Alternet: Juan Williams Must be Shocked to Be in Hot Water Over Muslim-Bashing

[Turborama]

I won’t shed a tear over Juan Williams’ involuntary departure from NPR any more than I mourned journalism’s loss when CNN shit-canned Rick Sanchez. Williams should have lost his job long ago for his lazy analysis, and it always amazed me that Sanchez got that gig in the first place (despite having a few good moments).

I certainly don’t think either should have lost their jobs over what seemed to me rather indirect expressions of petty-but-all-too-common bigotries. But the larger point, for me, is that if we’re going to have a culture of rigidly enforced political correctness in our media, it has to apply evenly.

The same week that Rick Sanchez lost his gig at CNN after saying, obliquely, that the network was run by Jews, This Week dedicated an entire show to the weighty question, “http://moonshinepatriot.blogspot.com/2010/10/this-week-with-christiane-amanpour.html">Should Americans Fear Islam?” It featured such intellectual powerhouses as Robert Spencer — Pam Geller’s co-conspirator stirring up the Park51 brouhaha — and perennial wingnut Gary Bauer.

It was a telling disconnect. It was like Meet the Press doing a full show on whether Jews controlled the media and the international finance system. And it highlighted the fact that in the U.S. today, you can basically peddle any crap you want about Muslims without fear of professional repercussions. Geller herself got a fawning profile from the New York Times, and people like Frank Gaffney go on national television to push ridiculous conspiracy theories about some sort of plot to impose “Sharia law” in Greenwich Village (note that David Duke doesn’t get similar opportunities). And they get away with it. Or at least that was the reality until NPR sacked Juan Williams. (http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/10/dont-cross-the-jews-do-cross-the-muslims-the-juan-williams-story.php?ref=tn">TPM has a whole run-down of this double-standard as it appears on the right.)

Full article: http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/10/22/juan-williams-must-be-shocked-to-be-in-hot-water-over-muslim-bashing/

[sabrina 1]

1. Good article

But the larger point, for me, is that if we’re going to have a culture of rigidly enforced political correctness in our media, it has to apply evenly.

The same week that Rick Sanchez lost his gig at CNN after saying, obliquely, that the network was run by Jews, This Week dedicated an entire show to the weighty question, “Should Americans Fear Islam?”

I guess Juan thought it WAS okay to make bigoted comments about Muslims. You can't blame him really, as the article points out, we are hypocritical in our political correctness. If for no other reason, by firing him, NPR has leveled the playing just a tiny bit. Now, maybe other networks will follow suit, or else fire NO ONE for this kind of stupid, bigoted speech.

We hear nothing but anti-Muslim hate speech in our media, from blatant to subtle, and in our Congress. So it's about time someone decided if bigoted speech is not okay against one ethnic group, it's not okay against any group.

[Turborama]

3. That's the crux of the matter

Juan thinks it's OK to make bigoted comments about Muslims. He's still doing it on Faux, he stood in for O'Lielly yesterday and spent an hour vigorously defending his bigotry.

A line laid down by NPR had been crossed too many times. I'm not sure if you've seen it yet but I posted http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4584144&mesg_id=4585545">here how NPR had warned him multiple times about what he was doing on Faux.

About the double standards hilighted in the OP, have you seen the TPM piece yet? It's really good and well worth checking out.

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/10/dont-cross-the-jews-do-cross-the-muslims-the-juan-williams-story.php?ref=tn

-

[sabrina 1]

6. I did see that they had warned him. I think he was

a liability being that he was also on Fox where bashing Muslims is par for the course, but say one word about Israel, and all hell would break loose.

Time for those double standards to end in this country. Either let everyone bash everyone, or everything is off limits.

Helen Thomas eg, did Williams have anything to say about what happened to her?

[elias7]

7. So, is this bigoted?

Re: coming across a couple in muslim garb in a park:

"I got to tell you, when I went to Great Falls Park the other day, and I saw a woman in an full-face veil and her husband had a little leather bag that wasn't looking like a picnic basket, I felt a little nervous."

[Turborama]

8. She's a Muslim

Your point is?

(edited to get the gender right)

[elias7]

9. My point is...

Upon seeing a muslim, this speaker got nervous. Is this bigoted?

[Turborama]

10. I know exactly where you're going with this. Let's have the full quote, shall we?

Prof. NOMANI: Well, you know, I see Juan Williams' firing as a window into a larger problem we have in America right now in our conversation about Islam. We've seen it from this summer's coverage of the, quote, unquote, "ground zero mosque" controversy, the Quran burning story. You know, we are a nation that still doesn't know how to talk about Islam.

What I believe Juan Williams did was express, unfortunately, the position of many Americans in their distrust of Muslims. I am Muslim. My father's name has Muhammad in it. We would be profiled if we go through airports because, you know, I buy tickets at the last minute and I fall into the classic profile that you have.

But I got to tell you, when I went to Great Falls Park the other day, and I saw a woman in an full-face veil and her husband had a little leather bag that wasn't looking like a picnic basket, I felt a little nervous. And there was a park ranger behind me who clearly was on their tail.

What Juan Williams expressed, I believe, is the sentiment of many people and including Muslims. Muslims profile each other all the time. When you walk into a mosque and you see other Muslims, you say, oh look, he looks like a Jihadi. Or, that's a niqab, a woman who wears a full-face veil. It doesn't mean, you know, that we need to go to the point of civil liberties, you know, offensive or anything like that.

But Juan Williams was basically, I think, having a commentary that is very true in America today. And I believe, unfortunately, that NPR short circuited a conversation that we really need to be having.

Full interview: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130751882&sc=tw&cc=share

She was defending Williams in an interview on NPR.

I think you need to look up the meaning of bigotry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigotry

[leftstreet]

2. K&R

That was pretty interesting

And, just ouch:

Anyway, NPR’s decision will only help advance the Right’s long-standing campaign to defund public broadcasting.

[RockaFowler]

4. The "Right's" double-standard is glaring

As a Jew I'm offended with their pandering.

[Douglas Carpenter]

5. kick and recommend!!