BF2S Forums NPR analyst fired over Muslim comment

Dilbert_X wrote:

FEOS wrote:

As to the "last word" comment: I'm doing my fucking job as a moderator

No, you're trying to impose your view and stifle discussion at the same time.

FEOS wrote:

This is not on topic.

And there is nothing in Israeli citizenship law that requires the person applying for citizenship to be Jewish.

Keep it on topic, or posts will start to get deleted.

No, I'm not. I've explained it. Repeatedly.

If you want to rant about Israel do it in another thread. There's no one stopping you.

I'm not imposing my view. If anyone's doing that, it's you by attempting to derail this thread so you can do your standard anti-Israeli stump speech in a thread that has zero to do with Israel.

So again: If you want to do that, have fucking at it. In another thread. Nobody's stopping you from doing that. Nobody's "stifling discussion" or "imposing their view" on you or anyone else. I'm just trying to keep the discussion reasonably limited to the OP, and your diversion to "Israel sucks" isn't even the same sport, much less the same ball park.

Dilbert_X wrote:

It was directly relevant

rdx-fx wrote:

Nah, we should reroute entire highways based on religion. Like Saudi Arabia

Dilbert_X wrote:

You're thinking of Israeli roads in the West Bank. (Which are highways for the exclusive use of one religion)

Sorry I showed Israel in a poor light, calm down now.

Pretty sure I'm not the one who called you out on it.

All I did was agree and say to keep it on topic. How about you calm down and keep it on topic?

I don't think its overreacting, the guy should get a job somewhere where that kind of racial bias is tolerated (or incentivated). If you want to have controversial or racial point of views, you know you're gonna face opposition.

The NPR is as free to fire him as he is to have his supid "fears" of people with arabian clothing in airplanes.

EVieira wrote:

I don't think its overreacting, the guy should get a job somewhere where that kind of racial bias is tolerated (or incentivated). If you want to have controversial or racial point of views, you know you're gonna face opposition.

The NPR is as free to fire him as he is to have his supid "fears" of people with arabian clothing in airplanes.

i just have a fear of a very long immigration wait.

Beduin wrote:

Turquoise wrote:

Yep, the whole prohibition on visually portraying Muhammad is actually something that came late in Islam.

Not true. lets stay on topic... FEAR MUSLIMS.

Ok, there's been disagreement on the topic.

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

Either way, it's such a silly thing for people to get upset about.  Every religion seems to have these stupid rules that don't amount to shit, and yet they're willing to kill people over it.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not saying Muslims are the only ones like that, but seriously.  Threatening people over a cartoon?  There is no justification for that.

Beduin wrote:

Turquoise wrote:

I didn't say that, Beduin.  Although after the cartoon controversy, I'm sure things were a little tense.  The fact that some of the people connected to Jyllands-Posten had to go into hiding isn't a good mark for Islam overall.

We are not affraid of the busdriver, the local pizzaman or even hizb-ul-tahrir. We have many issues here, but fear is not one of them.

It is for certain cartoonists.  In Sweden, look at what happened with Lars Vilks.  In the Netherlands, look at what happened to Theo van Gogh.

I suppose you have nothing to fear if you don't offend Muslims in Europe, but if you draw a cartoon or make a film offending them, good luck.

Last edited by Turquoise (2010-10-25 11:21:47)

Ticia wrote:

So intolerance for statements motivated by silly generalization should become a crime?

Where did I say that?  I simply believe that NPR overreacted.

Ticia wrote:

And again isn't a company holding someone on their payroll accountable for the words they speak pretty much the norm... Don Imus, anyone?

Honestly, what Don Imus said was no different from what rappers say in nearly every song.  I wouldn't have fired him either.

Ticia wrote:

Is Juan Williams entitled to his opinion? Absolutely. However, he decided to act in a way not warranted by the company that pays him. He went on national tv and state his biased opinion to make a political point so just let him take the heat and continue to do that on Fox until he says something stupid again and be fired...again.

It wasn't exactly that controversial of a point.  As I said, most Americans probably agreed with him, no matter how loudly some may choose to deny their own prejudices.

Ticia wrote:

As for the prejudice vs bigotry issue, shall we have a look at some of Mr. Williams past words?

Unless I am a racist, race and age cannot be the sole deciding factors in calculating whom I will and will not let into my store
Common sense becomes racism when skin color becomes a formula for figuring out who is a danger to me.
Racism is a lazy man's substitute for using good judgment.

Link

So...tell me again why this guy is winning?

I agree with that, honestly.  It makes sense.  It's like how profiling sometimes works for law enforcement.

I'm still not seeing how Williams said something so gravely offensive so as to get fired.

FEOS wrote:

EVieira wrote:

I don't think its overreacting, the guy should get a job somewhere where that kind of racial bias is tolerated (or incentivated). If you want to have controversial or racial point of views, you know you're gonna face opposition.

The NPR is as free to fire him as he is to have his supid "fears" of people with arabian clothing in airplanes.

Had he made his statement on NPR, your argument would be spot-on. However, he didn't. He made it on Fox, his other employer.

Of course, NPR is free to fire him for whatever reason they want, within the bounds of his contract. That doesn't make it less wrong or less agenda-driven.

If he has his agenda, his employer is right not to want to be associated with him. It would be the same if there were anti-semitic coments made by a TV anchor of any major TV network.

Dilbert_X wrote:

And if the ex-US military types stopped the mindless muslim-bashing we'd think two of their brain-cells had paired up and started exchanging electrons.

Are you through with baseless insults now?

I make a clear distinction between the various sects of Islam I've issues with. 
The Good (moderate Pashtun peasants, peaceful Shia, Kurdish villagers),
the Bad (Ahmadamnnutjob, Saddam & Sons, Al Quaeda, Taliban),
and the Ugly (Kingdom of Saud, Oil Princes stealing from their people).

You, however, never seem to have the slightest nuance to your rants and railing against your two favorite boogey men. (America, and IsRe..allyNotGonnaSayIt)
Every action of those two nationalities is apparently evil, corrupt, greedy, or lazy, according to your world view.

Now, really, which one of us is more akin to a lobotomized monkey pressing the same two levers for his daily crack fix?

Last edited by rdx-fx (2010-10-25 14:21:45)

FEOS wrote:

Of course, NPR is free to fire him for whatever reason they want, within the bounds of his contract. That doesn't make it less wrong or less agenda-driven.

Its just as bad Fox is incentivising people to make racial and religious charged comments to boost their ratings.

Turquoise wrote:

Ticia wrote:

As for the prejudice vs bigotry issue, shall we have a look at some of Mr. Williams past words?

Unless I am a racist, race and age cannot be the sole deciding factors in calculating whom I will and will not let into my store
Common sense becomes racism when skin color becomes a formula for figuring out who is a danger to me.
Racism is a lazy man's substitute for using good judgment.

Link

So...tell me again why this guy is winning?

I agree with that, honestly.  It makes sense.  It's like how profiling sometimes works for law enforcement.

I'm still not seeing how Williams said something so gravely offensive so as to get fired.

Apparently he does.
You've been defending Williams’s right to express his fear of Muslims when he is the first to admit his feelings are racist.

Common sense becomes bigotry when hats become a formula for figuring out who is a danger to me

Cybargs wrote:

Dilbert_X wrote:

FEOS wrote:

Of course, NPR is free to fire him for whatever reason they want, within the bounds of his contract. That doesn't make it less wrong or less agenda-driven.

Its just as bad Fox is incentivising people to make racial and religious charged comments to boost their ratings.

hajji prince seems to be fine with that.

Well he makes a bucketload off it doesn't he?

Ticia wrote:

Turquoise wrote:

Ticia wrote:

As for the prejudice vs bigotry issue, shall we have a look at some of Mr. Williams past words?

Link

So...tell me again why this guy is winning?

I agree with that, honestly.  It makes sense.  It's like how profiling sometimes works for law enforcement.

I'm still not seeing how Williams said something so gravely offensive so as to get fired.

Apparently he does.
You've been defending Williams’s right to express his fear of Muslims when he is the first to admit his feelings are racist.

Common sense becomes bigotry when hats become a formula for figuring out who is a danger to me

I guess I'm a bigot then.

FEOS wrote:

EVieira wrote:

FEOS wrote:

Had he made his statement on NPR, your argument would be spot-on. However, he didn't. He made it on Fox, his other employer.

Of course, NPR is free to fire him for whatever reason they want, within the bounds of his contract. That doesn't make it less wrong or less agenda-driven.

If he has his agenda, his employer is right not to want to be associated with him. It would be the same if there were anti-semitic coments made by a TV anchor of any major TV network.

Not sure where there was any "agenda" in what Williams said.

But you seem sure the NPR has an "agenda"? Maybe they just don't like having in their payroll people who make public declarations that lean toward profiling and racism. Like I said, it would be the same as any TV anchor made anti semitic comments. The diference here is that it as directed at arabs.

I can't see this as an overreaction. Its a decision and a statement the NPR decided to do, with every right to do so.