juan williams firing - fucked up or not?

[ivan]

He made a prejudiced statement about all those that wear arabic garb.

no, he confessed that he has an instinctive reaction that such garb makes him nervous, and then later in the show, that such instincts shouldn't be used to harm muslims, who, he said, are actually good people.

 

if i'm walking through harlem at night and a giant black dude steps out in front of me, i'd be nervous - but that doesn't mean i'm racist, or that it'd be wrong to tell someone what my initial reaction was

[prole]

"Harlem at night" is not an airplane.

[j_b]

because riding an airplane is like walking in seedy (or supposedly seedy) neighborhoods at night?

[ivan]

fox is fawked for sure, but there was nothign wrong w/ what williams said

 

Really? How 'bout this one: "When black people stand behind me at the grocery store, I get nervous. Because the crime rate among the black population is higher."? Same deal.

 

so, again, what's more important - what we think, or what we do?

 

we're essentially born w/ emotions that are intolerant - we must learn to act tolerant towards The Others

 

if he continued as you say above:"When black people stand behind me at the grocery store, I get nervous. But then I take a deep breath, remind myself everythign is fine and that most folks (black or not) are peaceful and law-abiding, and smile at them and say "howdy"" - would that be so horrible?

[Crux]

 

CNN: NPR right to fire Juan Williams

 

"STORY HIGHLIGHTS:

* Arsalan Iftikhar: NPR justly fired Juan Williams after derogatory comments about Muslims

* He says NPR said remarks last straw after years of Williams stating personal views

* He says Williams crossed line in comments about "Muslim garb" while recalling 9/11 attacks

* Iftikhar: Constitution protects bigoted speech, but NPR doesn't have to provide platform"

 

Excerpt:

Williams kept referring back to the September 11 attacks in describing his uneasiness about people in "Muslim garb."

 

Sadly, this is where he should lose any objective argument with any reasonable observer out there.

 

As a historical fact, neither the 19 hijackers from September 11 nor the failed "shoe bomber" nor the failed "underwear bomber" ever wore any "Muslim garb" when committing their criminal acts of terrorism on an airplane.

 

Once Williams made that factually wrong statement, he then no longer continued being a "news analyst"; he had crossed over the line into simply voicing his paranoid and irrational fears to the general public.

 

"Juan Williams is a news analyst; he is not a commentator and he is not a columnist," Schiller told an Atlanta Press Club luncheon Thursday. "We have relied on him over the years to give us perspective on the news, not to talk about his opinions."

 

She added, "NPR news analysts have a distinctive role and set of responsibilities. This is a very different role than that of a commentator or columnist. News analysts may not take personal public positions on controversial issues; doing so undermines their credibility as analysts, and that's what's happened in this situation. As you all well know, we offer views of all kinds on our air every day, but those views are expressed by those we interview -- not our reporters and analysts."

Edited October 22, 2010 by Crux

[ivan]

because riding an airplane is like walking in seedy (or supposedly seedy) neighborhoods at night?

they are both situations where a rational person might feel in jeopardy

[prole]

we're essentially born w/ emotions that are intolerant -

 

Wrong. This is historically conditioned behavior.

Check it:

Edited October 22, 2010 by prole

[tvashtarkatena]

"Harlem at night" is not an airplane.

 

Thanks. I was looking for a title for my next surrealist work.

[tvashtarkatena]

 

And Fox doesn't boot people for expressing their view point... unlike left-wing libtard media outlets. Thanks for proving the point.

 

The left is extremely intolerant to opposing opinions and is all too willing to silence them at the first opportunity, by whatever means.

 

 

Hmm, you might have a point if you were talking just about NPR, but your generalizations are showing, again. How embarrassing.

 

FOX news: your one stop shopping for point/counterpoint.

[j_b]

so, again, what's more important - what we think, or what we do?

 

that's just it. Saying what he did on that show is doing, the same way that the rest of the xenophobic propaganda on that network amounts to doing, fear-mongering to frighten the nincompoops. It's not just 'thinking'.

 

 

we're essentially born w/ emotions that are intolerant - we must learn to act tolerant towards The Others

 

he is certainly entitled to his feelings but a media pundit stating them on a racist TV show is an entirely different proposition.

[tvashtarkatena]

If you're a news analyist, you STFU and give your report.

 

If you're a columnist/pundit, you shovel bullshit at the camera.

 

If you get these two very different job descriptions mixed up on the air, (and you're not a member of the FOX team, where that simply doesn't matter), a pink slip shouldn't come as a surprise.

 

 

[prole]

If you're a news analyist, you STFU and give your report.

 

If you're a columnist/pundit, you shovel bullshit at the camera.

 

If you get these two very different job descriptions mixed up on the air, (and you're not a member of the FOX team, where that simply doesn't matter), a pink slip shouldn't come as a surprise.

The pure fucking voice of reason.

[sobo]

If you're a news analyist, you STFU and give your report.

 

If you're a columnist/pundit, you shovel bullshit at the camera.

 

If you get these two very different job descriptions mixed up on the air, (and you're not a member of the FOX team, where that simply doesn't matter), a pink slip shouldn't come as a surprise.

Fixed it. That's about as succinct an argument that can be made.

And there's no need to cite FOX, or any network for that matter.

TTK's statement rings true on its own merit, without naming any broadcasters.

[tvashtarkatena]

Nope. No editing of my statements required by any peanut gallery. FOX is THE WORST offender in offering opinion under the guise of 'news'. They are in a class by themselves in that regard.

[kevbone]

 

The left right is extremely intolerant to opposing opinions and is all too willing to silence them at the first opportunity, by whatever means.

 

 

All fixed for ya! I know your little slip up was not intentional.

[JayB]

Employers can hire and fire whoever they want, IMO. As long as the state isn't fining, incarcerating, or dispossessing someone for their voicing their opinions it's not a free speech issue IMO.

 

I think they didn't like having someone on board who also appeared on Fox, and they were looking for a pretext to get rid of the guy for a while, and they spotted an opening here. They have that right.

[tvashtarkatena]

BTW, I've long since stopped listening to NPR, and only watch FOX on the treadmill for the 3 active neurons required to appreciate the self-parody. Those conservicunts whine more than Jerry Springer's guest line up. Someone should just hand them a box of Kleenex, kick their teeth in, and tell them to STFU already.

[JayB]

BTW - wasn't Daniel shore a "Senior News Analyst?"

 

Don't think it was a matter of someone blurring hard-lines between different job categories at NPR as much as Juan giving the people that hired him a reason to want him gone by appearing on a network that I suspect all of them loathe.

[prole]

Employers can hire and fire whoever they want, IMO. As long as the state isn't fining, incarcerating, or dispossessing someone for their voicing their opinions it's not a free speech issue IMO.

 

Works for people complaining about their working conditions too!

[prole]

BTW - wasn't Daniel shore a "Senior News Analyst?"

 

Don't think it was a matter of someone blurring hard-lines between different job categories at NPR as much as Juan giving the people that hired him a reason to want him gone by appearing on a network that I suspect all of them loathe.

 

NPR still has a modicum of a reputation for journalistic integrity to uphold. Fox holds such notions in contempt.

[KaskadskyjKozak]

If you're a news analyist, you STFU and give your report.

 

If you're a columnist/pundit, you shovel bullshit at the camera.

 

If you get these two very different job descriptions mixed up on the air, (and you're not a member of the FOX team, where that simply doesn't matter), a pink slip shouldn't come as a surprise.

Fixed it. That's about as succinct an argument that can be made.

And there's no need to cite FOX, or any network for that matter.

TTK's statement rings true on its own merit, without naming any broadcasters.

 

Bullshit. It only holds true if the analyst acts as pundit at the job where he is a analyst. If an analyst speaks as a pundit in a different forum, then there is no problem.

[billcoe]

If you're a news analyist, you STFU and give your report. If you're a columnist/pundit, you shovel bullshit at the camera. If you get these two very different job descriptions mixed up on the air, (and you're not a member of the FOX team, where that simply doesn't matter), a pink slip shouldn't come as a surprise.

Bullshit, he was on The Bill O'Rielly show "O'Reilly Factor": which no one but and a moron or you has ever confused as a news program. It's has never claimed to be fair or balanced. Even Whoopi Goldberg is calling bullshit on this firing.

 

PS, I've never watched an entire "O'Reilly Factor" and can't stand the guy when I'm flipping the radio and catch part of it, but wished I'd seen this one show to really make a better determination. I have caught the Fox news show some Sundays when it's too wet for hiking or climbing and have always appreciated the honesty, intelligence and integrity that Juan Williams seems to bring to his arguments.

 

Whoh edit, same time post, multiple K's and I are as one on this one.

Edited October 22, 2010 by billcoe

[KaskadskyjKozak]

BTW - wasn't Daniel shore a "Senior News Analyst?"

 

Don't think it was a matter of someone blurring hard-lines between different job categories at NPR as much as Juan giving the people that hired him a reason to want him gone by appearing on a network that I suspect all of them loathe.

 

Exactly. NPR "analysts" are only disallowed from expressing

"opinion" if that opinion is counter to libtard dogma.

[KaskadskyjKozak]

If you're a news analyist, you STFU and give your report. If you're a columnist/pundit, you shovel bullshit at the camera. If you get these two very different job descriptions mixed up on the air, (and you're not a member of the FOX team, where that simply doesn't matter), a pink slip shouldn't come as a surprise.

Bullshit, he was on The Bill O'Rielly show "O'Reilly Factor": which no one but and a moron or you has ever confused as a news program. It's has never claimed to be fair or balanced. Even Whoopi Goldberg is calling bullshit on this firing.

 

PS, I've never watched an entire "O'Reilly Factor" and can't stand the guy when I'm flipping the radio and catch part of it, but wished I'd seen this one show to really make a better determination. I have caught the Fox news show some Sundays when it's too wet for hiking or climbing and have always appreciated the honesty, intelligence and integrity that Juan Williams seems to bring to his arguments.

 

Whoh edit, same time post, multiple K's and I are as one on this one.

 

BTW, I've seen Juan Williams on Fox and find I often disagree with him, and he comes off as left of center on a lot of issues. The fact that Fox has him on regularly expressing his opinions counter to their own speaks highly of them, irrespective of this one latest incident. I can't stand O'Reilley or Hannity either, BTW.

[tvashtarkatena]

If you're a news analyist, you STFU and give your report. If you're a columnist/pundit, you shovel bullshit at the camera. If you get these two very different job descriptions mixed up on the air, (and you're not a member of the FOX team, where that simply doesn't matter), a pink slip shouldn't come as a surprise.

Bullshit, he was on The Bill O'Rielly show "O'Reilly Factor": which no one but and a moron or you has ever confused as a news program. It's has never claimed to be fair or balanced. Even Whoopi Goldberg is calling bullshit on this firing.

 

PS, I've never watched an entire "O'Reilly Factor" and can't stand the guy when I'm flipping the radio and catch part of it, but wished I'd seen this one show to really make a better determination. I have caught the Fox news show some Sundays when it's too wet for hiking or climbing and have always appreciated the honesty, intelligence and integrity that Juan Williams seems to bring to his arguments.

 

Whoh edit, same time post, multiple K's and I are as one on this one.

 

Except that I never once mentioned the 'OReilly Factor', brain stem.