First I want to put this out there, I do not consider myself interested in politics, try to stay away from political discussions as much as possible and do not use this blog as a place to promote any political agenda. You may even remember how Dr. F and I voted in the Presidential Election in separate rooms and decided not to tell the other how we voted. However, as the midterm elections are a few days away and we get a barrage of Deleware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey ads on TV and radio, I am getting really sick and tired of the nasty, empty campaigns people are running. Finally just a few days ago, NPR fired Juan Williams...the Washington Post wrote
this article about it.
If my understanding is correct, Juan Williams simply said he felt nervous when someone who was dressed in easily identifiable Muslim clothing boarded a plane. He also went on to say he wanted to make a distinction that it was extremists and NOT moderates who were responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks. Ok, let me get this straight, he simply expressed how he
felt even though it didn't quite jive with what he
knew intellectually. Furthermore, he was not on the clock at NPR and he is known, among other things, as
... a longtime reporter, columnist and editorial writer at The Washington Post.
He has written extensively on the civil rights movement, including a book on the
African- American religious experience and a biography of Supreme Court Justice
Thurgood Marshall, the first black justice.
The backlash this firing has caused is actually heartening. Williams, whether you agree with him or not, is coming out smelling like a rose, while NPR, which we regularly listen to in the car, is facing some harsh, and deserved criticism. American's should be proud free speech, and it is a right that is threatened every day. Whether you like what Mr. Williams said is irrelevant. He expressed how he felt as an individual while not in an official capacity related to his employer, NPR. If these comments were hate speech or slander, they absolutely should not be protected under freedom of speech, but we have become a nation so obsessed with political correctness that is a burden just like all of those empty political ads that actually say nothing, I am afraid that we are tripping over ourselves so much that we can't actually say anything. Am I offended by a Menorah next to a Nativity set in December? Nope. I think its great to represent different faiths and traditions. In fact, bring on the Kinara (The Candle Holder) for Kwanzaa! I am not offended someone has a different belief than me and think this is a great opportunity to learn something new.
Another thought, and speaking as someone who has a degree in Anthropology, it is actually a survival mechanism to be fearful of something or someone different than one's self. It is a gut reaction. Have we intellectually moved on from this, absolutely! but let's not pretend that momentary reaction has been obliterated through evolution. Mr. Williams had the guts to say what so many of us think. You don't have to agree with him (isn't this country beautiful!?) but you have to respect the cajones to actually say what you think.
Finally, I don't particularly like Jon Stewart. Often I find him loud, obnoxious and too one sided. However, I think he may be on to something. Mr. Stewart, I don't like you, but I respect that you may have a different opinion than me, and that's ok.
