# 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:** 9
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/161 "2014-07-07T05:11:38Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Somebody not only doesn’t understand what racism is, but also apparently hasn’t heard the phrase In Vino Veritas. I’m quite familiar with both of those things. In fact, I have posted the definition of “racism” that others disagree with. Just so you know, just because “In vino veritas” is Latin doesn’t mean it’s a legal term. It is actually quite possible to say things that you know believe or mean when you are drunk. ---
**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 7, 2014, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/162 "2014-07-07T05:25:26Z")
> [@Rucksinator](#): > > I’m quite familiar with both of those things. In fact, I have posted the definition of “racism” that others disagree with. > Just so you know, just because “In vino veritas” is Latin doesn’t mean it’s a legal term. It is actually quite possible to say things that you know believe or mean when you are drunk. Heh. Actually no, you continue to reveal you really don’t understand either term. Thanks for making my point. ---
**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 7, 2014, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/163 "2014-07-07T05:25:47Z")
> [@Rucksinator](#): > > Because they know him and his character. > > No, but don’t you think that a jury would hear more than just one night of drunken tweets? If a guy gets drunk and angry and shoots his neighbour, the jury don’t need to hear testimony from all the people he didn’t shoot about his character. The tweets you linked to are, all by themselves, enough to establish that Cumia is a racist. ---
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/164 "2014-07-07T05:58:29Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > If a guy gets drunk and angry and shoots his neighbour, the jury don’t need to hear testimony from all the people he didn’t shoot about his character. The tweets you linked to are, all by themselves, enough to establish that Cumia is a racist. Yeah, but the problem with your analogy is that he didn’t shoot anybody. He just posted some mean things on the internet. I don’t think that anybody disputes the fact that he says mean stuff on his radio show and on the internet. ---
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/165 "2014-07-07T06:00:38Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Heh. > > Actually no, you continue to reveal you really don’t understand either term. > > Thanks for making my point. Well, wise sensei, would you care to educate me? While it is clear that I am far beneath your level of understanding, I would very much like to learn from someone with your wisdom. ---
**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 7, 2014, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/166 "2014-07-07T06:21:48Z")
> [@Rucksinator](#): > > Yeah, but the problem with your analogy is that he didn’t shoot anybody. He just posted some mean things on the internet. I don’t think that anybody disputes the fact that he says mean stuff on his radio show and on the internet. No, what we are disputing is whether he said something **racist** on the internet. You claim that he didn’t, by your own definition of the term. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/167 "2014-07-07T06:28:28Z")
Why is this thread vaguely reminding me of the battered housewife who is constantly making excuses for her asshole husband? “No really, he’s a good man. He was just having a bad day.” or “It’s my fault he beats me.” ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/168 "2014-07-07T06:54:29Z")
> [@Rucksinator](#): > > Why are you assuming that Anthony Cumia singled this woman out to take her picture for personal use? Oh, that’s right, he’s a racist, ergo he must be deficient in every other category. He’s probably also bad at radio. He’s also never been funny. Because he’s bad, we can’t say anything good about him. That would be like admitting that Hitler was a good public speaker. Because she was at the center of a picture with no one else in it? ---
**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 7, 2014, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/169 "2014-07-07T07:42:59Z")
> [@Rucksinator](#): > > Yeah, but the problem with your analogy is that he didn’t shoot anybody. He just posted some mean things on the internet. I don’t think that anybody disputes the fact that he says mean stuff on his radio show and on the internet. You’re missing the point. Even if Cumia isn’t racist on his radio show, he doesn’t get a pass to be racist on the internet. Nor does he get a pass because he was angry or drunk or tired or anything else. If he reveals himself to be a racist in one place, it means he’s a racist everywhere regardless of whether or not he’s keeping a lid on it at that particular moment. ---
**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 7, 2014, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/170 "2014-07-07T08:02:58Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > You’re missing the point. Even if Cumia isn’t racist on his radio show, he doesn’t get a pass to be racist on the internet. Nor does he get a pass because he was angry or drunk or tired or anything else. If he reveals himself to be a racist in one place, it means he’s a racist everywhere regardless of whether or not he’s keeping a lid on it at that particular moment. It’s worth pointing out that he has neither apologized not explained his words since the rant. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/171 "2014-07-07T09:10:04Z")
> [@Rucksinator](#): > > Because I’ve listened to their show enough that I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on his mindset. Having grown up and lived in most of the states in the SE US helps also. I’ve lived in most of those states too. And I’ve listened to his show (though not for a few years). > [@](#): > > Remember the Chris Rock bit that I linked to earlier? (Yeah, I don’t doubt that Chris Rock doesn’t like that bit because racists have used it as an excuse to say mean things, but that doesn’t detract from its validity.) I believe he was only referring to one of the two types of people that Rock was describing. You believe this, but I see no reason why I should. It seems an awful lot like you’re desperate to find a reason to exonerate him from the really, really vile things he said. And even if he meant it the way you think, it’s _still racist_. Using ‘the black community’ to describe a bunch of _really bad people_ is a really, really racist thing to say. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/172 "2014-07-07T11:19:03Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Nor does he get a pass because he was angry or drunk or tired or anything else. If he reveals himself to be a racist in one place, it means he’s a racist everywhere regardless of whether or not he’s keeping a lid on it at that particular moment. Perfect example of this would be Mel Gibson. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/173 "2014-07-07T12:23:35Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Let’s see if you can find the GIANT OBVIOUS FUCKING DIFFERENCE between an inconspicuous surveillance camera that takes footage of all customers but is rarely reviewed, and a single person that singles out another person to take their picture for personal use, a picture that will almost certainly be reviewed. Take your time. I find this argument weak as well. It’s like telling a woman she shouldn’t mind if a stranger yells “nice tits” when she walks by, because for all she knows, men everywhere could be talking about her tits without her knowing it. ---
**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 7, 2014, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/174 "2014-07-07T13:09:13Z")
Rucksinator, you’re not the only one who has listened to the show. I have. As well as a couple of other posters have. He is a racist. The only difference between the show and his Twitter rant is that he’s usually kind of funny about it as opposed to naked rage. His ‘black friends’ on the show never agreed with him. Patrice especially would challenge him and loudly argue and call him on his shit. He’s a racist. It’s why I could never stomach too much of the show at once. The same as many other black listeners. He was getting worse and worse. Face it. He was talking a sneak shot (which he does sometimes). Maybe for pervy purposes, maybe for some Twitter joke. He got caught, he got… aggressed in some way, he got embarassed, then he got angry. And his racism bared itself without the humor. That’s it. That’s the story. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/175 "2014-07-07T13:33:52Z")
I suspect this has been adequately covered over the intervening five pages, but anyone who reads those tweets and doesn’t think there’s anything racist about them is deluded. ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/176 "2014-07-07T15:08:12Z")
> [@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. > > Regards, > Shodan I agree with this 100%. When I look at Boko Haram, for example, I’m going to refer to them as savages, and they are not entitled to a free pass because of the colour of their skin. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/177 "2014-07-07T15:29:14Z")
A couple of things… First, this is an interesting comparison of social location. Rarely, if ever, does a White person ever have to be concerned about “bringing down the race.” As Peggy McIntosh, when discussing White privilege, states, “I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race.” But this kind of thinking still permeates our national psyche. **Rucksinator** is going to the Chris Rock bit (which, as we all know, he has disavowed) and clearly wants to put Black people in the good or bad pile. Whether one is bigger than the other is not relevant. Whites (like Cumia) get to have complexity - he’s a little racist here, but generally nice here… it’s not fair to assess him based on a few angry tweets. But this is precisely how Black people are viewed. Lose your temper once, make an error in judgment… you are tarred (pun not intended) with that label. So an act of violence makes a Black person a “savage” and “an animal.” And so on. Personally, I don’t generally ascribe “savage” and “animal” to human beings - a) humans have consciences and when acting, are making choices - this is quite different than virtually most animals, and b) savage is almost always used in a racist, pejorative manner. I can express my disdain for human beings and still see them as precisely that. Guess what? Most racism is not perpetrated by guys in pointy white hoods and flaming crosses. Plenty of racists have found one or two people of another race that they can tolerate, even like (which makes their racism even more confounding). Having a Black friend doesn’t exonerate one from being a racist. Let’s not pretend that some people of color hold the same negative views about people from their own racial group as well. That’s the gift of White supremacy - it encourages you to view your own group as less than, reinforced by media, tradition, and societal standards. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/178 "2014-07-07T15:39:05Z")
^A great post wasted in such a completely ridiculous thread. ---
**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 7, 2014, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/179 "2014-07-07T16:23:17Z")
I should add for Rucksinator that not only did black comedians call Anthony on his racism. Here’s [Bill Burr taking him to task](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqWM8rwpHMQ) from last year. ---
**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 7, 2014, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381/180 "2014-07-07T17:03:26Z")
> [@Hector\_St\_Clare](#): > > I agree with this 100%. You realise you’re agreeing with someone who sees nothing wrong with saying the majority of the population in Africa’s most developed country are “fresh out of the bush”, and considers most Africans to be little better than children, right? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-cumia-of-opie-and-anthony-fired-for-racist-tweets/692381.md?page=10)