Open Letter to Robert T. Nash, Live & Local, Concerning Antisemitic Remarks
I am a former listener and fan of the Live & Local radio show broadcasted on WGOW 102.3 in Chattanooga, TN.
Today, I switched my dial to the Spanish Language radio station nearby to 102.3 on the dial after listening to Mr. Nash make racial slurs directed at Jews. His caller, a woman by the name of Sylvia, called to complain that he had used the term “Jew” pejoratively on a prior show. No sooner had she voiced her complaint than he became belligerent and demanded of her the specific words that were subject of the complaint. She could not recall them, but Mr. Nash helpfully suggested that offending comment might have been his characterization of Andy Berke as “white Jew lawyer.”
The caller confessed that she did not remember if this was the original instance which provoked her call or not, but asked why he would make comments of this sort. His strident reply was that he “like[s] to take a dig at the yids now and then.”
The caller asked why he would like to do this, and in amongst his subsequent rant, he indicated that his animus against Jews was related to his disapproval of U.S. policy in Israel, as well as the fact that Jewish people are a small minority worldwide. He then demanded to know how Sylvia, the caller, felt about U.S. policy toward Israel. Sylvia remarked that she felt the U.S. should support Israel “for our own benefit”, but declined to elaborate when pressed on her political thinking in that regard. Her disinclination to follow this rabbit trail drew another gratuitous tirade from Mr. Nash, who berated her as “unable to form a cogent argument”.
I disagree with this view of her. I do not know if my viewpoint on U.S. policy toward Israel is more similar to Robert Nash’s or to his caller’s. On the one hand, I feel the AIPAC lobby has too much influence in Washington, and that our policies are not always as even-handed as they should be. On the other hand, I feel that U.S. involvement with Israel should be measured in consideration of the delicacy of the situation in the Middle East, recognition of the value of democratic government, and recognition of the fundamental right to existence and sovereignty for nations willing to conform to international law in the most important ways. Perhaps Sylvia feels the same as I do, or perhaps she supports a view of U.S. policy that gives more weight to our international relationship with Israel than many other considerations. Whatever her views, she is entitled to them. If she wishes to debate U.S. policy toward Israel, then she will need to elaborate on them. If she does not wish to debate U.S. policy toward Israel, then she need not.
Nevertheless, by effectively refocusing attention toward politics and away from his own display of racially charged disrespect toward worthy human beings, Robert Nash managed to avoid taking responsibility for his comments and either defending them or apologizing for them.
Personally, I see no valid defense for such disrespectful language. Short of a real apology from Mr. Nash, I will no longer be a listener of his show.
Lastly, I do want to say thank you to the caller, who kept her patience through Mr. Nash’s lengthy, screaming rants at her, and held her ground on the core issue. Sylvia, you are a remarkable woman. I wish there were more of you.
you should send this letter in to the Chattanoogan.
U.S. policy is U.S. policy and it is crazy to blame Israel for U.S. policy. What would anybody expect Israel to do? Send the billions of dollars back every year?
Now that is crazy. Just because a person is a member of a small minority you feel like you should disparage them?
I think that the policy of the United States towards Israel is more in the best interest of Israel than it is in the best interest of the United States but I figure it makes more sense to congratulate Israel for their ability to siphon off the huge proportion of U.S. foreign aid that they get.
Doesn’t Israel and Egypt account for damn near 50% of total U.S. foreign aid?
But I also know that it is awfully easy to be labeled an anti-semite. I have been called an anti-semite and I would not know a semite if they walked through the front door.
By reading your summary of what happend I would say that I believe that this Nash fellow is a little bit on the kooky side.
The “Jew” thing is a touchy subject, nowadays. In this PC based country (see: Imus), almost any comment can be used as an axe to weild. Why, the mere cognizance of someone being “black” or “a jew” or “homosexual” is now met with a slanted eyebrow, depending on the politics of the person saying it, instead of their intentions. Sorry, but that is true. The old “Chris Rock or Bill Maher can say the ‘n’ word or call someone gay during a joke, but I can’t” syndrome. So, someone being labeled anti-semitic is often the result of someone simply disagreeing with Israel. However, in your instance, it appears that the fellow is representative of a small portion of our population that over-emphasizes Israel as a means to show their dislike for Jews, in general. Mel Gibson comes to mind.
Personally, the answer of “why should we support Israel” is an easy one & is apolitical as it pertains to the USA (meaning, D or R): if we didn’t support them, the country would have probably been wiped out already & if we don’t support them, they’re more likely to be wiped out.
Too many people of power in too many countries in that area have a plank of “destroy Israel/Zionists” within their policies, first and foremost Yassar Arafat’s PLO (you know, one of the guys who won the Nobel peace prize).
Whether or not I “like” Jews or Israel…..or Turkey or Spain or France, is an aside….when military powers publicly admit that they want to wipe a country off the map, it leaps to the forefront of my “people we need to help” notepad-list, much like southern blacks in the south before I was born or the people in Darfur. Yeah, Israel has nukes & can mostly defend themselves, now……thanks to us & our help.
You cannot have diplomacy and negotiations if one side is dead, after all.
-
Also: not a big fan of blowing up kids in pizza parlors, so that helps sway this Christians views on the whole “how do you feel about Jews” question. That my lord was a Jew doesn’t hurt.
RW – lest you think my perspective on RTN’s remarks is skewed by his politics… He doesn’t talk much about politics, and when he does, he’s usually very unfriendly to Republicans (sometimes also to Democrats – but more so to Republicans). I usually enjoy his show, even if he does get his shorts in a wad pretty easily and likes to act very condescending to his callers. Nevertheless, it’s usually very good entertainment and I guess I’ve always liked him. I was very disappointed on hearing that broadcast.
RTN is a racist punk who exemplifies why you should never give a height challenged person with a Napoleon Complex a microphone. He uses his opposition against US support of Israel to justify his racist remarks about Jews. Not only did he call Andy Berke a white Jew lawyer, he read a fax over the air that he received from someone who said Berke asked her to fill bottles of expensive booze with cheap booze at his daughter’s Bat Mitzvah to save money. This not only allowed him to put out our the “cheap jew” stereotype” but it also smeared a 12 year old girl. In another instance, he said recommended to someone earlier this week that they should get a smart jewish accountant to help them with depreciation on their office equipment. His racist rants are not limited to Jews thought. Her referred to a black policewoman as “Aunt Jemimah”, and he referred to Asians in a news story as “slopes” which is really the same as using the n word to describle blacks. I don’t understand why WGOW keeps him on the air. Maybe he attracts a demographic they don’t want to lose. I hope they come to their senses one day and get rid of him. I can’t understand how Mary Ann Williams, who is supposed to be progressive, continues to play Ed MacMahon to his Johnny Carson. She either titters nervously or just says “oh Robert T” like a mother scolding a bad child whenever he rants. You would think she would call him out a lot more when he spews his racist garbage.
Agreed!
Great stuff!
Absolutely, …now in defense of RTN, he does have a job to do…and he does it quite well. Mary-Ann is there to specifically counter his abrasiveness.
People just tend to read too much into things these days. I guess if everyone just shuts the hell up, then no one would ever get offended again….maybe.
To jadarm – Just because alot of people these days take political correctness to the extreme doesn’t mean it’s ok to be a racist. I’m not “offended” about RTN’s comments – I’m mad. He’s using blatant racist speech. That is his constitutional right, but it’s also my right to point it out and ask his employer to hold him accountable for it. If you think people should just shut up when they hear a public figure with access to hundreds of thousands of listeners refer to Asians as “slopes” and spouting out other racist sterotypes, well, my guess you have never been part of a group that has been a target of racism.
…and my advice to you or anyone else who might get offended is quite simple.
Turn the friggin’ station. Its an easy thing to do…and if enough people start to do it then the radio station will realize the loss of that particular demographic and they will make whatever decisions they feel is appropriate at the time.
So basically your saying ignore racism when you see or hear it. It is so inconvenient isn’t it? I do turn off or ignore un-PC type statements. But I’m not going to ignore overt racist statements. If you think it’s OK for someone to use the public airwaves (yes, they are still public) to call people slopes and white jew lawyers, there’s not much else I can say. You would’ve had a ball in Germany during the 1930’s.
Well what else can you do?
Ignoring something doesn’t make it go away, true, but what else can?
No matter where you go, you’re going to be around racism, hear racism, experience racism, so what does stopping one person do?
Racism isn’t a cold or a virus, it’s not something you can cure. Everyone is racist to a certain degree.
One thing about America is freedom of speech…article 19 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Everybody thinks different, everybody has different views.
Nobody on this planet, let alone this country, will think exactly like you and share your views.
So, if this guy can’t speak his mind, whether it’s moral or not, why should you be able to?
Gee, now I am offended…but I have the option of not reading your comments also dont I?
…actually, I think the Germans would be the ones telling people on the radio and television airwaves what they can and cant say…kind of like what you have been suggesting.
Turning the station is not ignoring. Like I said, if enough people do it then your particular problem will take care of itself.
I will never advocate telling people what they can and cant say…what to feel and what not to feel. That doesnt mean I have to agree with them…it just means that we live in America.
I personally think ignoring it isn’t enough. Maybe when it is the asshole who sits next to you at work, but not when it’s someone empowered by my public airwaves to broadcast his message into thousands of homes in my city. Then to ignore it is to embrace it. At the very least, someone has to stand up and say “that’s wrong”, and they need to be able to do that without fear of being derided as “politically correct”. Whether the FCC should allow hate speech on the public airwaves or not is a difficult decision.
Personally, although I believe strongly in the first amendment, I do believe that we have a right, as a society, to regulate our public airwaves. The first amendment doesn’t guarantee a right to a chunk of radio frequency bandwidth to get your message out. But, I don’t think government censorship is necessarily the right avenue for this. I think, if our culture is going to change and stop tolerating bigotry, then – as you said – consumers have to do the leg work. If turning the station is all you can be troubled to do, then that’s fine. But going that next step: shaming the radio host and shaming the people who hand him a microphone to spew his hateful, racist message is definitely not “going overboard with political correctness.”
And, if some people feel that government censorship is the right way to go where it concerns the public airwaves – I disagree with them, but they certainly have a right to that viewpoint and to argue it in the legislature and in the courts. And, while I disagree with them, I disagree more with those who want to shout them down with cries of “political correctness”.
Well what else can you do?
Ignoring something doesn’t make it go away, true, but what else can?
What a great argument. Too bad you weren’t able to convince Ghandi, MLK, Medger Evers, or anyone else that has led a social change movement that, instead of confronting a racism or any other problem and fighting for what is right, they should have just ignored the problem and it would go away! Poof! I guess alot of people suffered and died for nothing. I admit that RTN’s brand of racism doesn’t really require a social movement to confront it, but why should I ignore it?
One thing about America is freedom of speech…article 19 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
I am so sick of people using this argument to justify racist speech. Yes, we all have freedom of speech, and RTN has the right to say whatever he wants. But freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom from accountability for what you say. I can walk down the street and wave my arms around all I want, but when I start hitting people as I walk by them, then I need to stop waving my arms or I will be held accountable for my actions. If RTN was a teacher talking about the Vietnam War and told his students that the Slopes were dirty fighters or called MLK the n word, he wouldn’t be arrested and through in jail, but he hopefully be held accountable for his actions and probably fired. If I work for a corporation, or a school, or a church, I will be held accountable for things I say. That’s not taking away my freedom of speech. If you don’t agree with that, then go into work tomorrow and call your boss a fucking asshole and see what happens.
So I understand what’s going on here…
You think other’s shouldn’t be able to speak their mind that don’t share the same views with you?
Everything everyone says is going to be offensive to somebody.
If the radio station thought what he said was bad enough, he would be held accountable. Hell, if the FCC even thought it was, you know he’d be held accountable.
People are turning a mole hill into a mountain.
Hardly a good excuse when what we are actually talking about is freedom of speech.
I will say one more thing before I let this go entirely.
You keep on saying that I told you to “ignore” what they are saying. I never said that. In fact, I did say that everyone has the right to agree or disagree.
If you feel that it is sooo offensive to you then call the radio station or boycott the sponsors. That is how it works.
Personally, I think everyone is ragging a little too hard on RTN…he is what he is…an afternoon talk radio co-host. He has a job to do, to keep people listening.
I dont think Bill Lockhart is so unaware as to what RTN is doing or saying.
Davey, talk radio – and hell – the comments section on this blog – are exactly for people expressing themselves when they have different views.
The problem isn’t “different views”. It is dehumanizing language. It is the cultivation of racial disharmony. That’s no mere molehill. Offering hate speech as “entertainment” is like offering rat poison to a hungry man and calling it “food.”
jadarm, RTN is just a local afternoon radio host, and if he wants to be an antisemite on his own time that’s his business. But he is getting paid to serve the public with his brand of “entertainment”, and Bill Lockhart should care enough about the quality of that entertainment to make sure his afternoon hosts know better than to take their hate-speech onto his radio station. He shouldn’t just wait to see what “sells” and base his judgment about what to keep on the air on how many people in Chattanooga are willing to embrace or tolerate racism.
That is my point exactly, I have no problem with people expressing their views, agreeing or disagreeing…I am saying, if you dont like something then turn the station or turn the channel and or boycott the sponsers. Otherwise I dont like what you are suggesting.
I dont know what part of this that you dont understand.
I am not saying that I agree with everything he says, I do think that people tend to blow things out of proportion.
Like I said…You have options.
The option I think that some here are suggesting is one that I dont and never will agree with…Dictating priniciples and morals to a public audience by an ever present “thought police”…
The radion station can police themselves. They are in the business of making money.
You have options. When you jump down other peoples throats when their perspective just happens to differ from your own then how do you differentiate yourself?
Well, we agree that there is no problem with people expressing different views. It’s one of the things we both like to see happen.
Now, can we scoot away from that & start talking about the more specific case of hate speech – how it hurts people – how it creates racial strife – how it tears down our society instead of building it up? We agree about the fact that radio stations can police themselves. Now can we talk about whether they should?
So I understand what’s going on here…
You think other’s shouldn’t be able to speak their mind that don’t share the same views with you?
Everything everyone says is going to be offensive to somebody.
I’ll try one more time – people have the freedom to say whatever they want, but they have to understand that it is possible that they will be held accountable for it, especially if they do it in an environment that has standards to which they must be held. You have the freedom to hit on your subordinate at work, but you will be held accountable for your actions if it breaks company policy.
And yes, everything that people say is going to be offensive to somebody, but if you can’t agree that there are any distinctions between calling someone a slope or a white jew lawyer on the radio from Dr. Basketball saying he hates Georgia football fans, then your mind is closed and nothing I say is going to change it.
And by the way, it seems like many people here are trying to stifle MY free speech in saying RTN is a racist punk who should be fired? Don’t I have the right to say that? Yes! If it bothers you, just don’t read any more of my posts.
Hello,
Thanks for listening to ‘Live and Local’ on Talk Radio WGOW 102.3 FM.
Robert T. Nash
Hi Robert…
I wish you had read this post more carefully. I NO LONGER listen to ‘Live and Local’ on Talk Radio WGOW 102.3 FM, and I encourage others in the Chattanooga market to find better programming.
Thanks for reading Tête-à-Tête-Tête.
Hello Smegma,
You’re welcome, but in the interest of full disclosure you should know your token online effort only came to my attention via a Google alert. Anyway, I’m STILL doing my award-winning, critically-acclaimed and highly-rated radio show. I’ll close by saying wishes are for fairies. Take care…
RTN/XXX/OOO/666/365
Critically acclaimed? Like O’Reilly’s Peabody? I figured you more for a Glenn Beck type. Enjoy your 15 minutes of racist fame.
Dear Smegma,
Three years and three months into the show I’m enjoying it more and more every day. But who’s counting? Anyway, the new ratings period starts 09/17/09. Maybe your little one-man campaign to paint me as an anti-semite and/or racist will take me down a peg or two this go ’round. It hasn’t thus far, and I predict it won’t. Enjoy your hypocritical judgmental misery of a life…
RTN/XXX/OOO/666/365
As you can see from the other comments on the thread, I’m not the only one who has noticed the racism that you have demonstrated on the radio. I’m not trying to paint you as shit – I’m suggesting you give up the race-baiting for attention gig, grow up, have the gumption to apologize to your targets, and try to make a show worth listening to for the rest of us who don’t have the stars and bars in every window of our house. It’s easy to run up ratings with BS of this type in the south, where white people get to feel righteous listening to your tripe. But if your soul only cares to be fed by the attention of mouth-breathers of this sort, then suit yourself.
And as you can see there are just as many opinions on this little waste of cyberspace condemning you and all others who would seek to squelch my Constitutionally protected and marketplace affirmed right to express myself…Let me make this perfectly clear: I don’t give one whit of a bloody shit what you and your ilk think of me, my views or my show…After all, I’m not denying your trifling ass the right to exist…The simple truth is I get paid for expressing my opinions and you don’t, and in terms of credibility and relevancy this TRUE FACT speaks volumes…Furthermore, painting me as some sort of “Stars and Bars” reactionary is the worst case of miscasting since Tyrone Power was tapped to play Jesse James…Now run your little one-man boycott and listen to your Spanish language radio station to your (black?) heart’s content…Shalom!
“. . . I get paid for expressing my opinions and you don’t, and in term of credibility and relevancy this TRUE FACT speaks volumes. . .” Beg your pardon?!?
“listen to your Spanish language radio station to your (black?) heart’s content. . .”
Aint yo color blind like my dad’s ‘46 Nash was? That was a black car but it ran okay for us white folk.
You don’t get paid for expressing your opinion here. Scoot along.
So your “Open Letter To Robert T. Nash” is meant for everyone but Robert T. Nash?
For the obtuse, an open letter implies that it is meant to be read by all, including the person to whom it is addressed. It isn’t a solicitation for comment from anyone, including the person to whom it is addressed. Sorry to anyone reading who doesn’t need the remediation.
Typed the rocket scientist who predicted a McCain victory…
I too have been offended by Robert T. Yesterday, I was appalled at his views on Haiti. This country is home to many who are US citizens originally from Haiti. The outpouring of help from citizens including children is what America is about. Robert T, I believe, thinks he is a great American. He is not. On the issue of his anti-semetic rant related to US Policy to Isreal is rediculous. Israel has more Arabs than Jews as citizens. I believe we support them for two reasons: 1) we as a country do not want to see ANY country wiped off the map by its neighbors, cause we could be next and 2) Israel will be the only place we can park an airplane if the Middle East goes wacky-wild. Remember, the US paid Turkey around 12B to refuel planes for the Iraq war. What do we call that?
Now here’s the bottom line, in my humble opinion, these talk show guys have freedom of speech thing on their side, BUT they have a responsibility to not foment hatred in the lunatic fringe to feel like they have permission to do violence. If this guy has an audience of 1000 people, picture him on a podium at the arena, not hiding facelessly in a little cowardly room somewhere.
Wow…Thanks for listening to Talk Radio in general and my show in particular.
In New Business, your post says “Israel has more Arabs than Jews as citizens.”
You (and all concerned) should know The CIA* World Fact Book website (as of 08:20 PM EDT 01/26/10) says:
Ethnic groups: Jewish 76.4% (of which Israel-born 67.1%, Europe/America-born 22.6%, Africa-born 5.9%, Asia-born 4.2%), non-Jewish 23.6% (mostly Arab) (2004)
Religions: Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2004)
I say your lips are moving as you read this. I’d like a little credit for not saying I suspect you, dear vracer, to be ‘tarded. Take care, if not The Number of The Beast.
RTN/XXX/OOO/666/365
* If you deem this info nugget specious suggest you take it up with the boys in Langley.
Let’s see, vracer responds to what I can only imagine is some sort of clueless ultra-isolationist drivel from you about Haiti, and the best you can do is pick out a trivia error in his post? I don’t need any credit – I’ll go ahead & say it… Nash, you’re an idiot. Egotism fits so much better on those who have something to be proud of – something for you to reflect upon before your next show.
Dear Smegma,
I feel no responsibility for your imaginings…Your seeming definition of trivia says more about you than I care to at this point in time…Your “ultra-isolationist” charge is laughable…Suffice it to say I’ll compare passports with you any day. I’ve even been to Haiti, albeit 31 years ago…I’m going to run with the assumption you do not view yourself as an idiot…With that in mind, I am extending you an open invitation to guest host on my program at your earliest possible convenience…So when do you wanna come on and show me and my legions of listeners how it’s really done? Please advise. Take care.
RTN/XXX/OOO
If you need a day off, just ask your boss. In fact, do Legion a favor & ask for an extended LOA. I won’t listen to your show, so…. duh… of course I won’t “guest host” it. Here’s a tidbit of trivia for you to share, though Legion probably knows it: the Number of the Beast is, from the oldest mss, probably 616, not 666…
I say The Number Of The Beast is The Best Iron Maiden album ever…
the Number of the Beast is, from the oldest mss, probably 616, not 666…
Damn. That screws up everything!
Yeah I know….I already thought I knew who the bastard was!
Damn!
A friendly note to say it is my belief and experience there is nothing so dangerous as someone who “knows” something, especially if said someone is all eat up with the Jeebus, even if said “knowledge” is cloaked in the mostly harmless veil of Unitarian-Universalism…
Don’t you have a show to do? Shouldn’t you be hating on Jews and Black people right about now on my beloved 102.3?
…and thanks again for reading Tête-à-Tête-Tête.
I have listened to Robert T. Nash for years. The policital parady on his show is natural. Hello, these guys are elected and are an open target. It seems that you are taking entertainment type comments about a local elected person too serious. Of course the polictical person you are refering to is still a jerk first, without any consideration religious isses. I was raised at the Jewish Community Center afterschool every day. Take a chill pill or go to NPR.
Let’s see… “I’m not Jewish, but I played basketball at the Jewish Center, and I think Andy Berke is a jerk, so ‘taking a dig at the yids’ now and then is perfectly acceptable”. Mmmm hmmm.. Thanks for your moral clarity.
Smijer, Nice try, I never wrote that I was or was not Jewish. I never wrote that I played basketball at the center. I wrote that I was raised at the center’s after school program, moran. Finally, you need to learn to take politics and entertainment for what it is, and not get so overly sensitive. Try to relax and remember elected persons are open target for media. Relax
“Relax… dude just wants to hurl racial epithets over the radio. Nothing to get uptight about.”
“Relax… it only hurts for a minute.”
I tell you what… I’ll relax on my schedule, not yours. How about that?
Ok, if I understand you correctly, you give the dialogue on 102.3 as having editorial creditability, more than an entertainment mechanism. I promise you that skin color, gender, religion, in Chattanooga pale in comparison to the class issues at work. The correct position of protecting Israel at all costs will continue and not be impacted by any local editorial.
Let no one forget. I apoligise for offending you.
Nash’s show certainly doesn’t have any editorial credibility… Whether intended or not, except as a fictional portrayal of racist bastards, racial slurs are not decent entertainment. I don’t give a rat’s ass about American policy toward Israel…. That is an issue intelligent and well meaning people can disagree on. And you didn’t offend me. You just tried to minimize the offense of someone who deliberately offends people who have gone through enough already. This is true despite the possibility that class issues are a bigger problem right now than race.
That should read: whether intended as editorial content or not…
Sorry to all those who may have missed it, must have been a clerical error or something.
Robert T either graced us with his Christmas wish-list or couldn’t quite make it to the bathroom on time yet once again.
Yes…Once again, we are all in amazement with your power perception of the English language to be able to tease and tantalize us with such words as wop, jig, and queer.
At least OUR admin has the common decency to cut your mike off when you open your mouth…perhaps Lockhart will do the same in the future.
Oh, and by the way…Let’s all try an experiment….everyone Google Robert T Nash and see what the hell comes up…that’s why he drops his turds “here” all day long.
I am taking bets on which pile of crap RT steps into today. Anyone want to wager an over/under on which minority he pisses off today to gain his minimum wage check this week?
Come up with a good argument Robert…The whole “entertainment” thing is completely out the window now!
You are takin the bait!