Has there ever been a clearer instance of political correctness than NPR firing Juan Williams for his statement that seeing people in Muslim garb on his airplane causes him anxiety? This is, of course, a near universal reaction among flyers, and understandably so.
Williams didn't say that all Muslims are terrorists, nor did he say that Muslims ought not be allowed to fly. He merely gave voice to personal feelings which almost all of us have experienced.
And how ironic that the victim of this political correctness would be a liberal black man, especially Williams, who never emits anything but nice guy vibes.
But at least there was a huge public outcry against these thought police. Maybe there's a tiny ray of hope for the cause of honesty after all.
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3 comments:
I share your hope John. We were among those who wrote to NPR and are gratified at the scale of the backlash. Whether or not NPR does some reflection on its own stifling PC-ness I think it is very helpful that this incident has sparked some way overdue public debate. Of course your blog is way out ahead on this issue! :)
G
I'd be the first to think about not boarding a flight if I saw someone (or especially two or more people together) in Muslim clothing getting on the plane. I have no problem with profiling for security purposes and I think it's ridiculous that grandmother type people are singled out for additional screening when others who are more likely a threat are are allowed to go by without a second glance.
Guy --
Thank you. How ironic it is that is was a liberal black man who was fired for political incorrectness, too. And especially a guy like Williams who gives off such nice guy vibes. Of course, NPR only hires liberals to begin with, so they couldn't have fired a conservative.
Anonymous -- I've often thought the same thing. It's ridiculous that the screeners will often let a guy like me, who is somewhat swarthy and vaguely ethnic-looking, go by, while they will frisk an elderly white lady. I'd feel a lot safer if they paid more attention to people who look like me.
One thing that hasn't been pointed out in this whole debate, though, is that an actual Muslim terrorist would be highly unlikely to dress up in Muslim garb; he would be much more likely to wear clothes that would allow him to blend in.
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