“ … NPR has every right to fire an employee whose public statements diminish NPR’s own reputation as a reliable source of news and level-headed analysis. Obviously, a news organization is under no obligation to employ a commentator who airs his own religious bias on national television.posted by ericb at 7:47 AM on October 21, 2010 [3 favorites]
At the same time, NPR’s decision advances the idea that there shouldn’t be a double standard. If media figures such as Rick Sanchez and Helen Thomas are fired for insensitive remarks about non-Muslims, then the standard seems fair to apply when similar comments are said about Muslims. (Also, CNN fired Octavia Nasr for comments about a popular Muslim Lebanese leader which were deemed impolitic.)
‘[I]t’s not surprising,’ writes Michael Tomasky, ‘that after all these years of going on [Fox News'] air and drinking their green-room coffee, Williams should choose to ingratiate himself to O’Reilly and his viewers with that Foxy rhetoric. In a sense Williams got what was coming to him. Sleep with dogs, get fleas.’ Yet, it appears that other media figures seem to be missing the point. ‘Watch how many people who cheered when Octavia-Nasr/Helen-Thomas/Rick-Sanchez were fired scream CENSORSHIP!! all day over Juan Williams,’ Salon’s Glenn Greenwald tweeted this morning. And as if on queue, the entire Morning Joe crew on MSNBC expressed indignation at Williams’ firing this morning:JOE SCARBOROUGH: This is disgraceful. NPR needs to hire Juan Williams back.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Something is wrong with what we do if we get fired for having a peaceful voice.
PAT BUCHANAN: That is preposterous! … It is not irrational to be nervous after 9/11 if you see some conspicuous Muslim fellas get in the first class section of a plane as I have!”*
The only difference between Juan Williams and the people who fired him is this: Williams is honest enough to admit his own damage. And importantly, what the research on this subject tells us is that it is precisely those persons who are able to see and acknowledge their biases who are the most likely to challenge themselves, and try valiantly not to act on them. In other words, it is the Juan Williams’s of the world whose self-awareness in this regard will minimize the likelihood of discriminatory behavior. Meanwhile, it’s the liberals who deny to their dying breath that they have a “racist bone in their bodies,” or who swear they “never see color,” or insist that they are open-minded, forward thinking and free of prejudice, who are often unable to see how their internalized biases effect them, and move them around the chessboard of life without them even realizing it. Frankly, those are the ones from whom racial and religious “others” probably need the most protection.posted by l33tpolicywonk at 11:32 AM on October 21, 2010 [4 favorites]
You cannot ignore what happened on 9/11 and you cannot ignore the connection to Islamic radicalism and you can't ignore the fact that what has been recently said in court with regard to this is the first drop of blood in a Muslim war on America.posted by l33tpolicywonk at 1:39 PM on October 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
Muslims are the new JewsConsider that the surest way for a public figure to suffer near-universal disdain is to say something vaguely anti-semitic or even merely anti-Zionist, whereas the penalty Williams has suffered is nearly unique, and it seems he has a point.No, the problem is that Muslims emphatically aren't treated like Jews.
If they were protected and celebrated to the extent Jews are, there wouldn't be a problem in USA.
If they were given the same rabid level of political support and military aid as the Israeli regime is, there wouldn't be a problem in the Middle East, either.
No, the problem is that Muslims emphatically aren't treated like Jews.An accusation of anti-semitism, eagerly seconded by (so far) five others. What could motivate this accusation? Well, there is the opinion, held by a certain faction, that anti-semitism is actually universal, and that denying that this is a fact is a prime example of anti-semitism. That same faction also likes to find anti-semitism in anti-Zionism. Now, item b is awfully short, but it packs a lot of possibilities into its brevity, and so I asked for clarification, with an explanation of why I wanted it.
If they were protected and celebrated to the extent Jews are, there wouldn't be a problem in USA.Really, you are trotting out the hoariest of anti-semitic slurs in a thread about racism?
Juan, what you just described is the working definition of bigotry.posted by ericb at 8:06 AM on October 22, 2010 [2 favorites]
What if someone said that they saw a black man walking down the street in classic thug get-up. Would a white person be a bigot if he assumed he was going to mug him? What percentage of traditionally garbed Muslims - I assume wearing a covered veil or some other indicator and being of darker skin - have committed acts of terror? And, of course, the 9/11 mass-murderers were in everyday attire, to blend in. So was the Christmas Day undie-bomber. The Fort Hood murderer was in US military uniform, for Pete's sake.
The literal defense of anti-Muslim bigotry on Fox is becoming endemic. It's disgusting.
Ellen Weiss, my boss at NPR ... took the admission of my visceral fear of people dressed in Muslim garb at the airport as evidence that I am a bigot. She said there are people who wear Muslim garb to work at NPR and they are offended by my comments. She never suggested that I had discriminated against anyone.And we're sure you didn't Juan, but that doesn't mean that you aren't a bigot.
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) said Thursday that he is introducing legislation to defund NPR in the upper chamber and Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) is renewing a push for his bill that he introduced in June to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which oversees NPR.Cantor: Republican Leadership Will Consider Defunding NPR
House Republican Leader John Boehner (Ohio), who could be House Speaker next year if his party takes control of the House, said that "it's reasonable" to examine federal subsidies for NPR, which he called a "left-wing radio network."
"Whether it's people walking off The View when Bill O'Reilly makes a statement about radical Islam or Juan Williams being fired for expressing his opinion, over-reaching political correctness is chipping away at the fundamental American freedoms of speech and expression. NPR's decision to fire Juan Williams not only undermines that, it shows an ignorance of the fact that radical Islam and the terrorists who murder in its name scare people of all faiths, religions, and beliefs. In light of their rash decision, we will include termination of federal funding for NPR as an option in the YouCut program so that Americans can let it be known whether they want their dollars going to that organization."Juan Williams Firing Leads Palin, Huckabee to Call for Defunding NPR
Republicans Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee are calling for NPR to be stripped of public funding in response to the termination of contributor Juan Williams, who was fired from the radio station on Wednesday in response to remarks he made about Muslims on Fox News earlier this week.Juan Williams calls for defunding ‘elitist’ NPR
"At a time when our country is dangerously in debt and looking for areas of federal spending to cut, I think we've found a good candidate for defunding. National Public Radio is a public institution that directly or indirectly exists because the taxpayers fund it," Sarah Palin wrote in a post on her Facebook wall on Thursday. "And what do we, the taxpayers, get for this? We get to witness Juan Williams being fired from NPR for merely speaking frankly about the very real threat this country faces from radical Islam."
"If they want to compete in the marketplace, they should compete in the marketplace. They don’t need public funds. I think they should go out there, if they think the product is so great, go out and sell the product. And what happens is, too often, then, they want to make it out like, “You know what? We are a public jewel and we need the protection of the federal government. We need federal funds that come through the member stations and they pay for this product.” Nonsense. They are on a federal dole, is what it is And they better admit it and step up if they want to compete."Considering NPR is in the middle of their fall fundraising drive, now would be an excellent time to donate some cash and show your support for one of the last bastions of high-quality, educational, and objective programming in the United States.
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posted by DrSawtooth at 10:33 PM on October 20, 2010 [35 favorites]