Ronnie Kaye fired?

[mugofbeer]

What indigenous people are isn't difficult to understand but it seems spending much of your life behind a mike isn't necessarily a well-rounded enlightening experience.

His job was to spin hot stax of wax, tell nostalgic rock & roll stories, entertain and tell silly jokes - not be Confuscious.

[Midtowner]

I'm sure the station was looking for any excuse to cut one of their largest unnecessary costs. They won't lose a single listener over this move as people listened for the genre and not for the DJ. Who knows whether marketing dollars would have left. I doubt very much they would have.

And Columbus Day is a big deal for many Italian Americans, especially those from an older generation who can still remember a day before Italian Americans were considered "white." But as that generation dies off, the need to genuflect to figures such as Columbus for their sake becomes less and less helpful or necessary.

[Urbanized]

I don’t have any insight here; it’s been 25 years since I worked in radio. But before coming to any conclusions about whether it was wrong or right one should consider the possibility that this was simply the straw that broke the camel’s back.

You can’t fairly take either side at face value without more detailed information, and said information pertaining to an employee of a privately-held company is none of the public’s business.

[EtanEiko]

Of course not and stop presenting a strawman representation of what l said. If Kaye said something "insensitive," its a far cry from saying something "offensive" or derogatory or racist. What is offensive and "worthy of firing" today was not "worthy of firing" offensive not even 3 years ago and certainly not before.

And really? You think if they gave a 60-year radio legend 5 minutes to make an on air apology and goodbye, that he would go off on some kind of white supremacist tirade? Your complete lack of understanding and empathy for elderly is really very pitiful.

Maybe do some self-analysis and think of all the tiny little "offensive" things you've said and done in your own life that should, according to today's often-ridiculous standards of moral perfection, result in your butt being tossed out onto the street. What if this had happened to your own (grand) mother or father? I doubt you'd be preaching today's moral righteousness with quite as much absoluteness.

I stand by it, unless he said something truly offensive and racist, a simple reprimand would have been sufficient.

BRO, PLEEEEEASE.... LOL butt tossed out on the street, lack of understanding and empathy for elderly *eye roll* and YOU accuse someone of a strawman representation. Your whataboutism is the only thing really very pitiful here. Pretty sure its up to an employer what a fire-able offense is and looks like they decided this fit the bill. Sorry the days of saying white ever, oops I mean whatever you want are done, actually not sorry.

[Pete]

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news...g/71198232007/

By phone on Sunday, Kaye, 84, said he mentioned Columbus Day and, as he paraphrased it, said, “It’s Indigenous Peoples' Day, but I don’t know what that is.”

Some listeners on social media said that he also added "and I don't care."

[Shortsyeararound]

Of course not and stop presenting a strawman representation of what l said. If Kaye said something "insensitive," its a far cry from saying something "offensive" or derogatory or racist. What is offensive and "worthy of firing" today was not "worthy of firing" offensive not even 3 years ago and certainly not before.

And really? You think if they gave a 60-year radio legend 5 minutes to make an on air apology and goodbye, that he would go off on some kind of white supremacist tirade? Your complete lack of understanding and empathy for elderly is really very pitiful.

Maybe do some self-analysis and think of all the tiny little "offensive" things you've said and done in your own life that should, according to today's often-ridiculous standards of moral perfection, result in your butt being tossed out onto the street. What if this had happened to your own (grand) mother or father? I doubt you'd be preaching today's moral righteousness with quite as much absoluteness.

I stand by it, unless he said something truly offensive and racist, a simple reprimand would have been sufficient.

You sure like to use buzzwords when talking to me.
Insensitive can be offensive to whom took it as offense, so don't try to justify that.
Worthy of firing (grandparents or other)- we live in a different time period now and we are discussing what should or should not be said in 2023, not the past. Have I done things that were offensive in the past, sure, but have I done them lately, no and won't. Self analysis over.
I am not righteous by any means, but I have an idea of how people want to be treated- golden rule, right? That should be absolute.

I have empathy for the elderly, but I am not showing empathy to a man that has a voice platform (that I do not) when he was possibly insensitive/offending of a whole race of people. He reports on the news, he knows what to say and not to say. Never said he would have went off on a white supremacist tirade either, and mgmt did not need him to explain why or how he meant it. End of story.

[Mr. Blue Sky]

Sorry the days of saying white ever, oops I mean whatever you want are done, actually not sorry.

The irony of a nasty post like this, when discussing Ronnie Kaye losing his job over his comments, is apparently lost on you.

[Mr. Blue Sky]

Insensitive can be offensive to whom took it as offense, so don't try to justify that.
... we live in a different time period now and we are discussing what should or should not be said in 2023, not the past.

Whoa, there. When was the national referendum on "right thinking?" "correct speech?"
Nobody has agreed to some arbitrary decision on what is proper to say and what is not.

I remember being taught that Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones; But Words Can Never Hurt."
I'm sorry that so many are growing up in an age that says "watch your words -- we are."

What Ronnie Kaye said was akin to, "I don't know what St. Patrick's Day is and I don't care." Would the Irish and/or Catholics have demanded Ronnie Kaye's head? We live in such a time of fear that what we say may "offend" someone. What's wrong with being offended anyway? What changed from when people agreed to disagree? What happened to "that's your opinion," and moving along? The damn near criminalization of speech is something I truly never thought I'd ever see. The whole idea of this, "times have changed," seems to really mean, "Some of us have decided that there are certain things you are not allowed to say," and the rest of us are expected to walk in lockstep. That a man can be in radio and do so many good things for sixty four years and be fired over a few words, it's just plain sad. America is changing alright, in a way that is chilling for all speech that may cross ways with those who believe they have determined the proper, the right, the "correct" speech.

[Mississippi Blues]

Whoa, there. When was the national referendum on "right thinking?" "correct speech?"
Nobody has agreed to some arbitrary decision on what is proper to say and what is not.

I remember being taught that Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones; But Words Can Never Hurt."
I'm sorry that so many are growing up in an age that says "watch your words -- we are."

What Ronnie Kaye said was akin to, "I don't know what St. Patrick's Day is and I don't care." Would the Irish and/or Catholics have demanded Ronnie Kaye's head? We live in such a time of fear that what we say may "offend" someone. What's wrong with being offended anyway? What changed from when people agreed to disagree? What happened to "that's your opinion," and moving along? The damn near criminalization of speech is something I truly never thought I'd ever see. The whole idea of this, "times have changed," seems to really mean, "Some of us have decided that there are certain things you are not allowed to say," and the rest of us are expected to walk in lockstep. That a man can be in radio and do so many good things for sixty four years and be fired over a few words, it's just plain sad. America is changing alright, in a way that is chilling for all speech that may cross ways with those who believe they have determined the proper, the right, the "correct" speech.

That’s a lot of wah for someone that thinks people should be unmoved by words.

[Shortsyeararound]

Whoa, there. When was the national referendum on "right thinking?" "correct speech?"
Nobody has agreed to some arbitrary decision on what is proper to say and what is not.

I remember being taught that Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones; But Words Can Never Hurt."
I'm sorry that so many are growing up in an age that says "watch your words -- we are."

What Ronnie Kaye said was akin to, "I don't know what St. Patrick's Day is and I don't care." Would the Irish and/or Catholics have demanded Ronnie Kaye's head? We live in such a time of fear that what we say may "offend" someone. What's wrong with being offended anyway? What changed from when people agreed to disagree? What happened to "that's your opinion," and moving along? The damn near criminalization of speech is something I truly never thought I'd ever see. The whole idea of this, "times have changed," seems to really mean, "Some of us have decided that there are certain things you are not allowed to say," and the rest of us are expected to walk in lockstep. That a man can be in radio and do so many good things for sixty four years and be fired over a few words, it's just plain sad. America is changing alright, in a way that is chilling for all speech that may cross ways with those who believe they have determined the proper, the right, the "correct" speech.

National referendum- people lose their jobs nowadays for what they post, say, or do based on how it looks bad on the employer. I am not a business but most businesses have an inclusion policy that dictates work be a safe place.
Funny that you used St.Pat's as your example- as I'm Native American/Irish.
Agree to disagree yes. Offend me-go ahead. The part that I am arguing for is if he said "I don't care" about the holiday which could be interpreted as intolerance. If he didn't say it then fine, let him play the same 20 songs all day and then ride off into the sunset.
Just because he has had a job longer than some people live, you are saying that this determines his outcome. That is like arguing that the person longest in the job gets promoted over better candidates- nope.

[Pete]

I'm closing this thread.

Way too angry and personal.