MSNBC fires Savage on anti-gay remarks

Michael Savage

michaelsavage.com

NEW YORK - MSNBC on Monday fired Michael Savage for anti-gay comments.

The popular radio talk show host who did a weekend TV show for the cable channel referred to an unidentified caller to his show Saturday as a "sodomite" and said he should "get AIDS and die."

"His comments were extremely inappropriate and the decision was an easy one," MSNBC spokesman Jeremy Gaines said.

There was no immediate comment from Savage, according to a spokesman at his office in California.

Miami Herald



[Edited on 8-7-2003 by MiStErBeLLaTrIx]

I like listenening to Savage once in a while but lets face it. You tell some one to get aids and die your committing suicide in network TV.

Savage was awesome How could they do this? Crap. He was cool




Nightwalker

Someone get him a job!!!

What a nut, you cant go saying stuff like that to people on TV.

I hope they sue him too.

Sue him for what? I must agree that is pretty bad. There is no way you can even argue that his remarks were taken out of context. What was he thinking?

Man What a sorry son of a bitch that guy is if he actually said that. No wonder he got his A$$ fired.

David sueing him would really make this the land of the free wherewe have teh feedom to choose what we say

I like mike, and even though he does often get out of line with his comments, he is practicing the first amendment.

Like it or not folks, he just proved that we are truely losing our freedom here.

Yes, what he said was completely wrong. I'll agree it wrong and I'll boo him for it. But to get fired and threatened to be sued????? (I have read a couple articles that say he may get sued by NBC) That's over stepping this mans freedom.

Fire him, and that's the end of it.

Welcome to the land of illusion.

Just because you have the freedom of speech doesn't mean you can use it to hurt others and not expect consequences.

Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech

No one has made it against the law to say anything - you haven't lost your precious freedom of speech - but the precedent is slowly being set that you must wield it responsibly. IOW, you can't use it to hurt others.


There's a difference between voicing your opinion and verbally assaulting someone. The constitution doesn't stop you from expressing yourself - it doesn't protect you either. It was written by human beings, for human beings, and as such, it expects you to act like a human being.

Untrue, Quango, if you are politically correct you can say anything and get away with it.

Back to reality. I am a big Savage fan. I listen to him on the way home from work every night I work over. I agree, in principle, with most of what he says.

However:

Telling someone he should get aids and die is not IAW my beliefs, position or opinion. Personally, I pray the Sodomite comes to know truth, accepts Truth and is saved. To hope he "gets aids and dies" is the actual judgemental attitude Christ was talking about instead of this new "Don't tell me I'm doing wrong because then you are judging me" perversion.

Michael was wrong, pure and simple. Whether or not firing him was the proper thing to do is not my call, but he was dead wrong.

I agree with him on my views of gays, but you don't say somebody should get aids and die. That is not cool, but I do believe he shouldn't be fired of it because of freedom of speech and also shouldn't be sued. I think he should have just kept it to himself but that is also why he is Savage.

Originally posted by Thomas Crowne
Untrue, Quango, if you are politically correct you can say anything and get away with it.

I think I agree w/ you - sort of.
Because if something is politically correct, that's another way of saying society doesn't have a problem w/ it and therefore the courts will protect that (as it hurts no one).
- Or maybe I misunderstand what political correctness means?

However, I would argue that you can't be politically correct and verbally assault someone at the same time.
IOW, there's no politically correct way to phrase "I hope you get Aids and die" - it's verbal assault and the majority of people see it as such, regardless of their views on 'the sodomites'.

Therefore, anyone who verbally assaults someone (as opposed to arguing/stating a position) should expect consequences. No?

And I mean verbally assault and not 'accidentally offend'; that's what the courts are there to decide - intent. And this was clearly a comment made w/ malice, intended for abuse.

(So in my eyes) is he free to say it? Yes.
Is he free of potential consequences (in this case, a civil lawsuit)? No.

I would atleast let a lawsuit(by the caller) go forward to be determined in court.
And as far as NBC suing him (if that's true), I would expect them to win since he is quite possibly in breach of contract somehow (network lawyers are crafty, I assume) and not to mention the damage to the network's rep- which could clearly be shown as interfering with their ability to make money. (which is of course the new 1st commandment: Thou shalt not interfere with thy corporate neighbors' profits)

Sure, you cvan be politically correct and verbally attack people; they do it all the time.

Can you exercise your right and be sued? Of course not. If you exercise a right, you injury no other party, person or sovereign man on the land.

Did Michael cause the man an injury? If so, explain. Can you place a value on said injury? No, as the man was not injured. No suit.

Are there other ways to pay? Sure. He lost his TV job for saying something incredibly stupid and will lose the respect of other people. He sure lost some of the respect I had for him!

There was no slander, no libel, no threats, duress or cohersion or anything like that.

Some losses are worse tha nthose incurred through lawsuits.

Here's an example, just a little different, that I would have no problem at all with:

Caller: I'm a gay.

Savage: You know what buddy? I really hate gays. I can't stand them; I think they're unnatural and an abomination. To tell you the truth buddy, I wouldn't shed a tear if every last gay on earth died of AIDS tomorrow, including you. I'm sorry that's the way it is but... That's the way it is. I'm just a man with his opinion. (presses button on phone) Next caller.... hi you're on the air.



But that's not what he did. He verbally assaulted someone. He purposely tried to injure w/ words.
I hope the difference is clear...

To hide behind 'freedom of speech' is to demean the constitution. (to me)

I am a firm believer in free speech and although what savage said was very rude, insensitive and judgemental there is no reason why he can't say it. Everyone needs to stop being afraid of words, they can't hurt/heal you physically and they will only hurt/heal you emotionally if you believe them as truth.

What savage said was his OPINION, and while it may not be yours, mine or even anyone else in the whole world, it is still his right to believe in what he wants isn't it??? If you don't like his opinion then argue against it with your own or don't listen to him.

It would be different if Savage was saying something as if it was a true and universal FACT. Facts are things that are true and require evidence when challenged. But an opinion can be anything at all and everyone is entitled to have a different one.

We need to start thinking for ourselves now people, don't let anyone else do your thinking for you. Who gives a sh!t about someones opinion anyway?? If you believe it to be true, fine....If not, fine....It still doesn't make it a FACT.

Stop being afraid of words....If the caller would have told Savage that "All backwoods, dumbfu*k, hillbillies with tiny, homophobic, closed minds towards different types of people, should be ritually gang raped by a pack of hairy african Silver Back gorillas, while thier mothers watch in horror." Then that is the right of the caller to say that also. So you can see now hopefully, that what savage said still doesn't make it true, niether does what I (as the caller) said make it true either....Just a couple of childish opinions that you can agree with or not.

Originally posted by quango
Here's an example, just a little different, that I would have no problem at all with:

Caller: I'm a gay.

Savage: You know what buddy? I really hate gays. I can't stand them; I think they're unnatural and an abomination. To tell you the truth buddy, I wouldn't shed a tear if every last gay on earth died of AIDS tomorrow, including you. I'm sorry that's the way it is but... That's the way it is. I'm just a man with his opinion. (presses button on phone) Next caller.... hi you're on the air.



But that's not what he did. He verbally assaulted someone. He purposely tried to injure w/ words.
I hope the difference is clear...

To hide behind 'freedom of speech' is to demean the constitution. (to me)

Bingo!!!!

I don't think anyone could have made it more clear!!
Great job, Quango!!

Originally posted by Thomas Crowne
Did Michael cause the man an injury? If so, explain. Can you place a value on said injury? No, as the man was not injured. No suit.

Perhaps you're right - I'm arguing a weird position here because Iwoudn't be offended (and thus attempt suit) if i were the caller, and as just an observer, hearing it said doesn't bother me.

Since this was a case of targeting the caller's sexual orientation/habits, could this not be sexual harrassment? Is that not illegal?

Is there not verbal sexual harrassment? Does that infringe on freedom of speech? If not, why not? If so, isn't that a good thing? - or should I be free to go up to any woman I want and spew out sexual perversions so foul that they would make de Sade blush, and have absolutely nothing to fear?

And of course, the grey-area of sexual harrassment: It's all in the eyes of the victim.

What offends one person won't offend another.

To whom it may concern,

Savage, Limbaugh, O'Rielly, they are all right wing idiots. Can you imagine how easy it is to sit in an air conditioned studio and tear subject matter apart at will with no opposing input, and then when you receive it yon can simply disconnect it. Quite a freak'in challenge. Get 100,000 $'s a year for it cause GOD gave you the gift of GAB! And then run down the poor, weak, intimadated, crippled, diseased, and accuse them of not pulling their weight. Deny them assistance and all the while claim to be from the Christian Right, The Moral Majority, Turn the other cheek #ing Christians.
Bring Em On, I'll slap them all silly and show them the LIGHT!!
When you are one of the 4% that control 92% of the cash flow on the most powerfull nation on Earth that was stolen from humans 227 years ago and posses the most power because we have exploited the final frontier to it's capacity.
Yea!!! I'd like to see that JACKASS golf playing idiot on my turf! Talk about about a can of "whoop ass"

TUT TUT

give me a warning, please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tut

I don't think you deserve a warning for those appropriate and well-expressed sentiments.

But are you a masochist?