Juan Williams - Way to go, NPR

[IBCoupe]

I'll answer that: He's not done anything to draw my ire (relevant to my position on this matter).

It could be better explained by generalizing: The person for whom being Jewish / Muslim / handicapped / Black / gay / cancer survivor / attorney / Sikh / transvestite / etc. becomes WHO they ARE.

You know exactly what I'm getting at. I don't think you're intentionally trying to be difficult, but that guy sitting next to me reading the NYP wouldn't bother me in the least. Were we to strike up a conversation, I'd be more interested in his personality - not what God he follows, because I don't give a damn.

I'm not intentionally trying to be difficult. I don't think that's the type of person that Juan Williams was referring to - or at least not exclusively so. I don't see many people proselytizing on airplanes.

[IBCoupe]

Taking away a man's livelihood as a consequence for speaking his piece (c 2010) is no different than raiding his home and burning his crops (c 1771).

He just signed a $2 million contract with Fox. Spare me. That you have a right to speak your piece does not mean someone else is required to give you a microphone. He's got two hands, he can flip burgers, for all I care.

They've lost all respect from me and I've deleted NPR from my presets on my daily.

NPR is no different than before this, dude. If it was a worthwhile source of information before, it remains one now. NPR hasn't changed its regulations for what can be said on its airwaves, and I don't know the last time I heard Juan Williams on the air anyways.

[AZhitman]

Mr. Hendler says it much more eloquently than I could:

To pretend that it's a simple matter of expressing opinion, any opinion, is to descend into incoherence and hypocrisy, as some the news outlets have sadly done in the wake of the departures. In the Williams case, take NPR head Vivian Schiller's ludicrous insistence that he had to be fired because "he expressed views ... plain and simple."

He was a "news analyst," so expressing opinions was literally Williams' job, and the many opinions he expressed on NPR's own programs, in his books and in his Fox appearances had not routed him from the network.

The problem has been that Williams and others expressed unpopular or controversial opinions.

I'm calling for Schilling's termination for her offensive comments demeaning people who seek psychiatric care.

[96Qowner]

One inescapable conclusion to be drawn from this example is that NPR is intolerant and Fox isn't. Fox contributors are allowed to express liberal opinion on FOX. Apparently, NPR contributors are not allowed to express conservative opinions on NPR or anywhere else. NPR people have said that they spoke to Juan repeatedly about his appearances on FOX. This wasn't the first time NPR chastised him.

I've been wondering for quite awhile if liberals aren't simply projecting. They seem to see everything in racist, bigoted terms. Whenever anyone refers to "Muslims", liberals hear "all Muslims". If someone criticizes a man whose father was a Kenyan, it's simply because of his race.

It's startling to see this reaction. It's so intolerant and ignorant - ugly, really.

[n00b240]

I don't know the last time I heard Juan Williams on the air anyways.

That right there. Williams was out the outro anyway. As for his comment, kind of a silly comment to make as those who perpetrated 9/11 werent wearing any "muslim garb" Its just a typical "afraid of the unknown." Marginalizing a group of moderate people practicing their religion as something to be afraid of is nuts. Having said that, is it wrong of me to say that, I get uneasy around police officers? Ive had their weapons pointed at me, and I'm downright afraid to run into a police officer for fear of gettin shot at.

Is my fear justified, sure it is, so is Williams fear. Is there any basis for our fears, probably not. And that is a real discourse. Which should be opened up for a bit more conversation. What exactly is it about a Muslim Garb that makes people afraid?

Ive known people to tell me that they were afraid of me when they met my negro self, and then got to know me and found out I wasnt all that scary. Aside from a tongue in cheek moment. At least there was a discourse as to why one might be afraid, and then talked to me to get such fears allayed. This is where we need to be headed

On a side note, Moderate Muslims be crying foul all the damn time. Glad to see someone else calling a foul

[AZhitman]

I've been wondering for quite awhile if liberals aren't simply projecting.

If I criticize the behavior in you that I loathe in myself, I can sleep better. Simple psych101.

Kinda like buying a brand-new Prius: It's horrible for the environment, doesn't create jobs in America, and increases one's "carbon footprint" immensely. Yet they'll look down their nose at you and act haughty, as if they're actually DOING something to "save the environment". a$$.

[AZhitman]

I don't know the last time I heard Juan Williams on the air anyways.

That right there. Williams was out the outro anyway. As for his comment, kind of a silly comment to make as those who perpetrated 9/11 werent wearing any "muslim garb" Its just a typical "afraid of the unknown." Marginalizing a group of moderate people practicing their religion as something to be afraid of is nuts. Having said that, is it wrong of me to say that, I get uneasy around police officers? Ive had their weapons pointed at me, and I'm downright afraid to run into a police officer for fear of gettin shot at.

Is my fear justified, sure it is, so is Williams fear. Is there any basis for our fears, probably not. And that is a real discourse. Which should be opened up for a bit more conversation. What exactly is it about a Muslim Garb that makes people afraid?

Ive known people to tell me that they were afraid of me when they met my negro self, and then got to know me and found out I wasnt all that scary. Aside from a tongue in cheek moment. At least there was a discourse as to why one might be afraid, and then talked to me to get such fears allayed. This is where we need to be headed

On a side note, Moderate Muslims be crying foul all the damn time. Glad to see someone else calling a foul

I love your posts.

[96Qowner]

Ironic that no one has yet accused NPR of racism, no?

After all, Juan is black. Liberals would have howled "racism!" if a black commentator had been fired by FOX for contributing to NPR. Am I lyin'?

[AZhitman]

...but he has a Latino name! I'm wondering if he's even citizen. Let's see his birth certificate.

In all seriousness, I wouldn't accuse them of racism, as that would dilute my argument.

My issue is with the hypocrisy of their actions, as well as the insensitive and hateful backhanded comments from their very own CEO, implying that he has a mental illness JUST because she doesn't like what he said.

[AppleBonker]

Apparently, NPR contributors are not allowed to express conservative opinions on NPR or anywhere else

Being afraid of Muslims is a conservative viewpoint? Personally I don't really see this specific instance as liberal/conservative. And actually, I don't think Greg's comment agreeing that he voiced an unpopular opinion is accurate either. His opinion is certainly popular, as I would guess the majority of the US population is afraid to get on a plane with Muslims (whether they express that or not is another thing). He did, however, voice a polarizing opinion.

For the record, still not in agreement with the firing.

[AZhitman]

I don't think Greg's comment agreeing that he voiced an unpopular opinion is accurate either.

Unpopular with the lefties that run NPR. Not the general populace.

The gen pop doesn't have an issue with Muslims, collectively. We've seen that.

The gen pop is MUCH more tolerant and accepting than, say, liberal-biased radio network CEOs.

[audtatious]

Juan's comment should have been embraced as an issue that should be looked into for a resolution than simply discarded with his firing.

[96Qowner]

Apparently, NPR contributors are not allowed to express conservative opinions on NPR or anywhere else

Being afraid of Muslims is a conservative viewpoint?

Not that I know of.

NPR people have said that they spoke to Juan repeatedly about his appearances on FOX. This wasn't the first time NPR chastised him.

They've said that's why he was fired summarily. He'd been warned about his Fox appearances and statements before. Saying he was afraid of Muslims in full "garb" on airplanes was just the last straw. Tsk, that's just not allowed in the tolerant liberal NPR world.

It's kinda like saying you were afraid of a black man in a New Black Panthers "uniform" tapping his thigh with a nightstick at a polling place. Tsk, that's ridiculous ... racist even.

[AppleBonker]

Unpopular with the lefties that run NPR

Sorry I misunderstood. I can completely agree with the above statement.

The gen pop doesn't have an issue with Muslims, collectively. We've seen that

I feel I've seen quite the opposite, really. But that's nearly impossible to prove/disprove, so I'll happily admit it's just my opinion. But I do think the general population has some negative perception of people who practice Islam.

[AZhitman]

It's ok. The truth is probably somewhere in-between, and truthfully, who knows what people REALLY think?

I like to think that people are, as a whole, much less "suspicious" than you'd think.

[IBCoupe]

To pretend that it's a simple matter of expressing opinion, any opinion, is to descend into incoherence and hypocrisy, as some the news outlets have sadly done in the wake of the departures. In the Williams case, take NPR head Vivian Schiller's ludicrous insistence that he had to be fired because "he expressed views ... plain and simple."

He was a "news analyst," so expressing opinions was literally Williams' job, and the many opinions he expressed on NPR's own programs, in his books and in his Fox appearances had not routed him from the network.

The problem has been that Williams and others expressed unpopular or controversial opinions.

Expressing opinions about internalized, demonstrably irrational fears about a sizeable subset of the American population, Mr. Hendler, was not Juan Williams' job as a political analyst.

And it's not a simple matter of expressing opinion. The manner and substance of his opinion contributed to the building realization within NPR that Juan Williams was no longer the trustworthy source of the kind of political analysis he was turned to on NPR, which is markedly different than the kind of commentary he presents on FoxNews. The more a personality strays from what he's needed to be at one source, the less he's needed by that source. The more Juan Williams fit the mold of a FoxNews commentator, the less he fit the mold of an NPR analyst.

While Mr. Hendler asserts that his job was to express (apparently any) opinion as a "news analyst," this is wildly inconsistent with both the word "analyst" and the modifier "news" (or, more accurately, "political"). He was not asked to tell NPR listeners what type of bread he prefers his sandwiches on. He was not asked to tell NPR listeners who his favorite baseball team is. It certainly can't be that his contract with NPR allowed him to express any opinion as an "analyst." He wasn't a film critic. He wasn't a commentator. He was asked to look objectively at the world from a fact-based perspective and describe events on that basis. And not just any fact-based perspective: he was asked to look at the political world objectively and describe political events on that basis. He wasn't asked to analyze the probability that the Patriots will win the Superbowl. He wasn't asked to analyze the probability that al-Qaeda will return to Iraq. He wasn't asked to analyze his personal tastes in necktie color and pattern. And he most certainly was not asked to give an opinion which casts into doubt his ability to, for example, objectively analyze Sarah Palin's twitter feed regarding the ramblings of a random Floridian preacher with a container of gasoline and a pile of Korans.

While NPR would certainly be able to find justification in letting Juan stay on and giving him one more chance, they are most certainly not unjustified in choosing not to.

[IBCoupe]

One inescapable conclusion to be drawn from this example is that NPR is intolerant and Fox isn't. Fox contributors are allowed to express liberal opinion on FOX. Apparently, NPR contributors are not allowed to express conservative opinions on NPR or anywhere else. NPR people have said that they spoke to Juan repeatedly about his appearances on FOX. This wasn't the first time NPR chastised him.

You don't listen to NPR, do you? Conservative opinions are welcome there, but not by people who are supposed to be objective analysts. That's what guests & experts are for. The regular personalities are not foils for Bill O'Reilley or Rush Limbaugh; it's an entirely different format, where the hosts, by and large, do not inject their own opinions into the mix.

I've been wondering for quite awhile if liberals aren't simply projecting. They seem to see everything in racist, bigoted terms. Whenever anyone refers to "Muslims", liberals hear "all Muslims". If someone criticizes a man whose father was a Kenyan, it's simply because of his race.

Are you being sarcastic?

[AppleBonker]

It's ok. The truth is probably somewhere in-between, and truthfully, who knows what people REALLY think?

I like to think that people are, as a whole, much less "suspicious" than you'd think.

That is exactly the problem. I know a lot of people that don't broadcast openly their distaste for certain groups (it is generally frowned upon). I don't tend to have a problem with anyone, but again that could just be me. I despise stupidity, but that isn't exclusive to any group in society. It seems to be pretty commonplace. However, I do tend to believe that the majority of US citizens are suspicious of one group or another.

[heliochrome85]

i still dont understand where juan williams is this huge saint, and NPR is the big bad devil. Last i checked if any of you guys in your capacity as working adults represnting your employers, did the same, and went on tv and said something to the effect of "the coloreds scare me." im fairly certain youd meet your pink slip a bit sooner than expected. Why is it ok for that to happen to you, but when he goes on TV and does basically the same thing, its the biggest freaking deal? NPR has STANDARDS. i know in the age of Fox, MSNBC, CNN, that such a word is novel and rare, but thats reality. If the GOP want to make this NPR defunding the mainstay of their campaign, it just goes to show how much the GOP trusts its members. Rather than campaign on ideas and plans, they campaign on smear tactics and feigned outrage.

The difference between NPR and Fox is that NPR fires staff when they make horribly inappropriate comments. Fox just pays them more. But what would i know, i just killed americans on 9/11.

[96Qowner]

But what would i know, i just killed americans on 9/11.

On second thought, that isn't even tiny bit funny, and I'm wondering who would think it is. 9-11 wasn't/isn't a joke. What do murderous, inoocents-killing Muslims have to do with you?

[heliochrome85]

it isnt a joke. you think im laughing? Im just making a point. one that is apparently lost on you.

[IBCoupe]

What do murderous, inoocents-killing Muslims have to do with you?

Exactly the point of all the outrage over this gem:

Muslims killed us on 9/11.

[AZhitman]

i still dont understand where juan williams is this huge saint, and NPR is the big bad devil.

Didn't say that. JW said something stupid (I think I mentioned this before).

Last i checked if any of you guys in your capacity as working adults represnting your employers, did the same...

Last I checked, he wasn't "representing" NPR, any more than he would be if he was at the grocery store and went through the express checkout with 12 items.

But what would i know, i just killed americans on 9/11.

You look really short when you stoop. Knock it off.

[AZhitman]

Actually, I think you're the one missing it.

You got what you wanted:

What do murderous, inoocents-killing Muslims have to do with you?

...and now you're being an a** about it:

Im just making a point. one that is apparently lost on you.

It's not even Halloween, and you're already trying on your martyr costume.

It looks ridiculous.

[AppleBonker]

Last I checked, he wasn't "representing" NPR, any more than he would be if he was at the grocery store and went through the express checkout with 12 items.

But aren't you always representing your employer? At least a little bit? I'm fairly certain that I would be fired for an incident outside of work if my employer was displeased enough by it. My job is in no way public (as in it isn't very visible to most people), but if I were to be caught doing something racist or similar I wouldn't be shocked to be fired.

[heliochrome85]

im not trying to be a martyr. i just am trying to point out the disparity between the outrage over what JW said, and his firing, and the even more inflammatory, even more insulting things that Bill O'reilly said. Bill was not reprimanded. in fact, he was supported by his network later on in the week. Where was the Right's indignation over his statements. Oh yea, they sat silent. So much for Anti-Muslim not being a conservative talking point.

[AZhitman]

Last I checked, he wasn't "representing" NPR, any more than he would be if he was at the grocery store and went through the express checkout with 12 items.

But aren't you always representing your employer? At least a little bit?

...but if I were to be caught doing something racist or similar I wouldn't be shocked to be fired.

Sure.

I'll make sure to keep all these in mind when someone DESERVES to be s***canned and isn't... or is defended by you guys.

Fact is, people say things that their employer may not agree with.

If you're categorizing what JW said as "racist", then you're one sensitive sistah.

[AZhitman]

im not trying to be a martyr. i just am trying to point out the disparity between the outrage over what JW said, and his firing, and the even more inflammatory, even more insulting things that Bill O'reilly said. Bill was not reprimanded. in fact, he was supported by his network later on in the week. Where was the Right's indignation over his statements. Oh yea, they sat silent. So much for Anti-Muslim not being a conservative talking point.

Well, why weren't Whoopi and Joy fired?

Talk about unprofessional.

Then again, Whoopi gets away with saying asinine things every time she opens that hideous flip-top noggin of hers.

Why are you looking for "indignation"? What ever happened to personal freedoms and individual expression?

[IBCoupe]

Because their employer didn't deem it necessary. I don't know what Whoopi and Joy's contractual code of ethics is, do you? Juan was in violation of his, was Whoopi in violation of hers?

[heliochrome85]

JW WASNT WRONG.

IM THE SAME WAY


the point is that as part of a highly public job you sign a contract that prohibits you from tarnishing your employer's credibility. HE BROKE THE CONTRACT. cmon greg, im starting to think you are just being obstinate. I KNOW you are smarter than this.