Not Particularly Revelatory

Does the name Shirly Sherod ring a familiar note?

Context counts

“Hasty generalization is a logical fallacy of faulty generalization by reaching an inductive generalization based on insufficient evidence. It commonly involves basing a broad conclusion upon the statistics of a survey of a small group that fails to sufficiently represent the whole population.”

I can see an organization, that is concerned about it’s professional reputation for objectivity, unlike Fox, ridding itself of someone who uses irrationality in a business where reason is expected.

First question:
WTF is “Muslim garb?”

“Look, Bill, I’m not a bigot.”

They all say that.

I’m never for qualified journalists losing their jobs for silly reasons. Couldn’t this have been settled with a retraction and apology?

#1: If you feel you have to preface your remarks by saying “I’m not a bigot,” it’s a clue that you are about to say something really stupid.

#2: This was the straw that broke the camel’s back — Williams has been saying stupid stuff on Fox for a long time while trying to maintain a reputation as a serious commentator on NPR. He finally went too far with O’Reilly and NPR’s patience ran out.

#3: After Helen Thomas, Rick Sanchez, and Octavia Nasr, it’s good to know that someone can actually be fired for saying something anti-Islamic.

Now he can go to work full-time @ Flox, where people can say whatever they please without fear of job loss.

Slightly OT, but public radio/TV pledge breaks are a complete waste of time. How many stations have actually gone off the air because the stations, PUBLICLY FUNDED THRU TAX DOLLARS, didn’t raise enough $ thru its nauseous pledge drives??

Excellent points.

That said, it was dumb of NPR to fire JW simply because he expressed an unjustified fear of a people. An apology would’ve done.

“O’Reilly, a provocateur of the right who only matters if you let him, has been blaming Muslims en masse for the 9/11 attacks.”

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When we speak of “context” perhaps your readers would also like to know what precipitated the discussion between Williams and O’Reilly.
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O’Reilly, who you label a “provocateur”and we will come back to that later, was on The View. The daytime talk show with host Babs Walters. O’Reilly on a recent show was discussing his book, “Pinheads and Patriots”, and the subject changed to 9/11. O’Reilly made the general statement that the “attacks on 9/11 were the result of Muslims”. Immediately Whoopie Goldberg and side-kick Joy Betar became upset claiming “you cannot subject ALL Muslims with the attacks of 9/11. But, in context, Mr O’Reilly was not making that statement.
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Fact #1: Those who committed the crimes of 9/11 which resulted in the deaths of over 3,000 Americans were completed by men who are and claimed to be Muslim.
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Fact #2: The men who committed the crimes of 9/11 came from Muslim countries.
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Perhaps O’Reilly should have used the terminology of “Muslim Terrorists”, that is possibly debatable.
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Now when O’Reilly and Williams discussed the show, and O’Reilly was defending his statement, Williams did agree with him. Williams also offered up the notion that when he has gotten on a plane, and he sees people dressed in traditional Muslim garb, that makes him uneasy. I do believe most people in our country would agree.
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So I for one am glad this event has taken place. Unfortunate for Williams he can not longer use the tag line when describing himself that he works for one of the most liberal entities on the planet so far as broadcasting is concerned, but oh well. Not a great loss.
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What I do take offense with is 1. People who use what they call as political correctness the libtards most favorite way to demonize someone for factual truths. The terrorists who attacked this country on 9/11 were indeed and in fact, Muslim. Therefore stating it was “Muslims who attack us on 9/11″ is the truth.
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2. Both sides do take things out of context at times. I see it used many more times by journalists right here in the swamp, and across the liberal outlets like Daily Kos, Huffington Post, the Nation, Media Matters, and the list goes on. They crop and cut information to fit their own biased needs to gin up their base of support.
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Perhaps we can now also describe all of the writers right here in the swamp as provocateurs, they most certainly are not journalists at all.

We still really don’t know exactly why NPR terminated him. We can only assume that speaking the truth was his crime. I personally don’t care for him. He has some very left wing views and tends to overlook faults and crimes of some of his fellow race.
However, to be terminated by NPR for verbalizing what 95% of Americans feel about muslims, is indicative of public broadcasting. he should be congratulated.

Juan Williams didn’t think this through. If there’s one thing a Muslim terrorist intent on taking over a commercial aircraft wouldn’t do, it’s wear attire that strongly suggests that he’s a Muslim. Haven’t we heard over and over that al-Qaeda and others are busy recruiting people who could pass for Joe Sikspak’s identical twin? Hiding a bomb under a burka isn’t the best way to fool airport security.
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Maybe the real reason they fired him is that he’s stupid.
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I thoroughly agree that prefacing your remarks with “I am not a bigot” means you’re about to prove that you are. But I think this is more complicated. Most sources have left off the comment about the senselessness of blaming Muslims for extremists. Even so, I think Williams was confessing to an unwanted and unbidden visceral response to something, not to a willful and intentional and knowing prejudice.

Malcolm Gladwell cites a website (don’t know where it is – Harvard, I think) where you can take a test the measures the latency of response when you’re asked to associate positive and negative words with black and white faces. Even Gladwell, who calls himself black, “fails” the test, taking a longer time to match positive adjectives to black faces.* For him this is simply a recognition of a reality that we all have to deal with (he contended that nearly everyone fails the test).

Did Williams suggest that as a consequence of this nervousness the people he thought were Muslims shouldn’t be able to fly, that they should undergo special screening, that they shouldn’t be able to build a mosque “at” ground zero? Not, apparently, in these remarks.

I’m disappointed that Wiliams was fired from NPR for this particular comment (though I have no problem with their firing him for a cumulative record). I remember a time when we collectively hoped we could inch our way toward more honesty in our conversations about race. This is a step backwards in being able to acknowledge reality. By contrast, Barack Obama in his speech on race talked about his grandmother’s wanting to cross the road when a black man was approaching her. He understood that she loved him, but that there was something primal that operated in his grandmother that was not totally under her control. We can choose how we act; we can take some time to change how we feel.

* My recollection of the experiment Gladwell cited was that the test was run twice, with respondents first being asked to associate negative adjectives to blacks and positives to whites, and then the test was reversed. It would carry more weight if the order of the first test were randomized, so that some were first asked to associate positive adjectives to blacks, before being asked to do the opposite. Not clear to me how they eliminated the bias of having practiced the test one way before they did the opposite task.

shirley sherrod is a racist pure and simple, despite the left wing spin.

But they can’t be fired for saying something anti-American right?

“Hiding a bomb under a burka isn’t the best way to fool airport security.”

No, having a “well-dressed” handler is:

http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2010/05/20/points-of-failure/

That would be 95% of your 30ish or so base. Not 95% of the population.

Hey nffoghat, did you read your own post (6.1)? I think they call people saying whatever they please freedom of speech.

Actually, the pledge drives should remain and our tax dollars should stay in our pockets for much of this politically “correct” programming. I like Nature,antiques roadshow and Mystery. I would be willing to pay for those programs if the federal government didn’t point a gun at my head and steal the money for PBS!

The 9-11 Hijackers were all young men. The 9-11 Hijackers were mostly Saudis. The 9-11 hijackers were deeply religious. The 9-11 Hijackers were all living in the USA.
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So why are we not fearful of all young men? Or all religious people? Or all Saudis? Or everyone who lives in the USA? Those groups are actually smaller than the set of all Muslims. It would make MORE sense to target them.
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Unjustified fear? LMAO !!!

“He also said blaming Muslims for ‘extremists’ makes as much sense as blaming Christians for Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.”

True. Terry Yeakey was a Christian.

http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2010/04/16/valor/

Rice-a-Roni4Brains, I know what I wrote – did YOU understand it? Apparently not. You’re free to say whatever you want in this country but your employer (or your government) might not like it.

JW’s supposedly well-educated and should’ve known better. That’s why NPR axed him.

National Peoples Radio is a worthless, taxpayer supported, fundamentalist leftist religious cult staffed by America hating useful idiots.

A la “some of my BEST FRIENDS are…” = you’re bigoted in some way.

It depends on the station, but the actual levels of public funding are quite small. So they do need donations. I know some of the local stations in Pittsburgh only get 10% of their money from the government… and then some of those stations support other things in their areas.

“Haven’t we heard over and over that al-Qaeda and others are busy recruiting people who could pass for Joe Sestak’s identical twin?”
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Fixed it for you.

“So why are we not fearful of all young men? Or all religious people? Or all Saudis?”
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Because there’s a famous picture of Bush holding hands with a Saudi Prince and taking him on a tour of his dude ranch. That’s undeniable proof that the Saudis are our friends.

“A la “some of my BEST FRIENDS are…” = you’re bigoted in some way.”
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MOST of my best friends are conservatives. Whew! I’m glad I usually put “most” in there. I’d hate for anyone to to think I don’t like the bigoted b@stards.

“the cold truth is that in the world today jihad, aided and abetted by some Muslim nations, is the biggest threat on the planet.”

- Bill O’Reilly

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“Never before has a populist democracy attained international supremacy. But the pursuit of power is not a goal that commands popular passion, except in conditions of a sudden threat or challenge to the public’s sense of domestic well-being. The economic self-denial (that is, defense spending) and the human sacrifice (casualties, even among professional soldiers) required in the effort are uncongenial to democratic instincts. Democracy is inimical to imperial mobilization.”

“Moreover, as America becomes an increasingly multi-cultural society, it may find it more difficult to fashion a consensus on foreign policy issues, except in the circumstance of a truly massive and widely perceived direct external threat.”

- Zbigniew Brzezinski, The Grand Chessboard, 1997

http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2010/10/16/ring-the-bells/

I personally am not going to miss him. I never agree with his commentary. However, I don’t know what NPR’s contractual rules are with their employees regarding this issue. I do know that NPR has reminded all their employees they cannot attend the Rally to Restore Sanity, because it is a political event. (Though Stewart claims it’s not). THey apparently have, and KNOW they have an obligation not to show publicly, their partisan sides. So I’m guessing Juan stepped on that as well as sounding bigoted. Reason for canning? Probably in this atmosphere, yes.

I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.

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Take out Muslims and insert GOP; that is exactly how I think.

@kathy:
agreed with most of your points. But I think if Juan’s point was similar to Obama’s, that is, what I’m talking about or feeling is wrong and irrational but I am still struggling with it, then he should have been smart enough to preface it with such. He didn’t. His preface of not being a bigot was too general. If he had explained at the time he made the statement that his fear of muslim garbed folks is irrational, but still there, most likely, he would still have his job.
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Should he have been given an opportunity to explain himself or apologize instead of being fired?, maybe. Again, we are assuming that this did not happen and maybe he refused. We are not provy to what transpired before he was fired.

privy not provy

I think NPR over-reacted.

I certainly appreciate a media outlet trying to halt the anit-Islam rhetoric being pushed/allowed by Fox and CNN but management should have allowed Williams to offer an apology and call this, wait for it, a “teaching moment” (I know, an overused word but in this case a needed dialogue could have been started).

First, Mr Williams could have said his gut reaction to seeing Muslims on a plane was wrong and as an African-American he was particularly upset with his initial response because he personally knew white people who get scared when they see a black man walking towards them on an otherwise deserted street.

Second, we could start talking about political beliefs outside the religion equation. Islamist extremists are very, very conservative. Just as McVeigh was. In this day and age it’s the rightwingers who are scary people, unlike the 60s and early 70s when groups like the Red Brigade were terrorizing Europe. The Republican Tea Partiers share an absolutism with Islamic extremists and rightwing Militia groups are growing in strength in America. Conservative Militia members might spout off about being Christian but the driving force within in them is a political vision. Same for Islamic extremists.

Third, almost every ethnic group that comes to America retains most of their native culture/dress/food in the first generation of immigrants. But by the time the grandkids are teenagers, there is a lot of assimilation. I live in Minneapolis and we have a large Somali community. Most of the women who have recently migrated still wear scarves and long-sleaved blouses and skirts that touch the floor. But you also see plenty of American-born girls of Somali heritage in their teens who sport a head scarf but who also wear tigh jeans.

“Michelle Obama, you know, she’s got this Stokely Carmichael in a designer dress thing going,” said Williams. “If she starts talking, as Mary Katharine [Ham, a conservative blogger] is suggesting, her instinct is to start with this blame America, you know, I’m the victim. If that stuff starts coming out, people will go bananas and she’ll go from being the new Jackie O to being something of an albatross.”
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He’s been one sharp knife for a long time.
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One of the biggest drop offs of all time was when he replaced Ray Suarez on Talk of the Nation.
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From “can’t miss radio” to can’t listen over night.

I can’t remember where and when I read it, but I know Williams has been cautioned by NPR before for his role on Fox. I imagine he just crossed a line once too often. This incident should not be viewed in isolation.

Bill O’Reilly and Fox in general will feed off the William’s firing for weeks. They get to scream about the public funding of NPR and PBS and pretend they really care about an African American, “liberal” reporter. You know O’Reilly believes he was able to bring down the French economy by boycotting the country. He probably takes credit for their current state.
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Beck will get out the chalkboard and explain how it is all a liberal conspiracy and compare it to Naziism, Maoism and socialism. It will of course be connected to the evil Obama. He will then, to dramatic music, sell his survival kits, his survival seeds, and his survival gold coins.
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Williams musing about his fear of Muslim appearing passengers may be his honest reaction when traveling but it was stupid to voice those concerns publicly. He has a responsibility not to feed fears, a Fox mission.
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Williams has been one of Foxes “liberal” shills for a long time. Sort of like Pat Cadell, Mara Liasson, the departed Alan Colmes, and Kristen Powers. Murdoch identifies Greta Van Susteren as a liberal.
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http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/globalchris/gGCNrN

The terminating of Juan Williams by NPR is ridiculous. This is the type of stuff that gives Liberals a bad name and gives the perception of “Leftist” bias of Public Radio. This is Political Correctness run amok.

I have met Mr. Williams on a number of occasions. I have read a number of articles he has written and have been a frequent listener to Mr. Williams on NPR.
I have to admit I loved his documentary on the Civil Rights movement, “Eye On The Prize”, and in full disclosure, Mr. Williams is a graduate of Haverford College and his sister graduated from Swarthmore College, my alma mater.

The fact that Mr. Williams worked for Fox bothered a number of people. In one sense, he seemed to give Fox some credibility. If anything, I think the fact he worked for both showed some balance.

Granted he probably should have said “I” and should not have made any personal references. NPR jounalists prize themselves by trying to be objective politically and not injecting themselves into the story. In addition, like a previous blog, whenever you start a sentence with “While I am not a bigot”, you are probably going to follow that statement with something you will later regret. That said, I believe NPR is losing a fine journalist and I consider it a big loss for myself for I love NPR and I can’t stand Fox.

walkingfunny: Have thought about this during the day quite a bit. I think the thing that Williams said that was most offensive was agreeing with O’Reilly that the U.S. has a “muslim dilemma” (whatever that is). But most of the attention has focused on the next part of what he said, which I think was confessional of a feeling, not a belief (which I’ve heard it called on NPR and MSNBC today).

It seems that a lot of what was problematic with Williams was being a commentator on Fox, which has slid into something other than a news organization (well, fallen off a cliff into something other than a news organization). This was the last straw for NPR, because Williams is identified on Fox as a commentator for NPR.

Who’s “they?”

“This is the type of stuff that gives Liberals a bad name and gives the perception of “Leftist” bias of Public Radio. This is Political Correctness run amok.”

What does this event have to do with the Left? Another term for “Political Correctness” is “logical correctness.” You can’t argue that 1.5 billion people are all terrorists, which Williams clearly did, because 15 of them are. That kind of sloppy logic makes every member of every religion a terrorist. In the age of Fox News people are shocked that some news organizations have intellectual standards.

Williams is finding out what suck holing to the likes of Bill Reilly ultimately leads to. To keep his bosses at Fox happy he reaches beyond the bounds of all intellectual decency to lend credence to hate mongers. The only liberals that make it on Fox are the kind that are spineless, door mats.

What’s the sound of a one sided conversation: I agree, I agree, I agree, I agree. That sounds very exciting. No wonder NPR is such a snooze fest. They just don’t want you get upset and actually have to think.

The liberals on here are loosing it. NPR should be defunded. It is nothing but a leftist broadcast funding by taxpayers. Since when should public funds be used for propaganda. I said public funds. So, now Soros is bankrolling NPR. They should be cut loose. They will last as long as Georgie’s money keeps them afloat.

I just want you to know that I appreciate the irony of your name here.

Why don’t we ever hear from those moderate Muslims? You’d think you find at least one that would want to comment on this…hello…

“One of the biggest drop offs of all time was when he replaced Ray Suarez on Talk of the Nation.”
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Oh no, they lost their listener. That’s 100%. It’s a big drop off all right.

Ditto

National Public Radio is not mostly funded by the Federal government.
National Public Radio is not the same as PBS.

“According to the 2005 financial statement, NPR makes just over half of its money from the fees and dues it charges member stations to receive programming. Public funding accounts for 16% of the average member station’s revenue, with 10% of this coming in the form of grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a federally funded organization.[14][15][16] Some more of that money originates from local and state governments and government-funded universities subsidizing member stations’ fees and dues to NPR.[17] Member stations that serve rural and “minority” communities receive significantly more funding from the CPB; in some cases up to 70%.[14] About 2% of NPR’s non-membership created funding comes from bidding on government grants and programs, chiefly the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; the remainder comes from member station dues, foundation grants, and corporate underwriting. Typically, NPR member stations raise funds through on-air pledge drives, corporate underwriting, and grants from state governments, universities, and the CPB itself.

Over the years, the portion of the total NPR budget that comes from government funding has decreased. During the 1970s and early 1980s, the majority of NPR funding came from the federal government. Steps were taken during the 1980s to completely wean NPR from government support, but the 1983 funding crisis forced the network to make immediate changes. More money to fund the NPR network was raised from listeners, charitable foundations and corporations, and less from the federal government.”

“NPR’s flagships are two drive time news broadcasts, Morning Edition and the afternoon All Things Considered; both are carried by most NPR member stations, and from 2002–2008 they were the second and third most popular radio programs in the country.[4][5] In a Harris poll conducted in 2005, NPR was voted the most trusted news source in the U.S.[6]”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Public_Radio

See 7.2.

ricardo,

“He has some very left wing views and tends to overlook faults and crimes of some of his fellow race.”

Please,
What examples of his supposedly very left wing views can you cite?

[Insert answer here]

Please,
What is “his race” and what are the faults and crimes that he is supposedly overlooking?

[Insert ansert here.]

textee,

See 7.2 above.

Your rants against facts get tiresome.

As a reminder of the “good old days” under the Reagan/Repub Administration, lots of Repub politicians are retreading their plans to close the federal budget gap by de-funding the pittance allocated to NPR & PBS.

“But, in context, Mr O’Reilly was not making that statement.”

I saw it. Yes, he was.

20.1 – liberal,
“Oh no, they lost their listener. That’s 100%. It’s a big drop off all right.”

Then what are you scared of?
Or are you scared that there is still a nonpartisan source of news on the radio that might, just might, convince A listener that what they hear on AM radio or Fox news radio is not the A-OK God-given indisputable TRUTH from on high?

liberal,

This is a more or less insular blog world. I only know of one Muslim (or a person who appears to be one) who stops by, and he/she states rightist “conservative” opinions that seem to match yours.
That person who might be a Muslim should post here on this most important topic.
Where is he/she?

Hello…?