Do you think the German radio host should be fired?

That's pretty obvious, anyone who says racists things get fired unless they have a "more equal than others" card

he was openly racist of fucking course he should be fired

Obviously he should be fired, isn't racism a punishable offense in Germany? I would expect a public figure to be used as an example rather than getting a free pass

In this case, I'd say yes, or at least he shouldn't be allowed to be able to speak out like he does.

This is not a mistake, or someone who can get better by being educated, his ego is clearly through the roof, and he is certain of being right, and that the ones attacking him are toxic and mindlessly offended, unable to 'take a joke'.

In the past, he already crossed the line by comparing smokers to jewish people ( confined in 'ghettos' ). It's pretty obvious that this will happen again.

No I don't think so. He mocked BTS, not an entire people even though it wasn't very tasteful, granted. I think he apologized, didn't he?

Yes.

And I don't think this reflects badly on Germans or anything. He's just a bad seed.

The thing that anger me the most about this incident is not just the host, but the way the company try to rationalize his behavior. It's infuriating not because one person's action, but because how it highlighted the society in which the host belong to allow, accept and normalized a dangerous belief.

Frankly I could careless about what happen to the host. He can be fired or not. What I care more is how people reacting or recognizing the real problem behind his words. He is, afterall, a byproduct of the society he live in. The more people who defend him, the more it bolden people like him, the more the belief is allow to perpetuate. I do not care whether he keep his job, or do I find pleasure in him losing it. I don't particularly want his apology, I want him and his company to understand and recognize the gravity of their words, and choose it carefully. I just want them to understand why what they said is so hurtful and dangerous, and for them to relaying that understanding to their listeners, because there are people who support and defend them.

Quote from Alex_Murphy

No I don't think so. He mocked BTS, not an entire people even though it wasn't very tasteful, granted. I think he apologized, didn't he?

No he didn't mock BTS, - it's just the tip of the iceberg with this problem. He perpetuate a dangerous belief by dehumanizing Asians people down to a dangerous virus that should be eradicated or vaccinated against. He didn't apologize, he wrote a non-apology. His words isn't offensive, it's dangerous.

After the apology, he went on a rant on Instagram on how in the 70s and 80s people allow to say anything with no repercussion. Freedom of speech isn't freedom of criticism. Racism isn't an opinion.

Quote from Tamagotchi92

Obviously he should be fired, isn't racism a punishable offense in Germany? I would expect a public figure to be used as an example rather than getting a free pass

It could be punishable but then it depends on the court and how they would rule it. So yes and no

Quote from ohohcollinBB

It had very obvious racist connections and saying it was only about bts isnt telling the whole truth. He said and I quote: "people should not accuse me of xenophobia because of this" and then talked how he drives a Korean car which in itsself is basically him deadass admitting that even he thinks people will label it as racist.

The fact he anticipated that some people might find this racist doesn't mean it is. In this day and age, everything is racist to someone, somewhere.

Quote from Alex_Murphy

The fact he anticipated that some people might find this racist doesn't mean it is. In this day and age, everything is racist to someone, somewhere.

Do you think he would have said that 'they should spend 20 years in North Korea' if he was talking about a band from the US or UK.

Quote from Alex_Murphy

The fact he anticipated that some people might find this racist doesn't mean it is. In this day and age, everything is racist to someone, somewhere.

In this day and age, every racist thing is being talked about as if it's not racist by someone.

That doesn't mean it isn't.

Quote from amalyas

Do you think he would have said that 'they should spend 20 years in North Korea' if he was talking about a band from the US or UK.

He merely acknowleged BTS is a Korean group. Therefore I guess NK made sense for the joke he was going with.

Had he talked about a US group, he might have gone with Guantanamo. I don't know.

His joke was clearly racist and of the type that increases rapidly in the shadow of covid. Had he offered a genuine appology it’d been ok but his bullsh*t “appology” only furthered illustrated his trashy core values.

It’s be nice if he’s at least be suspended to show that Germany takes such event seriously and that not every stands with such opinions.

Quote from Alex_Murphy

He merely acknowleged BTS is a Korean group. Therefore I guess NK made sense for the joke he was going with.

Had he talked about a US group, he might have gone with Guantanamo. I don't know.

Damn, some people be really reaching to protect this dude. No wonder that white men feel entitled to everything, the entire world is sheltering them from their own shittiness.

I'm sure you will find another excuse for him comparing smokers to 'jewish in ghettos' during WWII. Your kind always do.

Quote from flowerteapetal

In this day and age, every racist thing is being talked about as if it's not racist by someone.

That doesn't mean it isn't.

Some things are obviously racist to everyone. If I say: " [insert a ethnic group] are fuckin scum." there is no ambiguity. Now a stupid joke about a music group, I think it's highly debatable.

Quote from amalyas

Damn, some people be really reaching to protect this dude. No wonder that white men feel entitled to everything, the entire world is sheltering them from their own shittiness.

I don't care about this fuckin dude. He's not a hill I'm gonna die on. I just answered the question asked by OP "should he be fired?" I don't think so. End of story.

Quote from amalyas

Damn, some people be really reaching to protect this dude. No wonder that white men feel entitled to everything, the entire world is sheltering them from their own shittiness.

I'm sure you will find another excuse for him comparing smokers to 'jewish in ghettos' during WWII. Your kind always do.

I second this.

People justifying racist jokes against a population they’re of course are not a part. Diminishing others struggle.

Why is this the forefront fight for some people

Quote from ohohcollinBB

Our whole country is sadly run by 50-60 year olds who just hate to be called out and admit they are wrong. The younger generation...we all fucking die here because everything is always about that particular generation. Their mindset and opinion is always the most right one and thats just the reason why we are so backward sometimes.

Are you talking about the US?

oh no, the "it was a stupid joke" defenders are already here

People know it isn't all Germans, it's one person and their opinion (he just happened to be employed by a radio station, so he had a bigger mic than most). There are German ARMY too, and those opinions are equally valid.

What's sad to me is the non-apology the radio station itself delivered. Yeah, fine protect your host, he's basically a nobody. But the station itself should at least bother to be courteous to bands.

He went WAY overboard than just insulting BTS. Those comments stemmed from pure hatred against an entire race, they were hurtful, compared an innocent boy group (that just sang a cover WTF) to a disease, etc. You can’t veil that into “on air humor” that’s not right.

None of that was professional and I think he should be fired. When will the world stop sheltering white men? This is why they are so entitled, because they are not held accountable.

Quote from bumble-bunny

oh no, the "it was a stupid joke" defenders are already here

Aren't there such things as stupid jokes?

Quote from Alex_Murphy

Some things are obviously racist to everyone. If I say: " [insert a ethnic group] are fuckin scum." there is no ambiguity. Now a stupid joke about a music group, I think it's highly debatable.

This is not a joke and it is not only about BTS. Yeah bts get called as covid, so did thousands of everyday normal Asians since the pandemic started. Some people go as far as stabbing, punching and kill asians just for doing grocery shopping or walking on the street.

i don't know why this is funny, assuming people are saying it's a joke. What part of it is funny is lost on me.

the fact people think it's a joke tell me people still deny it's a problem. that's why crime against asians get little to no attention by the media, and when they do get on the news, not a lot of people care to read it. that's the by effect of joking and reducing people to a deadly virus. bts get on the news because they're famous, but it's a big problem that's been going on with people gleefully accept it as the norm and not a problem.

idk your race or where you live, but im sure you would not think it's funny if you are called a virus and get punch in the face when you walk on the street for the fact people think it's okay to think you're a virus and therefore deserving to get hit.

Quote from Alex_Murphy

Aren't there such things as stupid jokes?

stupid jokes =! racist, disgusting statements

lmao it's hilarious how people here jump screaming white men because of some stupid comment on radio, meanwhile when it comes to the recent violent attack in the US against asian yall keep repeating about - and I mean the elder couple robbed and tortured to death, the woman gang raped and killed, the elder man in the video kicked etc, which were all made by black men, both the media and the offended folks scrupulously never mentioned their race and black groups even said it's racist to mention it

Quote from minnipark

He went WAY overboard than just insulting BTS. Those comments stemmed from pure hatred against an entire race, they were hurtful, compared an innocent boy group (that just sang a cover WTF) to a disease, etc. You can’t veil that into “on air humor” that’s not right.

None of that was professional and I think he should be fired. When will the world stop sheltering white men? This is why they are so entitled, because they are not held accountable.

OP, as a German I hope you kept the same energy for Merkel and her fellow aligned politicians after the Cologne attacks and many similar cases that followed.

Quote from bibibibop

lmao it's hilarious how people here jump screaming white men because of some stupid comment on radio, meanwhile when it comes to the recent violent attack in the US against asian yall keep repeating about - and I mean the elder couple robbed and tortured to death, the woman gang raped and killed, the elder man in the video kicked etc, which were all made by black men, both the media and the offended folks scrupulously never mentioned their race and black groups even said it's racist to mention it

I won’t be getting into this because it is not on topic. I am also only one person, on the forums for maybe 3 days out of the week. You do not know what I talk about and where I talk about it.

Good day.

Quote from bibibibop

lmao it's hilarious how people here jump screaming white men because of some stupid comment on radio, meanwhile when it comes to the recent violent attack in the US against asian yall keep repeating about - and I mean the elder couple robbed and tortured to death, the woman gang raped and killed, the elder man in the video kicked etc, which were all made by black men, both the media and the offended folks scrupulously never mentioned their race and black groups even said it's racist to mention it

I know, right? All of a sudden, the culprit's race is surprisingly irrelevant when they're not a white guy. Double standard... ... ...

Yes of course he should be fired

Quote from bibibibop

lmao it's hilarious how people here jump screaming white men because of some stupid comment on radio, meanwhile when it comes to the recent violent attack in the US against asian yall keep repeating about - and I mean the elder couple robbed and tortured to death, the woman gang raped and killed, the elder man in the video kicked etc, which were all made by black men, both the media and the offended folks scrupulously never mentioned their race and black groups even said it's racist to mention it

People scream about the guy on radio BECAUSE of violent attacks. Yes, obviously violence is awful. No one is disputing that. Such attacks should be condemned and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

But speech like this is WHY such attacks happen, and it's why people are upset about this. Because when you blame Asian people for being "the COVID virus", you perpetuate a stereotype that ends up hurting people. When you compare them to cars (as if they aren't actual people) you make this violence easier. That's why people are upset about this mess.

Definitely

yes. if someone's being racist and they're stupid enough to put their real info/social media out there they should be held accountable. you'd be surprised at how many people expose themselves online. i once found an akp user's facebook page. not saying to watch their back but tbh... if they said some messed up shit i wouldn't hesitate to take a screenshot and send it to their employer. and that's on dealing with the consequences of your actions.

and ofc much more if they're doing it out in public. what company would want to have that black mark on their reputation?

so yeah, he should be fired.

I cannot fucking believe that there are people defending that disgusting piece of shit racism is not a joke nor is it an opinion not to mention He did all this over a fucking coldplay cover

That white man does not deserve a platforn he should obviously be fired