The Tex Antoine of Albany capitulates to the inevitable, and looks happy doing it – Silly her
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NY Gov. Kathy Hochul endorses Zohran Mamdani for NYC mayor
Hochul must have read the polls, remembered the late and lamented weatherman Tex Antoine’s advice to those in her situation, and has hopped into the commie canoe. At least she’s smiling; she might not be so happy, however, were she to reflect on what happened to her Manhattan rishi after he passed along his bit of wisdom:
Tex was a likeable-enough fellow who, unfortunately, liked to drink his dinner between the 6:00 and 11:00 p.m. broadcasts. One evening he returned to the station after his liquid repast and ad libbed some advice for those who are facing the unavoidable; it did not go well for Tex, and Hochul may fare no better.
AI Overview
Tex Antoine was suspended from WABC-TV in 1976 after making an offensive on-air comment about rape, which he falsely attributed to the Chinese philosopher Confucius
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The incident
The comment: On November 24, 1976, Antoine, a WABC-TV weather reporter, was on the air during the station's early newscast [pretty sure it was the late-night bracast, but perhaps he’d been tanking up before kickoff. Either way, alcohol was involved] Following a news report on a sexual assault* he stated, "With rape so predominant in the news lately, it is well to remember the words of Confucius: If rape is inevitable, lie back and enjoy it".
The reaction: WABC-TV was inundated with more than 650 protest calls within 25 minutes of Antoine's comment airing. Station officials considered the comment a "flippant remark" and "an inexcusable lapse in judgment".
The outcome: Antoine was suspended indefinitely by WABC-TV, and station officials issued an apology to viewers for his "insensitive and offensive" remark. Following the incident, Antoine never returned to his on-air position.
*the rape victim was, if I remember correctly, 6 years old; Tex later claimed he hadn’t heard that part of the report, but it didn’t help him much.