# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/101 "2014-07-06T07:57:05Z")
> [@Rucksinator](#): > > So what you’re saying is that, through no fault of my own, but simply based on my skin color, I don’t have the same constitutional rights that others have? Who said anything about removing your _constitutional_ rights? The right you have had taken away is the _social_ right to not be thought of as a dick. > [@](#): > > That sounds kind of , well, I don’t know, but it doesn’t seem right. Blame the generations of White racists preceding you, it’s they who ruined it for you. > [@](#): > > So, you’re saying that if I, hypothetically, witnessed a black person attack somebody, bite their face off, and then fling their feces around, I can’t call that person an “animal”? Because that would be racist? Yes, that’s what I’m saying. You can’t call them a nigger, either. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/102 "2014-07-06T08:08:22Z")
> [@Rucksinator](#): > > Well, I can’t speak for anyone else on this board, but if someone said something along the lines of “Black people are genetically inferior to lighter-skinned people” then I would say that that was racist, and I wouldn’t defend it at all. > > As far as I know, Anthony Cumia never said anything like that at all. In fact, he never used any of those slurs that you mentioned. (Not that I think that using any of those slurs necessarily makes someone a racist; I’m just pointing out facts.) He didn’t say those exact words, no. But words"like" that? _“There is a deep seeded problem of violence in the black community”_ and _“savage violent animal fucks prey on white people”_ sure sounds like that. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/103 "2014-07-06T08:23:43Z")
> [@Rucksinator](#): > > So, you’re saying that if I, hypothetically, witnessed a black person attack somebody, bite their face off, and then fling their feces around, I can’t call that person an “animal”? Because that would be racist? It would certainly be racist if you were to use that incident to claim that black people, in general, are savage animals, the way Cumia did, based on the behavior of a woman who didn’t actually do any of those vicious things you’re talking about. > [@Rucksinator](#): > > Well, I can’t speak for anyone else on this board, but if someone said something along the lines of “Black people are genetically inferior to lighter-skinned people” then I would say that that was racist, and I wouldn’t defend it at all. Not that anyone here is impressed by the delicate discernment of your “Is This Racist?” palate, but here you go, Anthony Cumia declaring that “some people” start out “more advanced”: > [@Anthony Cumia](#): > > I do genuinely believe that there is a set parameter for different people. I think you’re starting off at a certain base. Whether you can transcend that or not is very individualistic. But on the whole I do believe there are certain peoples that are, um, more advanced than others from the beginning, at the get-go. See here around the 15 minute mark - [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/EsLEwSnFMoE/hqdefault.jpg "O&A Eugenics") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsLEwSnFMoE) From this Gawker article listing some of Cumia’s greatest racist hits - [http://gawker.com/anthony-cumia-has-a-long-history-of-public-awfulness-1599704541](http://gawker.com/anthony-cumia-has-a-long-history-of-public-awfulness-1599704541) That article also talks about Cumia’s involvement with a website called “Nigger Mania” - probably just a bunch of misunderstood fact lovers, right? Speaking of Gawker, they have screen caps of some of the tweets that started this mess. Cumia, racist coward that he is, deleted them from twitter. [http://gawker.com/siriusxm-host-claims-cuntrag-assaulted-him-in-racist-1599491744](http://gawker.com/siriusxm-host-claims-cuntrag-assaulted-him-in-racist-1599491744) > [@](#): > > As far as I know, Anthony Cumia never said anything like that at all. In fact, he never used any of those slurs that you mentioned. (Not that I think that using any of those slurs necessarily makes someone a racist; I’m just pointing out facts.) Right. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/104 "2014-07-06T11:18:36Z")
> [@Rucksinator](#): > > The Young Turks made this argument earlier, and it’s just dumb. If he wanted “an image to fap to later” he has the internet. No, THIS is a dumb argument. It doesn’t matter what else someone might have available to get off. The fact is that people do use their cameras to take images of people do this reason. Anthony wasn’t taking up skirts, but this kind of this H&S the same motivation. Reminds if the old “He’s rich and handsome and can have any beautiful women he wants; he doesn’t need to rape” type of argument. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/105 "2014-07-06T12:49:55Z")
It’s odd that none of the people involved have hit the news cycles yet- Anthony, the woman pictured or the 5 others. Often, everyone gets to go on some morning show and tell their side individually or in groups. Maybe this hasn’t happened because it’s the weekend and everyone will make the news rounds on Monday, but usually everyone involved in something like this wants to get their side of the story told. Anthony could explain what he was doing. The woman can explain what she saw and did. The group of 5 can offer their side. From here, it looks like Anthony was taking creep shots and got called out for it. I saw two pictures he took- one of the woman from the incident and another he took of a similar appearing woman (alone, wearing a short dress) who was walking away from him, so the picture was taken from behind the woman. I guess that’s Anthony’s fetish. Anthony also said he had his concealed carry weapon, and he thinks he’s awesome for not using it. From a female point of view, it would not be fun to get creep shotted and the bullet shotted just for going to a club in a short dress. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/106 "2014-07-06T13:00:51Z")
Gah- I just read all his tweets. He calls blacks violent, but hopes she dies, she gets shot in the face, he thinks she’s lucky he didn’t just kill her (he says he was armed), he hopes she gets killed, he hopes some ‘home boys’ beat her to death, he says he restrained himself from putting her to sleep, he says he should have smashed her face, And in his last Tweet called her a “cuntrag bitch fuck animal pig face worthless meat sack shit pile stink crotch ass stain rot bung” Wow. Someone needs some therapy. And all because he was called out for taking creep shots of women. ---
**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 6, 2014, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/107 "2014-07-06T13:11:58Z")
> [@Rucksinator](#): > > I don’t believe that he thinks that. He absolutely believes in genetic superiority/inferiority, eugenics, etc. He brings it up on his show. I’ve heard him. I understand you’re defensive of the show. I’m a Ron and Fez guy (which is kind of a sister show), so I know how attached we sometimes get to these personalities. But you’ve gotta step back a bit and take a look. The guy’s a racist. If the show is ruined for Opie and Jim, it’s his fault. Blame him, not the people piling on him. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/108 "2014-07-06T13:21:24Z")
> [@Ca3799](#): > > Gah- I just read all his tweets. > > He calls blacks violent, but hopes > > she dies, > she gets shot in the face, > he thinks she’s lucky he didn’t just kill her (he says he was armed), > he hopes she gets killed, > he hopes some ‘home boys’ beat her to death, > he says he restrained himself from putting her to sleep, > he says he should have smashed her face, > > And in his last Tweet called her a “cuntrag bitch fuck animal pig face worthless meat sack shit pile stink crotch ass stain rot bung” But he’s definitely _not_ a misogynist either, because he didn’t say those things about all women. I’m amazed this guy is 53, because the tweets sound like what I’d expect from an unexceptional 17-year-old. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/109 "2014-07-06T13:41:30Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > No. Sorry, but no. Because of history, _White_ people just don’t get the _privilege_ of using those words about people of colour anymore, whether they be Black, Aborigine, Native American - they just don’t. Just to be clear - yes, we do get to do that. Your history does not mean that you have the authority to tell me/us anything. It is entirely possible that this particular case was one of racism. But when it is not a case of racism - and such cases do exist - then it is just as appropriate to use terms like “animal” or whatever as for a white man. You can call that racist if you like. But I am not going to care if you do. I don’t give you that power over me. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/110 "2014-07-06T13:49:02Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > … > > It is entirely possible that this particular case was one of racism… Ha, ha. I read the tweets. It’s also entirely possible that the Earth orbits the Sun. Entirely possible. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/111 "2014-07-06T16:20:03Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Just to be clear - yes, we do get to do that. Your history does not mean that you have the authority to tell me/us anything. It’s not about anyone’s authority. It’s entirely about the social consequences you’d face. I’m _observing_ that you don’t get to do it, I’m not _ordering_ you not to. I said “you don’t” not “you won’t”. > [@](#): > > It is entirely possible that this particular case was one of racism. But when it is not a case of racism - and such cases do exist - then it is just as appropriate to use terms like “animal” or whatever as for a white man. Nope. Just like White guys don’t get to call Black men “boy” any more, they don’t get to use animal or savagery metaphors on Black people, without getting called on it. But _you_ seem to really be … invested … in doing it without consequences. :dubious: Good luck with that. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/112 "2014-07-06T16:27:09Z")
Well let’s be fair. If a black guy brutally rapes and murders someone, i doubt I’d face accusations of racism if i called him an animal. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/113 "2014-07-06T16:34:36Z")
> [@Rucksinator](#): > > That is part if it. I really feel bad for Opie and Jim Norton, especially Jimmy. The last time they got fired O&A got paid to do nothing for 2 years while Jimmy was left out in the cold. > There was one time recently where they talked about how Jimmy reigned one or both of them in, basically saying “WTF are you doing? I don’t want to lose this gig again.” > I’ll put further speculation in the other thread. I only said this to address **Ravenman’s** comment. Oh won’t someone think about poor Jimmy in all this! We should ignore Anthony’s racist behavior because it impacts his coworkers. How about Jimmy smartens up and stops attaching his livelihood to an asshole that has a long history of being fired for saying offensive shit. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/114 "2014-07-06T16:55:39Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Well let’s be fair. If a black guy brutally rapes and murders someone, i doubt I’d face accusations of racism if i called him an animal. I’m not so sure. Not if you did it in a public forum. Someone would call you on it (and they’d do so just _assuming_ you were White, BTW, unless you clearly weren’t) That’s just the world we’ve made - reactionary and judgemental. But it was a natural response, I think. Same goes for using sexist language. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/115 "2014-07-06T17:00:54Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > The jerk said he was taking pictures of Times Square all innocently when this scary black animal stepped into the shot. But unless he’s unusually fascinated by scaffolding, there’s no way that can be true. It doesn’t matter to me that it’s legal to take someone’s picture against their will. He didn’t portray his actions honestly. That makes everything he has to say about this incident suspect. As I said before, twice, since there’s only Cumia’s side of the story no firm conclusion can be drawn at all who did what to whom. But it seems the issue of taking pictures of people in public has just resulted in a fairly insistent talking past one another situation. Whatever Cumia was taking pictures of for whatever reason in public, _if_ this woman assaulted him physically as a result, she committed a crime, not him. I was simply answering the wrong points seeming to imply that photographing somebody in public without their permission would legally justify them to assault the photographer, if said photographer ‘didn’t work for National Geographic or the like’. That’s plainly factually wrong, at least in the US and New York where this happened. That’s not refuted by saying it’s ‘rude’ to take pictures of a woman, by giving examples of people questioned by the authorities for photographing things (that often involves signs saying photography isn’t permitted), by saying Cumia lied about why he was taking the pictures, by citing cases of photographers found guilty of harassment, or any other argument given so far. If the lady actually did what Cumia said she did, she committed a crime, and he didn’t. However again we only have his word for any of what happened, and anyway it’s not directly relevant to Sirius sacking him for what he had to say about the incident. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/116 "2014-07-06T17:10:39Z")
> [@Corry\_El](#): > > Whatever Cumia was taking pictures of for whatever reason in public, _if_ this woman assaulted him physically as a result, she committed a crime, not him. And Cumia is free to have her charged. Shouldn’t be hard to identify her, after all… ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/117 "2014-07-06T17:12:57Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Well let’s be fair. If a black guy brutally rapes and murders someone, i doubt I’d face accusations of racism if i called him an animal. You certainly would, unless it’s known or obvious from context that you are black yourself. If the murderer/rapist was white OTOH, you could call him an animal regardless of your own race and then I agree, I doubt you’d face accusations of racism. It’s reasonable to discuss and explore the reasons for this difference, but any honest discussion must start by acknowledging it exists. The common kind of social convention from people of a certain political viewpoint is to first deny that this is true, but then move right on to arguing why it’s justified or ‘understandable’ in view of past history. I don’t reject out of hand any and all justifications or explanations, but first let’s agree (the obvious) that it’s true. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/118 "2014-07-06T17:17:57Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > And Cumia is free to have her charged. Shouldn’t be hard to identify her, after all… Sorry I don’t see that as a relevant response, taking one line out of context from my post. My point is simply that _if_ his story is correct, she committed a crime. The point is not any defense of Cumia, since he wasn’t fired for taking a picture but for his rant about the incident. My point is only relevant to those who erroneously say, or seem to imply that if someone is taking a picture ‘for the wrong reasons’ and/or without permission, the object of the photograph can then assault the photographer. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/119 "2014-07-06T17:23:13Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Just to be clear - yes, we do get to do that. Your history does not mean that you have the authority to tell me/us anything. > > It is entirely possible that this particular case was one of racism. But when it is not a case of racism - and such cases do exist - then it is just as appropriate to use terms like “animal” or whatever as for a white man. You can call that racist if you like. But I am not going to care if you do. I don’t give you that power over me. You don’t “give him that power over you?” What is he, the fucking Goblin King? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/120 "2014-07-06T17:24:13Z")
> [@Corry\_El](#): > > Sorry I don’t see that as a relevant response, taking one line out of context from my post. My point is simply that _if_ his story is correct, she committed a crime. I’m not disputing that. I agree with you, it would be a crime, and she should be charged. Has she been? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381.md?page=7)