07-04-25 - Uber Cancels Deliver For Woman Named Swastika - BO

Summary

Holmberg's Morning Sickness - Episode 07-04-25: "Uber Cancels Deliver For Woman Named Swastika - BO"

Release Date: July 4, 2025
Host: John Holmberg with Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, and Dick Toledo
Platform: 98KUPD | Hubbard Radio

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Introduction to the Episode

On the Independence Day episode of Arizona's #1 Morning Radio Show, "Holmberg's Morning Sickness," host John Holmberg and his co-hosts Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, and Dick Toledo delve into a controversial and timely news story that has sparked nationwide conversations. The episode, which aired on July 4, 2025, focuses on the incident involving a woman named Swastika Chandra who was banned from Uber's ride-share and food delivery services due to her name.

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Main News Story: Swastika Chandra vs. Uber

Patrick Riley introduces the story:

At the 02:01 mark, Patrick Riley reports, "A woman was banned from using Uber's ride share and food delivery service because they deemed her name offensive, despite being common in some countries."

Bret Vesely's Immediate Reaction:

Shortly after, Bret expresses disbelief, saying at 03:30, "The Nazis had a better agency working for them."

Discussion on Cultural Context and Branding:

Bret elaborates on the cultural implications, stating at 03:36, "Swastikas were a good thing in Sanskrit for thousands of years before Hitler. Well, that got wrecked... No more. If you have to bring the word Sanskrit into your argument, you're out. It's over."

He criticizes Uber's stance, emphasizing the shift in the swastika's perception post-World War II, asserting that its association with negative historical events overshadows its original meanings in some cultures. Bret continues to mock the decision, highlighting the absurdity of Uber's policy by comparing it to other derogatory terms and names.

Brooke's Interjection and Further Banter:

At 04:40, Brooke adds humorously, "Swastika Shanda got pulled over," leading to a series of jokes and sarcastic remarks about the situation. Bret sarcastically suggests name changes, "Swalla or something. Swa. No, swallow. You don't want her. Swalla. Swazi."

Critical Analysis of Uber's Policies:

Bret provides a critical analysis of Uber's policies, stating at 05:18, "They know they lost. Used to be means it's not anymore. Your battle has already been lost." He emphasizes that regardless of the cultural significance, the current association of the swastika as a symbol of hate makes Uber's decision justified in the contemporary context.

Conclusion on the Matter:

By 07:00, Bret concludes, "If your name's Swastika, you gotta change your name. That is not a hill to die on." He underscores the practical challenges individuals might face with such policies, suggesting that maintaining certain names can hinder everyday services and opportunities.

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Humorous Segment: Breaking Up Dog Fights

Transitioning from the serious discussion, the show shifts to a humorous segment about handling dog fights.

Bret's Satirical Advice:

At 10:44, Bret shares a bizarre tip: "Sticking your finger in a dog's butt when they're fighting works." He narrates a fictional scenario where this method supposedly helped resolve a dog fight, prompting laughter among the hosts.

Brooke and Bret's Banter:

Brooke responds skeptically, asking, "What are you thanking us for?" leading Bret to continue joking about unconventional methods to stop animal altercations. At 12:16, Bret quips, "Wouldn't that be worse if her last name started with an S? I'm Swastika. Chandra. Just call me SS. Big Harry Potter fan."

Exaggerated Scenarios:

The hosts exaggerate the effectiveness and absurdity of such techniques, highlighting the comedic attempts to diffuse tense situations in unconventional ways. Brett concludes with, "It's a beautiful relationship between man and beast. You got to be careful with them."

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Additional Content and Listener Interactions

Throughout the episode, Holmberg and his team maintain their signature humor and irreverent style, engaging in playful exchanges and mock-serious discussions. They balance serious topics with light-hearted banter, ensuring that listeners are entertained while being informed.

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Conclusion

In this episode of "Holmberg's Morning Sickness," the team successfully navigates a sensitive and controversial topic, blending critical analysis with their trademark humor. The discussion on Uber's policy towards individuals named Swastika Chandra highlights the complexities of cultural sensitivity in modern corporations. Meanwhile, the humorous segments provide listeners with laughs and showcase the hosts' chemistry and wit. For those who missed the live broadcast, this episode offers a comprehensive look at how the show tackles current events with both depth and levity.

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Notable Quotes

• Patrick Riley (02:01): "A woman was banned from using Uber's ride share and food delivery service because they deemed her name offensive, despite being common in some countries."

• Bret Vesely (03:30): "The Nazis had a better agency working for them."

• Bret Vesely (05:18): "They know they lost. Used to be means it's not anymore. Your battle has already been lost."

• Bret Vesely (07:00): "If your name's Swastika, you gotta change your name. That is not a hill to die on."

• Bret Vesely (10:44): "Sticking your finger in a dog's butt when they're fighting works."

• Bret Vesely (12:16): "Wouldn't that be worse if her last name started with an S? I'm Swastika. Chandra. Just call me SS. Big Harry Potter fan."

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For more engaging discussions and entertaining segments, tune in to "Holmberg's Morning Sickness" on 98KUPD weekdays from 5:30 AM to 10:00 AM or visit www.98kupd.com.

Transcript

[Patrick Riley]

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[Valley Chevy Dealer]

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[Homburg]

It's good to be on top, isn't it?

[Brett Vesley]

Yeah.

[Homburg]

So get on top and ride. With the top morning show in town and the best of Homburg's morning sickness. 98 Kupda.

[Brett Vesley]

Brett, start here and see if you can get through this. I'm not sure you can get through this letter here. Hang on a second. Let me get my news music. Don't read it. Don't pre read it. See if Brett can get through this. I think. I think this one's gonna be easier on you. I think you should be able to do this.

[Brooke]

I float right over it.

[Brett Vesley]

It's my news music. I used to have tons of it.

[Brooke]

Where'd it go?

[Brett Vesley]

Ah, come on. NBC news. Bed's missing. All right, here we go. Ready? All right. And now with the news, Mr. Brett Vesley.

[Brooke]

All right.

[Brett Vesley]

Good evening, everybody.

[Patrick Riley]

Here we go. A woman was banned from using Uber's ride share and food delivery service because they deemed her name offensive, despite being common in some countries. For mil.

[Brett Vesley]

What?

[Patrick Riley]

For millions of people around the world, the word swastika is with the. With the horrors of World War II.

[Brett Vesley]

Good news, Person. I am. I am.

[Patrick Riley]

But for swastika, Chandra, it's important.

[Brett Vesley]

All right. That's it. He's finally down. Yeah.

[Patrick Riley]

That's the longest one.

[Brett Vesley]

It was pretty good, though. It took a while to get to it. Her name is Swastika Chandra, and Uber won't deliver her food.

[Brooke]

It would have been wiped out if it opened up.

[Brett Vesley]

What do you mean?

[Brooke]

Swastika Shanda got pulled over.

[Brett Vesley]

Oh, no. Yeah. Oh, if he. If he said, somebody, Swastika Chandra has a beef with Uber, you'd have liter died laughing. Yeah, they built it like you. You had to build to it. Her name is Swastika Chandra, and she's fighting Uber because. And Uber caved. She's fighting Uber because they won't deliver her food because her name's on a list of, like, we're not playing around. If you're gonna write, you know, dirty words down as your name, we're not doing it. And she's like, no. Swastikas were a good thing in Sanskrit for thousands of years before Hitler. Well, that got wrecked. Sorry, can't have it. You guys did a poor job of marketing, and the. The Nazis did a great job of marketing. It now means something else. No more. If you have to bring the word Sanskrit into your argument, you're out. You're done. It's over. It's over.

[Patrick Riley]

The Nazis had a better agency working for them.

[Brett Vesley]

The better uniforms, the better color scheme. You guys going out and square? This used to be ours. Well, it's not anymore. The homo F word used to be a bundle of sticks. Not anymore. You can't even point to a bundle of sticks and say, hey, that's a good. Over there. I'm gonna bring those over and start a fire. What? Somehow or another, the Brits still get away with the cigarette.

[Brooke]

Those are too thick.

[Brett Vesley]

Yeah, Yeah. I don't like those. I like the skinny. The more aidsy wood, if you will. Anyway, yeah, Swastika Chandra can't have Uber Eats, so she's like. If she couldn't figure it out, she'd order Uber Eats, and they'd decline her order all the time. She's like, barking and barking and yelling about how her. Change your goddamn name, Swastika. Here's the thing. I'm sure in some language the N word pops up, but doesn't mean that. And maybe, like, your name and, like, I don't know, if you're from Indonesia or Micro. Micronesia or something, and your language and your name is the N word, and you come over to the United States and you try to hold on to that, you're not going to last Long. It's just not it. I mean, it's bad enough that Arnold has to walk around with what he's got going on in his last name, and I'm surprised that hasn't been, like an Uber Eats cancel.

[Brooke]

Don't think I ever laughed at that.

[Brett Vesley]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. I mean, when that first happened, the whole country looked at each other like, you guys heard it too, right? And they have the nerve to make Arnold go on TV and go, neighbor, neighbor. Like the guy even says his own name. It sounds offensive, but we let that one go. Cause, you know, we understood. But you can't stick to that if you're not famous. You can't go wandering into job interviews and your first name is Swastika. Like, I'm not hiring you. That's just a hassle for me. I don't want to hear your argument about how it used to be Sanskrit.

[Brooke]

Peace has to be constant.

[Brett Vesley]

You know how I know those people know they're wrong? Cause their argument has the words used to be in it. They know they lost. Used to be means it's not anymore.

[Brooke]

Yeah, but Swazi's really nice. I mean, just.

[Brett Vesley]

Just change her name to. You can't even keep the Z. Swalla or something. Swa. No, swallow. You don't want her. Swalla. Swazi. And look at her. You wouldn't want that anymore. No, I don't want the Swazi because that's too close. Swazi is. Why do they call you that? My real name's Swazia. Yeah, she's gonna still say it. Swan. Something, something, not Swastika. You can't hold onto that. And we can't feel for her. Your name's Swastika. You want Uber Eats, you gotta change your name to something else. That is not a hill to die on.

[Brooke]

You can just call me S.S. yeah, yeah.

[Brett Vesley]

Wouldn't that be worse if her last name started with an S? I'm Swastika. Chandra. Just call me SS Big Harry Potter fan. Yeah, I have a lightning bolt tattooed to my head. Oh, that's great. Swastika. Good move. In fact, I have one for each kid, so there's two right next to each other. Okay, you're a genius. So she grew up in Fiji, and she says it's not a controversial name. And where I'm from, well, you're not there anymore. You left Fiji and now you're eating Uber Eats, and you got to change your name. Sorry. Yeah, they. She's in Australia. To be proud of my name. It's not a United States. But yeah, don't be proud of your name. No, stop it. Just don't be proud of your name anymore. You can't do it. And there's, you know, I get it, Buddhists and Sanskrit people who are trying to keep that alive want to argue with you. You're automatically out. UberEats has a policy that no one named Swastika can order food. You're the only one, by the way. So change your name. My parents gave me this name and I'm proud of it. She kept saying that in the article. I'm proud of my name. Why?

[Brooke]

Because I.

[Brett Vesley]

Because it gets you attention. You're an attention whore. That's what you're proud of.

[Brooke]

Meanwhile, get the order out to Shafid right away.

[Brett Vesley]

She said she got a pop up on one of the Uber things on the payment stage that said your first name is in violation. You need to change your name on the app. How hard is it to just change your name on the Uber Eats app and just go on living your life as. Except for when you order UberEats. So UberEats doesn't want to hear the word swastika. That's their right. They need to change. She's like, I think a bit of education is needed. I'm very proud of my name. I believe in the good that comes with it and I'm not changing it for anybody. Well, you need some education on the way people feel about swastikas. Here's when you lose me the word ancient and the phrase used to be, if you're throwing the word ancient in to defend something horrible, you've lost already. It's over. Your battle has already been lost. I mean, they imagine the Jews of Australia wander around meeting people with swastikas all over that. It's, it's triggering. It's the old Bill Hicks joke. You wouldn't go into the Kennedy compound wearing a rifle pendant. You just know better. I love the guns. Love the guns. Thinking of JFK right here. And it's confusing because, you know, his argument there was Jesus had the cross. Do you think he wants to come back and see one of those ever again? But yet you guys wear them around like crazy. You don't wander into the Kennedys house with a character K thinking to your man, I wear it around my neck every day. It's not a good idea, technically. The wrong cross. Yeah, it's not even the right thing. But even still, the representation, once he finds out what stands out, what do you guys celebrate down here? Yeah, it's where you got hung up. We're pretty happy with that. Swastika over here has another argument. If your name's Swastika or the N words in it or you know, there's all sorts of them, you can't just change your name. You shouldn't be that proud of your name. Knock it off.

[Valley Chevy Dealer]

This Fourth of July celebrate family fun and the freedom to save with your Valley Chevy dealers. It all starts with spectacular offers available now at the Valley Chevy July 4th event. You'll have the freedom to choose from an extensive lineup ready for all adventures ahead, including popular models like the legendary Silverado with four powerful engine choices. The Road Trip ready Equinox blending first class comfort with intuitive tech. And the feature packed Chevy Trax with undeniable value. No matter how you celebrate the 4th of July, it's always better in a Chevy. But don't miss out. Visit a Valley Chevy dealer near you today.

[Homburg]

The best of the morning sickness is on the air. 98 KUPD.

[Brett Vesley]

Do any of you people do any actual work?

[Homburg]

The best of Homburg's morning sickness.

[Patrick Riley]

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[Brett Vesley]

So many. And then I got a new. You just. You sent me one. This is an interesting way to wake up.

[Brooke]

Yeah, that's what I thought when I opened it.

[Brett Vesley]

This message is for Homburg. I just want to say sticking your finger in a dog's butt when they're fighting works. My dog Ranger just got attacked and I couldn't move. The lady stuck her finger up her dog's wazoo and he submitted immediately and I was able to save my boy. Thank you for that. That dog was locked on my dog. Brooke. Did we ever give that information? What's she thanking us for? I don't know.

[Patrick Riley]

I. You must have said something.

[Brett Vesley]

Maybe it was in a Brady report or something. And I've always heard, grab their back legs and tilt them up. I never even dreamt of giving them a oil check. That's just. I mean, accidentally. Maybe you find that out by when you're trying to break them up. Former Employee of Hubbard Broadcasting and KSLX midday host Paul Marshall just got his dogs got into a fight and he got into. He got hit hard bit in the arm and leg and I'm like badly. His. He had to go to the hospital. Like 36 stitches in his leg and a whole. His arm looked like it was leaking. I don't know what that stuff was. He was just gooing out like fat. I'm not sure what it was. Body fat. But yeah. He said he tried to get him apart and he couldn't do it.

[Brooke]

Yeah.

[Brett Vesley]

Now we know finger in the butt. I would assume finger in the butt breaks up every species fight. Maybe not the gays back in the.

[Brooke]

Day was heaty got into a scrap.

[Brett Vesley]

It was.

[Brooke]

Fortunately it worked when I had the base of her tail.

[Brett Vesley]

Yeah.

[Brooke]

Because I. I had heard that's what they did on the.

[Brett Vesley]

You're awfully close.

[Brooke]

Yeah.

[Brett Vesley]

Give it the old. Yeah. I think the only. The only people going at it.

[Brooke]

It's hard. I mean that's. You're like.

[Brett Vesley]

Oh, you're just in a panic, you.

[Brooke]

Know, trying to end the Death Star.

[Brett Vesley]

Yeah.

[Brooke]

Stay on target.

[Brett Vesley]

If you're. Yeah. If you're trying to hit that 2 meter hole, you're shooting womp rats in your ass. It's not good.

[Patrick Riley]

Well it had to be us. Who else would. Who else would give that kind of information? Well maybe KDKB, but that's.

[Brett Vesley]

KDKB's talking about fingers and butts all the time.

[Brooke]

Time.

[Brett Vesley]

But in fairness to us saying that it ends something. KDKB's finger in the butt. It's a beginning. It's the start of a. Of a beautiful relationship between man and beast. You got to be careful with them. That's why I think that's why they do that. They're always drinking around the animal in case there's a fire starting. Something poke fingers and butts. Yeah. I'm pretty sure that breaks up a fight with me too. If I'm in fact that learn that in tactical black. I think if you throw a finger in something that's getting out of hand definitely changes what's going on. So thanks for that, Brooke. I don't remember giving that advice, but.

[Brooke]

Did broomhead text in broomhead Mike? Why saying what you gotta do is.

[Brett Vesley]

Put the finger in the mouth. I don't think.

[Brooke]

Why wouldn't I text him during the discussion on Friday? I don't know.

[Brett Vesley]

We didn't talk about this on Friday. We talked about terminal illness. Brooke just shot this one out of Nowhere.

[Brooke]

I don't.

[Brett Vesley]

This came out of the clear blue sky, so I don't have any clue what Brook's talking about. My gay neighbors have moved back into their house. I'll ask them if that would break up a fight or start a whole new party.

[Brooke]

Works with them, I think.

[Brett Vesley]

If they're in a scrap and they feel a finger in their butt, that's just a new participant.

[Brooke]

It stops the fighting.

[Brett Vesley]

It would look like they're fighting. It would look as if. Oh, they're in a horrible, horrible scrum. These two gentlemen, we have to break this up. And I've read that if you put a finger in their bottom, I think that's just gonna start a train. I think you're pretty much just gonna. It's gonna look like the end of Soul Train.

[Patrick Riley]

I would start a train.

[Brett Vesley]

A lot of dancing.

[Brooke]

I think it could just be work in general. If he catch a couple of guys fighting, whoever finger in the butt will separate them.

[Brett Vesley]

Well, that's what I just said. Brady, are you all right?

[Brooke]

Talking about.

[Brett Vesley]

I'm talking about everybody but the gay. No, no. Any animal on the planet at all. I don't know. What a weird way. What a weird email.

[Homburg]

To start today, Arizona's most powerful, powerful rock radio station.