Rucksinator](#): > > Yeah, as I said, the story is kinda fishy. For those that don’t follow the show, he has several cop friends, including “Club Soda Kenny” who is a retired NY police officer that drives either him or Opie to and/or from work every day, as well as “Kieth the cop” who, at least for a while, lived in Anthony’s mansion\*. Also, he implied that he was carrying a weapon on him at the time, but he is often complaining about how even his CCW license doesn’t allow him to bring a weapon into NY City. So was he legally able to have a weapon on him where he was? Could that have been why he didn’t call the cops (having a retired NYC cop as a chauffeur isn’t going to get you out of a weapons charge, I wouldn’t think.) > > [SNIP] > > - This is information that I have gathered by listening to the show when I am in my car, which is now only for a few minutes at a time. > [@chicagowhitesox1173](#): > > I do admit that after seeing the photo he took of the girl, that it is a odd photo to take. I mean why is he taking a photo of a scaffold for? The girl was a good looking girl and maybe he was being a pervert and I can see how she would take this the wrong way. > [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > It’s worth noting that the pictures hardly support his story that he was taking pictures of Times Square and that some woman, was caught in a corner angle punched. > > They show a woman in full frame who’s clearly already agitated and angry with him. > > She’s also wearing a short dress and looks like she was dressed for a night clubbing. > > It’s possible that his story is true but it seems much more likely he was taking pictures of her and she, understandably got upset. > [@Rucksinator](#): > > OK, in my last post I said that she didn’t look very angry. Looking again, the expression on her face seems to be partially covered by a hand saying “no, no, no. What do you think you are doing?” ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/37 "2014-07-05T04:40:52Z")
Racist or not, he sounds like an asshole. > [@](#): > > Great pic of the CUNTRAG bitch fuck animal pig face worthless meat sack shit pile stink crotch ass stain rot bung… You couldn’t pay me enough to listen to someone like that. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/38 "2014-07-05T04:47:12Z")
He deserved to get fired. When are people going to learn that Twitter actually means people read what you tweet? Dude’s a douche and got what he deserved. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/39 "2014-07-05T05:09:36Z")
> [@Rucksinator](#): > > So Obama, Maya Angelou, Serena Williams, Chris Rock, and the members of Boko Haram are all part of the same community? Yes, they’re all members of the black community. Did you read your own quote? “A group of people who have the same interests, religion, race, etc.” But don’t stop now. You’re really making things clearer with every post. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/40 "2014-07-05T05:13:06Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > He deserved to get fired. When are people going to learn that Twitter actually means people read what you tweet? > > Dude’s a douche and got what he deserved. I think the OP was clear that that is a topic for [a different thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=727668). This thread is about what happened not the implications of the incident. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381.md?page=3)