# Should longtime NPR analyst Juan Williams have been fired for comments he made on O'Reilly? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 21, 2010, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887 "2010-10-21T14:51:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887/141 "2010-10-21T20:20:09Z")
> [@Mr\_Smashy](#): > > You really don’t understand that? I understand your point of view. It’s just that you haven’t posted any facts to support it and you’re blindly speculating, undeterred by information, so I have zero reason to believe you. I’m not impressed by your "I’m just saying"s and your "I’m guessing"s and insinuations about what you would do in this situation and that. Alas, your sarcasm isn’t rescuing the argument either. [NPR is using the money from the Open Society Foundations to hire journalists to cover state governments.](http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://www.soros.org/initiatives/usprograms/focus/transparency/news/npr-grant-20101018) Ooh, suspicious. I don’t know what “wishes” you believe Soros made (you haven’t posted evidence for that either), how you think NPR will fulfill them, or anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887/142 "2010-10-21T20:25:14Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > And let’s face it, governments all over the globe are not spending billions of dollars on security and intelligence efforts in an effort to protect themselves from being blown up by white, blond, fifteen-year-old cheerleaders from Nebraska. > > There are hundreds of thousands if not millions of Islamic terrorists in countries all over the earth trying to find successful ways to kill as many innocent people as possible and a person would not only be ridiculous but stupid not to feel some degree of trepidation when finding themselves traveling with members of the religion that gave birth to that ideology, especially on an airplane. > > We’re all waiting for the next big strike and we all know there are plenty of Muslims out there trying to make it happen. Wariness when it comes to Muslims, while in a perfect world not desirable, is not only understandable but necessary as it heightens awareness and makes people more vigilant to signs of danger which may be afoot. > > NPR’s firing of Williams is just another example of what is becoming to my mind one of the greatest threats that liberalism poses, which is to the ability of people to think for themselves and to express their own views freely. Whether it’s conservative speakers being shouted down on college campuses, NPR firing Williams, dingbats walking off The View, or pile-ons on the Straight Dope, it’s becoming more and more apparent that to the left, dissenting or opposing views (or even views that inadvertently stray from the party line, such as Williams’) are simply not to be tolerated. There is so much fear in this post, it somewhat amazes me. You’re “waiting for the next big strike”, worried about “danger which may be afoot” and “one of the greatest threats that liberalism poses”. You honestly think there are _millions_ of terrorists trying to attack the United States (at its peak Al Qada had maybe 5,000 commanders). Hell, even if there _were_ 1 million terrorist Muslims (which there aren’t), there are 1.6 _billion_ in total. It’s irrational to be afraid of random Muslims on airplanes. It’s _especially_ irrational to be afraid of ones dressed in traditional Muslim clothing. (Quiz: Who has committed more acts of terrorist: Muslims in headscarves or in US Army uniforms?). The line about “members of the religion that gave birth to that ideology, especially on an airplane” is particularly hysterical (not in the funny sense). One could just as easily be concerned about members of the religion that gave birth to the Crusades. 9/11 is no more a devout Muslim’s fault than priest child abuses were a devout Catholic’s. It’s also highly irrational to be concerned about the inability of conservatives to express their opinions, when all of the highest-rated and most-watched and -listened-to commentators are conservative. Trust me, Juan will have plenty of places to air his opinions, be they bigoted or no. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887/143 "2010-10-21T20:31:38Z")
[quote=“Starving\_Artist, post:135, topic:557887”] > [@](#): > > We’re all waiting for the next big strike and we all know there are plenty of Muslims out there trying to make it happen. Wariness when it comes to Muslims, while in a perfect world not desirable, is not only understandable but necessary as it heightens awareness and makes people more vigilant to signs of danger which may be afoot. So it’s ok to be nervous about all Muslims? Is it ok to be nervous about all [Christians or Boy Scouts?](http://www.parallelpac.org/murder.htm) There are an awful lot of them, and they totally could be plotting against me. What about [white, brunette, 33 year old, gun loving, military trained security guards from New York?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_McVeigh) Should we be nervous about them? According to you, we should. One did it, maybe even a few did it, therefore all of them could do it! Doesn’t that huge paintbrush get heavy? > [@](#): > > NPR’s firing of Williams is just another example of what is becoming to my mind one of the greatest threats that liberalism poses, which is to the ability of people to think for themselves and to express their own views freely. Whether it’s conservative speakers being shouted down on college campuses, NPR firing Williams, dingbats walking off The View, or pile-ons on the Straight Dope, it’s becoming more and more apparent that to the left, dissenting or opposing views (or even views that inadvertently stray from the party line, such as Williams’) are simply not to be tolerated. Oh noes! They’re arguing against our position! They don’t automatically agree with everything we say! They give evidence to support their views, and demand we do the same! They’re point out our bigotry to us! They’re obviously destroying our rights, and this entire country all at the same time! They having a special on martyr complexes at K-Mart or something? ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887/144 "2010-10-21T20:42:29Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I assume he was getting paid by Fox, but if you’re trying to say thathe was “off the clock” from his NPR gig, I would say that it doesn’t matter. You said that NPR should not have to pay him for his bigotry. I don’t see where they were. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887/145 "2010-10-21T20:43:45Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > Oh noes! They’re arguing against our position! They don’t automatically agree with everything we say! They give evidence to support their views, and demand we do the same! NPR didn’t do any of those things - they just fired him because they didn’t like that he didn’t toe the ideological line. > [@Starving Artist](#): > > NPR’s firing of Williams is just another example of what is becoming to my mind one of the greatest threats that liberalism poses, which is to the ability of people to think for themselves and to express their own views freely. Whether it’s conservative speakers being shouted down on college campuses, NPR firing Williams, dingbats walking off The View, or pile-ons on the Straight Dope, it’s becoming more and more apparent that to the left, dissenting or opposing views (or even views that inadvertently stray from the party line, such as Williams’) are simply not to be tolerated. I wonder how much of this has to do with the fact that it appears the GOP will regain control of at least one house of Congress. NPR is circling the wagons, or purging themselves of those whose loyalty to the Great Goddess Liberalism is suspect. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887/146 "2010-10-21T20:45:00Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I wonder how much of this has to do with the fact that it appears the GOP will regain control of at least one house of Congress. I’ll take Nothing for $200, Alex. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887/147 "2010-10-21T20:48:04Z")
Williams has landed on Fox, and published his side of things: > **[JUAN WILLIAMS: I Was Fired for Telling the Truth](https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/juan-williams-i-was-fired-for-telling-the-truth)** > > To say the least, my firing by NPR is a chilling assault on free speech. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887/148 "2010-10-21T20:53:21Z")
Even if the firing was abrupt and unfair, he’s adapting quite well to Fox’s whiney, self-righteous style. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887/149 "2010-10-21T20:54:25Z")
> [@Mr\_Smashy](#): > > :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: I’ll raise your six eye rolls with seven. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887/150 "2010-10-21T20:54:27Z")
I must say, Williams’ take does change my mind somewhat, except when he goes off on martyr tangents like this: > [@](#): > > I asked why she would fire me without speaking to me face to face and she said there was nothing I could say to change her mind, the decision had been confirmed above her, and there was no point to meeting in person. To say the least this is a chilling assault on free speech. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887/151 "2010-10-21T21:03:50Z")
Of course the silly thing about William’s comment is that if Al-qaeda or some other Islamist terror group decides to blow up an airline, they will instruct their operatives to act as inconspicuously as possible. This means dressing in western garb and not displaying any signs of their faith, even acting in un-islamic ways like having a beer or ogling women. This was the instruction given to the 9/11 hijackers. Ideally the operatives won’t even be arabs. Thus the passengers in islamic garb praying towards mecca are the least likely to blow up the plane. ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887/152 "2010-10-21T21:07:45Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > It is not bigoted to do either one of those things. What is bigoted is to make _assumptions_ about them based on thir clothes. Wrong again. He was not making any assumption about people who dress in muslim garb. He was stating his own irrational fear. He didn’t suggest that they should be scrutinized more closely or feared by others. He didn’t say that he _assumed_ that anyone wearing muslim garb was a terrorist. He was expressing a basic fear that, I would wager, the majority of Americans have. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887/153 "2010-10-21T21:21:30Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > You said that NPR should not have to pay him for his bigotry. I don’t see where they were. He was one of their public faces. Once his bigotry was exposed, that became part of his person. He would not have been able to wash it off while on the clock for NPR. They do not have to pay a bigot to do commentary for them. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887/154 "2010-10-21T21:23:06Z")
> [@yorick73](#): > > Wrong again. He was not making any assumption about people who dress in muslim garb. He was stating his own irrational fear. He didn’t suggest that they should be scrutinized more closely or feared by others. He didn’t say that he _assumed_ that anyone wearing muslim garb was a terrorist. He was expressing a basic fear that, I would wager, the majority of Americans have. His irrational fear is _ipso facto_ bigotry. I doubt the majority of Americans piss down their legs at the sight of Muslims, but if they do, then that just means the majority of Americans are Islamophobic morons. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887/155 "2010-10-21T21:25:18Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > NPR didn’t do any of those things - they just fired him because they didn’t like that he didn’t toe the ideological line. > I wonder how much of this has to do with the fact that it appears the GOP will regain control of at least one house of Congress. NPR is circling the wagons, or purging themselves of those whose loyalty to the Great Goddess Liberalism is suspect. The answer is zero. I will repeat once again that NPR is non-partisan. Accusations that the organization is “liberal” are factually false. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887/156 "2010-10-21T21:42:46Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > NPR didn’t do any of those things - they just fired him because they didn’t like that he didn’t toe the ideological line. You mean not being a bigot? That’s what you mean right, not being a bigot? Cuz that’s what he failed to do, not be a bigot. I mean, I can see why they wouldn’t want a bigot representing them. If their ideology included ‘no pedophiles’, and I hope it does, and they fired someone for publicly announcing they were a pedophile cuz they didn’t want a pedophile representing them publicly, would you argue against that too? Or is it just because he’s a bigot? Is that it? The bigot thing? > [@](#): > > I wonder how much of this has to do with the fact that it appears the GOP will regain control of at least one house of Congress. NPR is circling the wagons, or purging themselves of those whose loyalty to the Great Goddess Liberalism is suspect. Well that would explain why they’re firing all those other non-uber-liberal reports. How many are they up to now? ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887/157 "2010-10-21T21:45:24Z")
> [@Algher](#): > > Williams has landed on Fox, and published his side of things: > > [http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/10/21/juan-williams-npr-fired-truth-muslim-garb-airplane-oreilly-ellen-weiss-bush/](http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/10/21/juan-williams-npr-fired-truth-muslim-garb-airplane-oreilly-ellen-weiss-bush/) I called it! Oh who am I kidding, that was an easy one. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887/158 "2010-10-21T21:52:43Z")
Interesting. Apparently part of the reason he was fired was because of complaints from NPR employees who wear Muslim garb to work. I was disappointed to see him resort to the “this is an attack on free speech” line, though, because he’s smart enough to know that’s bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887/159 "2010-10-21T22:02:08Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > His irrational fear is _ipso facto_ bigotry. I doubt the majority of Americans piss down their legs at the sight of Muslims, but if they do, then that just means the majority of Americans are Islamophobic morons. Wrong again. But you do seem to have a flair for misrepresenting my posts. Keep on misrepresenting and spinning away…you lose more and more credibility, if there was any left, with each additional post. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887/160 "2010-10-21T22:48:42Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I was disappointed to see him resort to the “this is an attack on free speech” line, though, because he’s smart enough to know that’s bullshit. No way. I watch a lot of cable news in the background while I do other things. I’ve probably seen 50 hours of the guy’s work on Fox, and I’ve not once heard him say something interesting or intelligent. Same goes for Mara. I think maybe we need a national seminar on the First Amendment after the last six months of mindless dialogue on the topic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-longtime-npr-analyst-juan-williams-have-been-fired-for-comments-he-made-on-oreilly/557887.md?page=9)