Talk show host fired after on-air racial slur

Saint Louis Post-Dispatch ^ | 03/22/2006 | Jake Wagman

[RedBloodedAmerican]

I should probably add, the N word is off limits, too.

[Rte66]

Town to town, up and down the dial ... now we know the backstory. George Carlin would have me say "booger, booger, booger" at this juncture.

[rimmont]

Without thought police we will never triumph against "hate".

[Hilltop]

I worked in the oilfields, coon ass was acceptable in a jocular fashion among the roustabouts from Louisiana, a term called redbone would, quite possible, get you killed.

Those that know, will agree. Et toi?

[StarCMC]

WOW ~ I don't listen to KTRS, but my kneejerk reaction is PC run-amok!

[Rte66]

Moi, I might agree, my ownself, since I have never used the term derogatorily. However, I'm not Cajun, so perhaps there are some who do find it offensive. None who have ever come into my circle have found it to be, either, so I've used it affectionately, or so I thought.

Here are some different viewpoints about it. As far as the other term, all I know about it is that it's Leon's last name and I have a lot of his CDs cause I like him a lot.

Here ya go - some discussions of the term "coonass" and also "coonie" in some places:

http://www.coonass.com/whycoon.htm
http://www.cajunculture.com/Other/coonass.htm
WARNING: Explicit language
http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20000815
WARNING: Explicit language
http://www.asteur.org/issue-coonass.html
http://www.geocities.com/bourbonstreet/3076/racoon.htm

[Maury]

LOL!

I can still see Eddie Murphy on SNL doing that Jesse Jackson impersonation singing...

"Don't let me down....Hymietown!"

[taxesareforever]

"Slipsey". Nope, don't count when a resonable explanation is provided. Only works when you are a demorat and from Virginia.

[TBP]

Should have used "honky" instead. That would have gotten him a raise.

[Valin]

Dave Lenihan was dismissed after what he called an inadvertent slip of the tongue. Within 20 minutes, station CEO Tim Dorsey apologized on the air to listeners and announced that Lenihan, who had been with the station for less than two weeks, had been let go.

Air America is looking for people.

[Christian4Bush]

If anyone is interested, Larry Elder is talking with the host (Dave) on his show now.

It's KABC 790 in Los Angeles, http://www.kabc.com, or http://www.larryelder.com

[cardinal4]

He was supposed to speak with Charlie Brennan this morning on KMOX and I just saw him on KMOV..

[indianrightwinger]

Agree 100%.

Politically correct world is not a good world to live in for anyone....

[indianrightwinger]

Yes. Standards should be high. He is supposedly a 2-week old host. So, may be cut some slack?

[Thumper1960]

I wonder if that station has Burger King ads boasting BK's "Big Bucking Chicken" sandwich.

Wasn't there an incident when a reporter/propagandist "mis-spoke" Niger Innis' name as the "N" word?

Nothing like sitting back with a beer and some popcorn and watching it all go by.

[EnquiringMind]

It obviously was an accident....he was speaking about Condi...CONdi. Say Condi a few times and then see how easy it is to mistakely add an N to "coup" within the same thought process.

[DejaJude]

“She’s just got a patent resume, of somebody that’s got such serious skill,” Linehan said on the air. “She loves football, she’s African-American, which would kind of be a big coon, a big coon – oh my God, I am totally, totally, totally, totally, totally sorry for that, OK? I didn’t mean that. That was just a slip of the tongue.” Lenihan later said he meant to use the word "coup."

I would have to hear the actual clip. Was this done in a sarcastic tone? Many have had true slips of the tongue, and many have manufactured the same as a way of getting their true point across.