NPR host fired over Muslim remark
 

NPR commentator loses job over Muslim remark

Juan Williams, speaking on Fox's 'The O'Reilly Factor,' says people in Muslim garb on planes make him 'worried' and 'nervous.' NPR says the remarks 'were inconsistent with our editorial standards.'

By Steve Padilla
October 21, 2010

National Public Radio terminated the contract of commentator Juan Williams after he said on Fox's "The O'Reilly Factor" that people wearing Muslim garb on airplanes made him "worried" and "nervous."

The move was first reported Wednesday on Twitter by NPR's media correspondent David Folkenflik, who said Williams' remarks "were inconsistent with our editorial standards."

Williams was discussing political correctness Monday with host Bill O'Reilly and said that it could "lead to some kind of paralysis, where you don't address reality."

"I mean, look, Bill, I'm not a bigot," said Williams, who is African American and has written extensively on the civil rights movement and race in America. "You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on a plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous."

NPR's action against Williams comes a few weeks after CNN fired newscaster Rick Sanchez after he called "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart a bigot and suggested that Comedy Central and other networks were run by Jews.


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...tory?track=rss

The Daily Beast has an interesting take on the story - Howard Kurtz (the author, who also works for CNN and The Washington Post) says that if Williams had made the comments on a non-Fox show, he likely would not have been fired.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-a...=hp:mainpromo1

I think that sums it up.

He didn't say anything wrong. But saying it on a network that is progressively upping it's anti-Muslim rhetoric was naturally going to ruffle feathers over at left-leaning NPR.

I don't know. If someone told me that, when he boards an airplane and sees someone in Muslim clothing and the thought of 9/11 never even enters his mind, I'd be inclined to call him a liar.

The real challenge is how quickly the mind self-corrects.

And does anyone have the story on Bill O'Reilly's appearance on The View recently? I hear there were fireworks and some folks walked off the set? I've been meaning to search for it but haven't taken the time. And you all are so good as spoonfeeding me. http://forum.talkabouttennis.com/ima...lies/smile.png

O'Reilly said it was inappropriate for the Mosque to be built near Ground Zero because "Muslims killed us on 9/11". Whoppi uttered an expletive, Behar said she was outraged, and they walked off. Barbara Walters chided them for being unprofessional, but also chided O'Reilly for demeaning Muslims.

http://www.latimes.com/sns-ap-us-tv-...,5529200.story

Day-um. That video was better than I ever imagined. http://www.talkabouttennis.com/forum...es/shocked.gif

Someone in Muslim clothing on an airplane shouldn't make you nervous. Didn't the hijackers blend in with typical clothing?

Besides, you're about a billion times more likely to be killed by a driver texting than from a terrorist attack. The hysteria needs to stop.

You make a rational argument for what is an often unrational emotion, Charlie.

For example...Why should people be afraid of a number? - yet most hotels do not have a 13th floor.

You are also 1000 times more likely to die in a car crash than in an airplane crash, but nevertheless some silly people continue to be afraid to fly!

What is the point? Human emotions are not based on numbers and logic alone. Never have been and never will be.

But shouldn't one of our goals be to recognize our many cognitive biases and thus try to be more rational? That's what Spock taught me anyway...

Yes, that's a good goal, but a human being fully rational is just as likely as a pig learning to fly. And that's not all bad - empathy, conscience etc. are also not very rational endeavors (evolutionary biologists might argue otherwise, but that would be in a very long time frame only).

To paraphrase Christine O'Donnell... "American scientific companies are cross-breeding pigs and eagles and coming up with pigs with fully functioning wings."

Just because I love debate... http://forum.talkabouttennis.com/ima...lies/smile.png

A small group of people who take pity on its members who have had some misfortune and help them get back on their feet, may find that they have a stronger chance of survival than individuals or groups who quickly cast out their weakest. I could conceive of a pretty short term evolutionary benefit of charity, empathy, etc.

LOL.

::

I'd be nervous seeing someone dressed in Muslim clothing if I was boarding a flight. I think the important thing is something that Dry said upthread: when feeling that nervousness how long would it take me to reset and realize my nervousness is irrational?

Exactly. It's not a crime to have a reflexive irrational reaction. But he should realize in about 10 seconds that it doesn't mean anything. So how does the idea germinate to the point that he's discussing it on TV? What poor judgment. It's not an example of political correctness. That applies to discourse worth having.

I really don't think it's about political correctness either, just a case of ideology. What he said works on a right-wing network like Fox, where the comment was made. But it's not in line with liberal NPR, the org. he actually works for. So he got canned. Now he can just go "contribute" to Fox full-time. Issue solved.

I love debate too... http://forum.talkabouttennis.com/ima...lies/smile.png*

This is the argument biologists use for the their existence in the first place, however I don't think the time frame is short at all. History is full of opposite examples (look up the culture and history of Sparta, for example).

* and be careful I could easily and at least somewhat rationally argue pretty much any position starting from communism and eternal love and ending with how beneficial to society it is to regularly beat ones wife/girlfriend. http://forum.talkabouttennis.com/ima...ilies/wink.png

Let me guess. You once had a torrid love affair with Samantha Stevenson???

Sorry, I don't know what you mean, selfishness as a long-term evolutionary benefit? Sparta appears to have followed a similar arc of hyper-militarization, rapid dominance over neighbouring states, and eventual implosion that can be observed in 1930-40's Germany and Italy. Much different time scale, of course, but 2-300 years of eminence doesn't really cut it, does it? Maybe I'm missing the point of your example, feel free to expound http://forum.talkabouttennis.com/ima...lies/smile.png

I really don't understand what's the big deal about what he said. Sure, some people will disagree with that, but being fired from NPR? http://forum.talkabouttennis.com/ima...s/confused.png