Saying you get nervous when you see someone on a plane wearing Muslim garb is indeed a bigoted statement. Two points.
Not one person involved in the 9/11 attacks was wearing Muslim garb.
Second, if an NPR employee said "I get nervous when I see black people in baggy jeans and hoodies," no one would have objected to that persons firing. The statement Mr. Williams made and the one I just posted are identical.
Everyone who thinks Mr. Williams statement was not racist is a racist themselves.
Cara - 14 years ago
If you look at the entire interview...Williams was making the point that you can't allow yourself to act on irrational fears and treat an entire group of people unfairly.
Sarissa Jacobs - 14 years ago
Job descriptions for "news analysts" state that they do have the right to comment and give opinion on stories. So in that view, he was within his rights to say what he felt. However, I'm sick of "news personalities", not to mention everyone else (celebrities, etc.) shoving their opinions down my throat. I don't care what my favorite singer's stance on abortion might be, or what my hairdresser's opinion on taxation is, or what the local talking head on my local TV news station thinks I should or should not be doing. I'm an adult, I'll form my own opinions, thank you, and make my own decisions! I think news analysts need to be replaced with reporters - and that the job description for reporters should be to "uncover, discover, and REPORT the news,....and personal comments, opinions, and thoughts should be kept out of all reports."
Saying you get nervous when you see someone on a plane wearing Muslim garb is indeed a bigoted statement. Two points.
Not one person involved in the 9/11 attacks was wearing Muslim garb.
Second, if an NPR employee said "I get nervous when I see black people in baggy jeans and hoodies," no one would have objected to that persons firing. The statement Mr. Williams made and the one I just posted are identical.
Everyone who thinks Mr. Williams statement was not racist is a racist themselves.
If you look at the entire interview...Williams was making the point that you can't allow yourself to act on irrational fears and treat an entire group of people unfairly.
Job descriptions for "news analysts" state that they do have the right to comment and give opinion on stories. So in that view, he was within his rights to say what he felt. However, I'm sick of "news personalities", not to mention everyone else (celebrities, etc.) shoving their opinions down my throat. I don't care what my favorite singer's stance on abortion might be, or what my hairdresser's opinion on taxation is, or what the local talking head on my local TV news station thinks I should or should not be doing. I'm an adult, I'll form my own opinions, thank you, and make my own decisions! I think news analysts need to be replaced with reporters - and that the job description for reporters should be to "uncover, discover, and REPORT the news,....and personal comments, opinions, and thoughts should be kept out of all reports."