In case you missed it, National Public Radio fired Juan Williams for this — in response to a question from Bill O’Reilly on Fox News:
“When I get on a plane and see people in Muslim garb, and I think they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get nervous…”
So, Juan was fired from NPR for simply speaking the truth — on a subject of great import in the post 9/11 era.
This is political correctness run amok. But it’s a logical consequence of the idea that some things are just not said. It’s a logical consequence of tolerating the intolerant. NPR and its fellow travelers are so worried about offending Muslims that they are willing to offend all others, censor their spokespeople and fire them outright for speaking the truth.
While ostensibly being all in favor of pluralism or multiculturalism, “diversity” or whatever you want to call it, progressives tend to be intolerant in the one area that matters most — ideas. They do not suffer those who disagree with them. Were it possible, the good folks at NPR would have sent Juan Williams to a re-education camp until he saw the light.
The post-racial society, if we are ever to achieve it, will not come without discussion of how people feel about those who are different and why they feel that way. Don’t expect to hear such discussions on NPR.
Note that he wasn’t fired for being worried and nervous. He was fired for making “a bigoted statement” — for admitting to being worried and nervous. He’d shown himself to be no longer worthy of carrying the NPR banner.
The good, progressive folk at NPR are supposed to be true and pure. Like the New Soviet Man, they’ve overcome human nature. No one makes them nervous or worried, not Latino gang members, not ganstas, not skinheads (I take that back, I’m pretty sure they’ve sounded the alarm on skinheads — and militias. It’s OK to fret over militias) and certainly not Muslims. That’s their story and they’re sticking to it.
Juan Williams admitted the un-admittable. He lost face. He admitted to being human. We can’t have that!
Being frightened is like being in love — you have no control over it, it just happens. At best you can fake it, act like you’re not frightened. You can lie about it. But you cannot will it away. You can’t force yourself to be not frightened. All you can do it hide it (or take drugs).
One hopes that the NPR bigwigs would rather die at the hands of gangstas than cross the street to avoid them. And that the God of Irony is paying attention and sees an opening…