What else makes Juan Williams nervous?

**swingline** · October-22-10, 07:55 AM

So Juan Williams gets canned from NPR for expressing the feeling on Fox News that people in "Muslim garb" on airplanes make him nervous. Republicans rush to the defense of this Democrat leaning journalist and are delighted at the chance to bash NPR for hyper-political correctness. They move immediately to eliminate the miniscule amount of federal funding that the network receives. An interesting kerfluffle all the way around.

Juan Williams is a fine journalist. He's not a bigot. He seems like an independent thinker capable of seeing both sides of an issue. He doesn't use the tactic of demonizing or disrespecting folks that disagree with his opinions. His book Enough which took a critical look at African American political and social culture was principled and perhaps even courageous. He is certainly almost the only voice of moderation on Fox News.

Mr. Williams and his Fox News defenders say that we should simply look at the facts. According to them, "Muslims" are responsible for constant acts of terrorism around the world. This is undisputed and we can't ignore it. It's not bigoted or unreasonably insensitive to have these nervous feelings when Muslims are around.

Well then, if the conversation shifted to crime in the United States [[a kind of domestic terrorism) it would appear that Mr. Williams should have no problem with a whole bunch of his Fox News compatriots as well as any other national television journalist expressing their justifiable "nervousness" when they find themselves on the street after dark in the presence of black males ages 16-40. After all, look at the undisputed facts. This group offends at a rate far in excess of its percentage of our population. It can often be difficult to perceive visually whether a particular 25 year old black male on the sidewalk is a Harvard grad or recently paroled for the third time. This is all just like the "Muslim" issue. No doubt that Mr. Williams agrees that there's nothing bigoted about this kind of nervousness either, right?

Mr. Williams screwed up on this one. Indicting all Muslims when discussing terrorism issues is wrong. NPR screwed up too. They should have asked him to publicly clarify and apoligize for the disrespectful overbreadth of his remarks. If he refused, then maybe termination would have been appropriate.

**firstandten** · October-22-10, 09:15 AM

Originally Posted by swingline

So Juan Williams gets canned from NPR for expressing the feeling on Fox News that people in "Muslim garb" on airplanes make him nervous. Republicans rush to the defense of this Democrat leaning journalist and are delighted at the chance to bash NPR for hyper-political correctness. They move immediately to eliminate the miniscule amount of federal funding that the network receives. An interesting kerfluffle all the way around.

Juan Williams is a fine journalist. He's not a bigot. He seems like an independent thinker capable of seeing both sides of an issue. He doesn't use the tactic of demonizing or disrespecting folks that disagree with his opinions. His book Enough which took a critical look at African American political and social culture was principled and perhaps even courageous. He is certainly almost the only voice of moderation on Fox News.

Mr. Williams and his Fox News defenders say that we should simply look at the facts. According to them, "Muslims" are responsible for constant acts of terrorism around the world. This is undisputed and we can't ignore it. It's not bigoted or unreasonably insensitive to have these nervous feelings when Muslims are around.

Well then, if the conversation shifted to crime in the United States [[a kind of domestic terrorism) it would appear that Mr. Williams should have no problem with a whole bunch of his Fox News compatriots as well as any other national television journalist expressing their justifiable "nervousness" when they find themselves on the street after dark in the presence of black males ages 16-40. After all, look at the undisputed facts. This group offends at a rate far in excess of its percentage of our population. It can often be difficult to perceive visually whether a particular 25 year old black male on the sidewalk is a Harvard grad or recently paroled for the third time. This is all just like the "Muslim" issue. No doubt that Mr. Williams agrees that there's nothing bigoted about this kind of nervousness either, right?

Mr. Williams screwed up on this one. Indicting all Muslims when discussing terrorism issues is wrong. NPR screwed up too. They should have asked him to publicly clarify and apoligize for the disrespectful overbreadth of his remarks. If he refused, then maybe termination would have been appropriate.

I believe that an issue that swingline [[great post btw) brings out that we don't want to address is the willingness of Americans to profile others based on cultural crap and prejudice. If I recall, there were video of some of the 9-11 hi-jackers getting on one of the planes. They were not wearing Muslin garb. If someone had that kind of mayhem planned, why would they draw attention to themselves by wearing Muslim garb. My point is if you see someone wearing that type of garb you probably are letting your prejudices get the best of you if you relate that to terrorism.

Another point that was made was about the black males. That reminds me of another profile of blacks moving into an upscale area. They were either entertainers or drug dealers. As a people we fall too easily into that lazy way of thinking. Its seems like Juan did as well. I think maybe NPR could have given him some time off rather than firing him.

**rjk** · October-22-10, 09:30 AM

"expressing their justifiable "nervousness" when they find themselves on the street after dark in the presence of black males ages 16-40."

Replace black males with white males for my senario.
Would it be understandable for a woman to express her justifiable nervousness when she finds herself on a street after dark in the presence of white males ages 16-40?
Do you think her response would be different if it involed a group of woman?

**gazhekwe** · October-22-10, 11:36 AM

Profiling others by limited experience is a normal human defensive action. It can be explained both biologically and anthropologically. The problems come from knee jerk reactions to such internal profiling instincts when we actually have the brains to recognize it for what it is and apply normative thinking to modify our reactions.

Should Juan Williams have been fired? Absolutely not. NPR should have taken the opportunity to recognize and address this common to all phenomenon. Being honest and owning up to normal human feelings can open the door to discussion and recognition of our common humanity.

By contrast, do Muslims on the plane feel that non-Muslims are profiling them and fear that they will be unfairly subjected to some punitive action? After many publicized experiences of such actions, who could blame them for profiling all non-Muslims as potential threats?

**maxx** · October-22-10, 11:39 AM

I just love how the right plays to their audience by screaming an elementary school interpretation of free speech. No discussion of the limitations to any freedom. And of course, Faux is hardly going to discuss the difference between news analysis and commentary/opinion. Juan should have known he couldn't serve two masters forever.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/1021/Juan-Williams-fired-pitfalls-of-the-insta-opinion-age?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_camp aign=Feed%3A+feeds%2Fusa+%28Christian+Science+Moni tor+|+USA%29

"...The Williams firing shows that NPR, in many ways, is an example of a news organization trying to navigate new media without muddying the role of journalism in society, says Jen Reeves, an associate journalism professor at the University of Missouri in Columbia.
'It's confusing to the general public what journalism is anymore,' says Ms. Reeves. 'Our job as journalists is to question the culture and present it to the general public to think about. But instead we're constantly [playing up people's fears].'.."
She adds, "The way Williams presented himself was at a level of personal opinion that, as a journalist, is not appropriate."

And Willimans's comment was not an isolated event.
http://www.bostonherald.com/business...tingType=media

**oladub** · October-22-10, 11:42 AM

Williams made the mistake of being candid in a PC world although Muslims who dress conspicuously probably aren't the ones we should worry about.. After a couple of thousand Americans lost their lives at Pearl Harbor, immigration and visitation from Germany and Japan were tightened up for awhile. According to a 2009 Pew research poll, a significant percentage of Muslims worldwide still support Bin Laden and believe that suicide bombings are sometimes justified. The percentage is declining but, for instance, "six-in-ten Palestinian Muslims under 30 say they have confidence in bin Laden". We are supposed to believe or pretend that when our country lets in Muslims, that we are only allowing in those who oppose suicide bombing and oppose Bin Laden. That probably isn't the case. http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1338/dec...uicide-bombing

I'm not suggesting round-ups and camps like Roosevelt's handling of Japanese Americans but at least we should have enough of a survival instinct to be aware of and respond to the undesirable appendage of a largely peaceful religious group until this blows over. Our foreign policies should similarly recognize that things we do in the middle-east result in some blow back back home.

**maxx** · October-22-10, 12:02 PM

Williams made the mistake of being candid in a PC world..

When people talk about political corrrectness as though it is a negative, they forget its history. If there is no policital correctness, then discussion can return to the use of slurs and negative labels for individuals and groups of people who do not look or act like the mainstream. And while some people still choose to call names rather than contribute rationally, for the most part the level of discussion has been improved by pc, Faux notwithstanding.

**gazhekwe** · October-22-10, 12:05 PM

There was a great discussion of this in the Barbershop at Tell Me More jsut now. If you missed it, it will be on again this evening.

There is a lot of emotion in this, one guy was stuck on Islamophobia, when Juan was actually making the point that his fears were not rational, and could not be applied to all Muslims. There seemed to be a consensus that his statements were outside the realm of his job at NPR and cast his news analysis in doubt. That is probably true, but the discussion needs to be had, and now is a good time to start. He and Shirley Sherrod are probably a good pair to lead the discussion, since they seem to get the transition from automatic profiling to rational thought.

**maxx** · October-22-10, 12:22 PM

The right is undermining journalism just as it tries to undermine the public's trust in science, unions, and government itself.

**janesback** · October-22-10, 03:35 PM

I found his comments very hurtful and biggotted.....sorry, that was very wrong to say about a group of individuals, and he deserved to be fired......

lilpup · October-22-10, 04:26 PM

Fox has been pimping Williams and his NPR-built reputation to bolster their credibility. NPR envisioned increasing damage to their reputation and brand and moved to stop it - perfectly legit move, imho.

**vetalalumni** · October-22-10, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by oladub

Williams made the mistake of being candid ...

Mistake in candor or not, there is the adage about not telling everything you think [[to everybody). Sometimes the mistake is in the thoughts, free will withstanding.

Preceding his comments with the idea that he is not a bigot actually did not help him. One could say his transparency [[candor) spoke louder than his words.

In the late 90s I enjoyed a brief discussion with Mr. Williams at a charity event. He was candid then as well, however his audience was select and only one local news outlet briefly covered the event.

lilpup · October-22-10, 05:47 PM

Williams made the mistake of being ARROGANT and thinking he's immune to prejudice and bigotry when the reality is he doesn't even recognize it unless it's directed toward him or those most like him.

"Muslim garb" = "driving when black"?

[[Seriously, with most Muslims being from Indonesia what constitutes "Muslim garb"?)

**Downtown Lady** · October-22-10, 07:51 PM

Originally Posted by gazhekwe

Should Juan Williams have been fired? Absolutely not. NPR should have taken the opportunity to recognize and address this common to all phenomenon.

I take exception to the statement that profiling is a "common to all phenomenon", as if it should be condoned because, hey, everybody does it. No, everybody does not profile. Believe it or not, not everyone on this planet was born with equal levels of close-mindedness or open-mindedness.

Originally Posted by gazhekwe

By contrast, do Muslims on the plane feel that non-Muslims are profiling them and fear that they will be unfairly subjected to some punitive action? After many publicized experiences of such actions, who could blame them for profiling all non-Muslims as potential threats? .

This would be equally wrong.

**gazhekwe** · October-22-10, 08:46 PM

Profiling is just one way of calling a normal human reaction to things that are different. While it is true that this reaction is stronger in some than it is in others, it is a normal reaction.

Problems occur when someone fails to recognize that this is happening and thinks it is a valid assessment of the situation. They assign negative attributes to the different person or persons without recognizing that they are doing so without seeing any negative behaviors from the people.

I think a lot of people learn to bypass this reaction, realizing that recognition and fear of something different is not enough information to form a valid opinion.

**douglasm** · October-22-10, 08:51 PM

As I understand it, NPR axed Williams because they felt his commentary brought into question the fairness---or the preception of fairness---of his news analysis on NPR. I will be the first to admit that NPR fired him in a very ham handed manor, but I can understand why they'd let him go.

**oladub** · October-22-10, 09:42 PM

Another explanation for the firing:

Juan William's former boss, Vivian Schiller, the CEO of NPR, said the reason she fired Juan Williams was because he was hired to be a news analyst and not a commentator or columnist. Juan Williams, she says, was warned on multiple occasions about this distinction. She immediately apologized for her other remark. The NPR Omsbudsman said that Ms. Schiller handled the firing wrong and that the firing caused the largest reaction of NPR listeners in years. Most of the calls were in support of Williams.

lilpup · October-22-10, 09:49 PM

Somebody needs to hold the middle ground between the Fox News and MSNBCs of the world. I hope NPR holds tight.

**Hypestyles** · October-23-10, 02:05 PM

weblog of Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council of Islamic Relations Michigan/Detroit

http://dawudwalid.wordpress.com/

I happen to agree that Williams' comments were smarmy, despite the disclaimer of "I'm not a bigot", and functioned the same way as if a white person confesses to being nervous when a black male in "urban" clothing comes near them, or being on an elevator.. effectively, he categorized the traditional clothing of various folks as inherently political statements..
I don't know the details of Williams' contract with NPR, but his firing sets up NPR's upper management to look like idealogues, which may portend badly as the midterms loom. Williams' new contract with Fox renders any lost income from NPR moot, so I don't see him as any kind of super-victim, though if the Repubs do take over in the mid-terms, I suspect attempting to gut NPR and PBS will be prioritized like was suggested in the 90s after the Gingrich & co. takeover.. so, we'll see.. An open, ongoing national dialogue on race and culture has yet to happen.. I wonder if it will..

**Patrick** · October-24-10, 09:02 AM

The thing about Juan Williams wasn't his words or his opinions...it was the fact that he was a horrible commentator. He had poor delivery and just wasn't a TV type at all. Whenever FOX has him on it is like watching paint dry.

Bearinabox · October-24-10, 07:00 PM

Originally Posted by lilpup

[[Seriously, with most Muslims being from Indonesia what constitutes "Muslim garb"?)

http://muslimswearingthings.tumblr.com/

**1KielsonDrive** · October-25-10, 01:58 AM

Originally Posted by Patrick

The thing about Juan Williams wasn't his words or his opinions...it was the fact that he was a horrible commentator. He had poor delivery and just wasn't a TV type at all. Whenever FOX has him on it is like watching paint dry.

Correct. I cringed whenever I heard him on talk radio as my alarm went off. Am I correct he was hired by Faux News? If so, he's right where he belongs. This isn't about 'Free Speech' any more than Wall Street is about 'Free Market'. This all about 'Culture Wars'. In addition, while everyone is crying about poor Juan losing his job, he's a member of the 'Press Elite'. That means he's guaranteed a golden parachute. He's entitled to be a pundit for life, making more money than you and I will ever make. There are millions of people who've lost their jobs and livelihoods and have been treated much worse than Juan will ever imagine. Poooorrrr Juan!

**maxx** · October-26-10, 09:45 AM

Bill Maher quipped that Fox just gave Williams a $2M contract and his own show entitled "Muslims make me Nervous". According to his contract the only thing that would end his show is if muslims ever stop making him nervous.

The Daily Show's take:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/1..._n_773854.html

**1KielsonDrive** · October-26-10, 11:55 AM

Juan's friend, Diane Rehm, had him on for a full hour crying session this morning. I turned them off after about 3 minutes. I like Diane Rehm, but this is BS. Yes, she's entitled to have guests of her choosing, but Juan has said and done enough. Get on over to Faux News, Juan, and collect your millions while ignoring the most important stories of the day - millions of working class citizens losing their jobs, savings, retirements, homes and whatever else might be left after you guys stop talking about yourselves.

**Papasito** · October-26-10, 12:18 PM

Would you tend to keep your eye on a group of Muslims in full garb who pray to Allah right before your flight take off? Would they make you nervous?

Would you tend to keep your eye on a group of teenagers wearing trench coats going into the school you are visiting/attending? Would they make you nervous?

Nervous is nothing.
Beating, whipping, killing, torturing, enslaving and jailing is something.

This is just another step towards the complete Wimpification of America.
No wonder the Chinese are going to be the world's only super power,
as we sink to being a 3rd world country.