Obviously, we don't ALL "get it", since people all over the country, and even on this BBS, are still quick to defend those who stereotype Muslims and depict them as evil villains. Where the prejudice comes from is almost completely inconsequential. The point is that he's wrong for harboring it. It's been almost a decade. The flames keep getting fanned (specifically, by the very Faux News cronies to whom he was sucking-up, who b!tch and moan about "mosques at ground zero") by people looking to CONTINUE marginalizing the Muslim community. It's not okay. It's not defensible. It's reprehensible. Whatever he said after that quote, he himself has admitted his prejudice and mitrust towards the Muslim community. Comments like his shouldn't be expected to be tolerated.
Seems to me that NPR is afraid of pissing off their left leaning supporters and that's why this guy got canned. Really a shame as he wasn't expressing opinions that violated journalistic integrity but rather addressing an issue that really needs to be discussed in this country which is about fear and prejudice. Again, it's why PC is so dangerous as a tool to attack people for comments. Because when you focus on the words instead of the context what we are doing isn't fighting racism but instead covering it up with a bad layer of make-up that anyone can still see through.
I think an apology should be enough. The president of CAIRN a Muslim group that complained was on TV saying he should not have been fired. Conservatives are just pissed NPR is not Fox. As a liberal I largely stopped listening when they more or less caved and cheerled for the Iraq War like the rest of the mainstream media.
their lefty supporters were the ones clamoring for this firing (TP, MoveOn, Kos) because they were pissed JW also appears on Fox. Oddly, no one at fox, or on the right, cares that JW also appeared on NPR. so, i ask you, who are the intolerant ones?
Actually, yes, they should be tolerated. Juan Williams was making a point about fear and irrationality in regards to Muslims. Costing him his job because he's affected, naturally, by paranoia regarding Muslim extremism, is more intolerant than Williams' comments were in the first place. Was Williams trying to fan the flames of hatred? Incite violence? No. I wouldn't tolerate that.
Juan Williams' real crime: Hack punditry Forget his remark about Muslims: His political commentary is somewhere between mediocre and awful BY STEVE KORNACKI But even if the rationale is flawed, it's hard to get too upset, because as political commentators go, he's just not very good. http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/10/21/juan_william_punditry
They shouldn't be, my dispensation is intended to accomodate their genuine anxiety about Muslims stemming from their own negative experiences with some. If they're consciously banking on my excusing their bigotry, then they know it's wrong and shouldn't be doing it.
Disappointing move. But, I'm not going to make it my business to review their personnel decisions. They should be able to fire people occasionally without everyone being up in their business.
Where were you when Bill Maher got canned because he said "we're the real cowards, not them"??? Huh? Indeed, who is the intolerant ones?
But he offended conservatives with his comments. Point I am making is that the curse of PC is across the political spectrum. Conservatives always cry that it's the left that uses PC against them, but the fact is they use it just as much in their own way. Bill Maher is a prime example. Ari Fleschier - the white house press sec under Bush, hit him hard for his comments. How hypocritical is it for a conservative to say, "they're reminders to all Americans that they need to watch what they say, watch what they do." That's not just PC, that's Orwellian.
"Common sense becomes racism when skin color becomes the formula for figuring out who"s a danger to me." -Juan Williams, 1986.
Cool link. Check these out. Her is a Muslim wearing a sweater. Spoiler Here is a Muslim wearing a Sleeveless shirt. Spoiler Here is a Muslim wearing a scarf. Spoiler Here is a Muslim wearing glasses. Spoiler
I do think they were somewhat ignorant statements, but I don't see them as something to get fired for. that said I also don't think Rick Sanchez should have been fired either. Both these guys made general statements about muslims and jews and get fired except the guy who said it about the muslims got a better paying job with fox to protect his freedom of speech
