Sid Rosenberg v. Mayor Mamdani

[davideduardo]

And I don't think Sid lives in NYC either, as does a large majority of WABC's audience.

This is the key fault to the several posts about "Mandami is in New York City and you are not". Wherever Sid lives in the metropolitan area, the economy of the whole area revolves significantly if not totally around what happens in the city.

So, if Sid's listeners are in the suburbs, they are still part of the metropolitan community of "New York City". Heck, even the attendant at the convenience store out in Morris County depends on commuters and the economy of "the city" for their job.

Of course, this is conveniently forgotten about in the midst of the performative outrage about an alleged "communist", "anti-Semite", "jihadist", and "fake Democrat" who (among other things) wants to bring sharia law to New York, all because he is Muslim. And during Ramadan, no less.

Disagreeing with Mandami's principles and actions is perfectly fine in America. However, the language he used did not help convince others of what he perceives as a threat.

 

[davideduardo]

They can give an opinion, but it doesn't matter. What Sid is calling for is the president to basically nationalize the city and overturn the will of the local people. That's a popular view among people in his party. They're upset with the results of popular elections, and they want their agenda imposed on those people. That's what Sid is doing. That's what right wing radio promotes every day. To them, any opposition is domestic terrorism.

Still, Sid can say just about anything he wants about the city and its mayor. There is nothing wrong or illegal about that. The thing I find to be "bad radio" is the way he expressed his position online (whether he said the same thing on the air or not) was not conducive to an intelligent and convincing argument.

 

[TheBigA]

Still, Sid can say just about anything he wants about the city and its mayor. There is nothing wrong or illegal about that. The thing I find to be "bad radio" is the way he expressed his position online (whether he said the same thing on the air or not) was not conducive to an intelligent and convincing argument.

Because he's not intelligent. If he or anyone else had an intelligent or convincing argument, Mamdani wouldn't have won the election. Their only resort is the tyranny of the minority, which is the role they usually play. The fact is they do the same "bad radio" every day. It's not entertaining. This is why only a very limited demographic listen.

 

[davideduardo]

Yeah, a significant percentage of the population being bigoted ignoramuses is how we got into the mess we’re in.

Just because a person has a different opinion on a subject does not mean they are bigoted or ignorant. It means that everything from their world view down to local transaction is looked at differently.

Some think that "we got into a mess" while others think that we are trying to get out of it.

And vile, racist, pathetic garbage

What did Sid say that was "racist"? Criticizing a person's views on the basis of their positions is not racist.

Yes, did he just miss the class on how to put a light covering over the hatred and bigotry? Perhaps something simple, like a white sheet, would help him avoid such matters in the future.

That's, again, extreme. So he has different opinions, and he rudely expressed them. I don't listen to him, and wouldn't were I living in The City either... not my cuppa'. But, aside from his poor way of writing his post, he certainly has the right to criticize the current... or any other... mayor of New York. Or of any other city, in fact.

 

[Jstnpspck]

What did Sid say that was "racist"? Criticizing a person's views on the basis of their positions is not racist.

"Radical Islam cockroach" is the racist part. Pretty much the entirety of the sentence where that line is contained. Unless you consider "radical Islam cockroach" another difference of opinion

 

[davideduardo]

"Radical Islam cockroach" is the racist part.

What "race" (Black, White, Asian, Indigenous) is a Muslim?

Pretty much the entirety of the sentence where that line is contained. Unless you consider "radical Islam cockroach" another difference of opinion

If you consider "radical Muslims" to be bad or dangerous, using negative terms seems acceptable if not quite polite.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

Just because a person has a different opinion on a subject does not mean they are bigoted or ignorant. It means that everything from their world view down to local transaction is looked at differently.

Some think that "we got into a mess" while others think that we are trying to get out of it.

What did Sid say that was "racist"? Criticizing a person's views on the basis of their positions is not racist.

Calling people cockroaches, jihadists and the like most certainly is.

That's, again, extreme.

Again, calling someone the things he did is not a friendly disagreement over fiscal policy. It’s blatant bigotry. We get you’ll defend that with all your might, but it is what it is.

So he has different opinions, and he rudely expressed them.

Ah yes, more minimizing. The man who wants more affordability is terrifying but the guy who calls someone a cockroach and other things is just a bit rude.

I don't listen to him, and wouldn't were I living in The City either... not my cuppa'. But, aside from his poor way of writing his post,

Bad grammar is poor writing. Run-on sentences are poor. This is the most vile form of bigotry, but apparently that’s fine to one who’s not on the receiving end.

he certainly has the right to criticize the current... or any other... mayor of New York.

So we call “cockroach” and “jihadist” just run of the mill criticism now.

Or of any other city, in fact.

It’s still vile bigotry regardless of the city.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

What "race" (Black, White, Asian, Indigenous) is a Muslim?

That’s what we’re trying to hide behind? Do you prefer religious bigot? Is that better?

If you consider "radical Muslims" to be bad or dangerous, using negative terms seems acceptable if not quite polite.

Oh no, the scary radical Muslim calling for…free early childhood education. For cheaper transit.

Yeah, dangerous stuff that.

So let’s have it clearly laid out. What makes him a religious radical? Or is simply being big bad Muslim enough?

Maybe we should actually be concerned about the fanatical Christian nationalism and not the dude who wants busses to be cheaper.

 

[Jstnpspck]

What "race" (Black, White, Asian, Indigenous) is a Muslim?

Swinging by the ol' Merriam Webster website for a definition of "race", you'll find "a group of people sharing a common cultural, geographical, linguistic, or religious origin or background".

But please feel free to continue splitting hairs in order to defend bigotry

 

[davideduardo]

Calling people cockroaches, jihadists and the like most certainly is.

That is not "racist". It involves, to generalize, religion. Religions are not races.

Again, calling someone the things he did is not a friendly disagreement over fiscal policy. It’s blatant bigotry. We get you’ll defend that with all your might, but it is what it is.

Again, I am critical of the language he used, which was just plain rude.. But Sid disagrees with Mandami's policies, his criticism of Israel, his attitudes towards radical Muslims. There is nothing bigoted in, let's say as an example, "I think radicalized 'from the river to the sea' Muslims should be stopped"

Ah yes, more minimizing. The man who wants more affordability is terrifying but the guy who calls someone a cockroach and other things is just a bit rude.

Yet there is an ocean of economists who believe that Mandami's concepts of economics are flawed and come from idealism rather than realism. That is fair to comment on, whether Sid does it on the radio or in a tweet.

Bad grammar is poor writing. Run-on sentences are poor. This is the most vile form of bigotry, but apparently that’s fine to one who’s not on the receiving end.

So you are equating a poorly written criticism of what the writer considers to be bad for New York City with bigotry and racism? So, to simplify, you equate poor writing with racism and bigotry?

So we call “cockroach” and “jihadist” just run of the mill criticism now.

As I said, poorly written. "Cockroach" is a mild insult as today's insults go. As to "jihadist" I submit that many, including Trump, have rejected the label, with Trump calling Mamdani a "very rational person" and dismissing the "jihadist" claims made by political opponents. That attempt to establish "jihadist" as a sobriquet for Mandami fails on all counts, but certainly is not racist... it is jut a poor analysis of Mandami's world view.

It’s still vile bigotry regardless of the city.

If you define a "bigot" as one who is intolerant, a prejudiced person, a fanatic, or a chauvinist. I guess that term fits. But probably all of us are fanatic over something, prejudiced against something else, so the term is either terribly broad or terribly misused today.

 

[davideduardo]

Swinging by the ol' Merriam Webster website for a definition of "race", you'll find "a group of people sharing a common cultural, geographical, linguistic, or religious origin or background".

That is a terribly "woke" definition. If we look at science, race is well defined.

So, as a contrarian argument, let's look at my "adopted homeland", Ecuador. Ecuadorians share broad language, culture and geography commonalities. But if you live there, there are Black, Asian, Indigenous and White persons and every possible and marvelous mix of those. So "Ecuadorian" is not a race, it is a nationality. And within Ecuador, a percentage of significance speaks Quechua, so that can't identify those that don't as part of the same race.

See where I am going? At the end of this inaccurate definition, every you might disagree with right down to factions in a PTA meeting, is of a different race. So criticizing that group that wants to change the school menu is, thus, "racist".

But please feel free to continue splitting hairs in order to defend bigotry

Again, a word used to "negativize" different opinions. Disagreement is not bigotry.

 

[davideduardo]

That’s what we’re trying to hide behind? Do you prefer religious bigot? Is that better?

If the term is "radical Muslim" that is not religious bigotry if your definition of such includes "from the river to the sea" or equivalent sentiments.

Oh no, the scary radical Muslim calling for…free early childhood education. For cheaper transit.

And such a total lack of knowledge of economics that he does not know that, somehow, this has to be paid for. The contrarian view is that the city has some of America's highest taxes and the result of further expenditures without economizing elsewhere will simply drive the middle and upper income groups out of the city either to the suburbs or elsewhere.

So let’s have it clearly laid out. What makes him a religious radical? Or is simply being big bad Muslim enough?

To many, his lack of defense of Israel after the October 2023 Palestinian attack would, in the mind of some, be enough to consider Mandami a radical.

Maybe we should actually be concerned about the fanatical Christian nationalism and not the dude who wants busses to be cheaper.

Ah, we got to the bottom of this. It's those nasty Christians who founded this country...

Back to radio and Sid: he has all the rights given to all of us to express his opinion. But in this case, even many supporters of his perspective think he used poor and, perhaps, incendiary, phrasing in expressing his viewpoint.

 

[Don CT]

The federal government can’t even pay its bills yet we are worried about the mayor of NY.

 

[Jstnpspck]

That is a terribly "woke" definition. If we look at science, race is well defined.

I did actually mean to link to the page in my initial post, but the definition proving my point is actually labeled as "dated", arguably the polar opposite of "woke". But I'm not here to argue if something racist is racist. Though I am tickled pink you chose to use "woke" in a derogatory manner and just really appreciate you laying your politics out in this thread. Hope this rockets Sid to the top of the ratings! WABC is back, bay-bee!

 

[davideduardo]

I did actually mean to link to the page in my initial post, but the definition proving my point is actually labeled as "dated", arguably the polar opposite of "woke". But I'm not here to argue if something racist is racist. Though I am tickled pink you chose to use "woke" in a derogatory manner and just really appreciate you laying your politics out in this thread. Hope this rockets Sid to the top of the ratings! WABC is back, bay-bee!

As a sidebar, much of the misinterpretation of "race" as a word comes from the apparent literal translations from other languages... where "race" does, in fact, mean affinity or nationality or even regional or income-based subsets of a population.

A good example is "raza" in Spanish which does mean "race". But it also means "breed" as in cattle or dogs. And colloquially, for decades, it has meant "lifestyle" as well in some nations, particularly Mexico.

So a working class Mexican might believe his sports bar buddies are "raza" but the boss he works for isn't.

Or the big Lucecita hit of the later 60's in Puerto Rico "(Yo Soy de una) Raza Pura" which speaks of all Puerto Ricans as single unifying race. In fact, Puerto Rico is one of the most racially (using the English definition) diverse places in the world.

 

[gr8oldies]

In this case we're talking about blatant racism, Islamophobia, and xenophobia, not anger.

I'm already seeing threats against Muslims on Facebook. It may be a show, but it has real word consequences. There's a C

The federal government can’t even pay its bills yet we are worried about the mayor of NY.

The feds are running up more bills by funding a personal paramilitary for Trump, and this war, er, police action, er temporary lethality. There's nothing for you but an eventual draft notice, peasants.

 

[Don CT]

I'm already seeing threats against Muslims on Facebook. It may be a show, but it has real word consequences. There's a C

The feds are running up more bills by funding a personal paramilitary for Trump, and this war, er, police action, er temporary lethality. There's nothing for you but an eventual draft notice, peasants.

1 billion a day is a number I heard.

 

[gr8oldies]

What "race" (Black, White, Asian, Indigenous) is a Muslim?

If you consider "radical Muslims" to be bad or dangerous, using negative terms seems acceptable if not quite polite.

OK, I oppose Donald Trump and his administration, which means to MAGA, including the people in my state who allegedly represent me, I am a "violent radical leftist", because one can only 1)_ worship Donald Trump as Christ Himself, or 2) Be a violent deranged radical leftist. There are no other choices. God forbid we be humans with a variety of interests and concerns, we're all one-dimensional cartoon characters. I have my white card though, so I'm not a target unless I'm carrying a sign or wearing a T-shirt (where IS that Soros check)?). Someone being identifiable as a Muslim can get them physically attacked, when a political party decides you're the enemy who needs to be banishef

 

[Weiserguy]

David, I'm going to make a suggestion to you, and I strongly advise you to consider it carefully. When you find yourself deep in a hole, the very first thing to do is stop digging.

You keep digging yourself further into this hole of your own making. I don't think you are a bigot, but I could be wrong. I don't know if you've been trying to gaslight us all, or you're just dense. One way or the other, stop digging. Maybe apologize for your obtuseness, but definitely put down the damn shovel.

Regardless of where your family came from, *you* were educated in Cleveland-area schools, so you shouldn't try claiming your cluelessness is a cultural blind spot. It is, to me, looking more and more stubborn and/or willful with each reply.

 

[davideduardo]

David, I'm going to make a suggestion to you, and I strongly advise you to consider it carefully. When you find yourself deep in a hole, the very first thing to do is stop digging.

Based on my worldview, I could say the same thing to you. In fact, we simply have different perspectives on sociopolitical subjects. And the issue here is a social media post by a host on a New York City radio station that reflects a view opposing that city's current mayor which it seems we all, agreeing on the argument or not, find offensively or poorly written.

You keep digging yourself further into this hole of your own making. I don't think you are a bigot, but I could be wrong. I don't know if you've been trying to gaslight us all, or you're just dense. One way or the other, stop digging. Maybe apologize for your obtuseness, but definitely put down the damn shovel.

Again, I could say the same to you about your viewpoints.

As reference, I have lived or worked in over 20 countries, most in this hemisphere but as far apart at the Emirates and Pakistan. I've seen what happens when "liberal" politicians promise too much and, usually, end up creating a repressive government to stay in power.

In the area of economics, Margaret Thatcher said it best, "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money".

Regardless of where your family came from, *you* were educated in Cleveland-area schools,

My secondary school education was mostly in Mexico and Ecuador, and much of my college experience in Ecuador and Puerto Rico.

so you shouldn't try claiming your cluelessness is a cultural blind spot.

I am not claiming such. But I was "gone" when I was in my mid-teens and have been in Latin America or in "the barrio" mentally ever since 1962.

It is, to me, looking more and more stubborn and/or willful with each reply.

No, just a difference of opinion that is a personal way of explaining why the partisans of that particular radio show likely did not find the statements inappropriate and why the owner of the station keeps him on the air at WABC.