Being afraid of Muslims on airplanes is not as natural as they're telling us

[Enrique]

In fact it's not very natural at all.

The statement that really impressed me was the NPR executive talking about Juan Williams working out his feelings with his therapist or his publicist. I think she nailed it (though I understand why she apologized.) Especially the publicist part. Juan Williams is selling out, pure and simple. What does he have to sell? He's a black liberal who tells Bill O'Reilly that his bigotry is OK. Pure gold!

But who truly knows what's in Juan Williams's heart? Maybe he truly is afraid when he sees Muslim-looking people on airplanes. In this case, his thought processes are disorganized and he needs to see someone about it. Because he knows that Muslim-looking people pose no special risk to airplane passengers. In fact, if you were to profile based on the two biggest recent threats, the shoe bomber and the underwear bomber, you would really be more scared of people that look like Juan Williams.

I'm not being PC. Being afraid of Muslim looking people on airplanes is NOT normal, NOT natural. I've heard it expressed here on DU that Williams was merely "speaking the truth". Absolutely not. I don't believe Williams actually has that fear. I don't believe that O'Reilly has that fear. They are lying. If anyone out there reading this has a fear of Muslim-looking people on airplanes, you have bought something from a bunch of liars.

[Cirque du So-What]

1. How would Juan Williams feel about

a white journalist expounding upon his fear of young African American men he encounters on the street? That's a rhetorical question, as I expect Williams to jump through hoops of logic in order to justify the white bigot's point of view.

[Enrique]

3. if Fox is really paying him $2 million

they're going to expect a lot of hoop-jumping from him.

Or maybe they're paying that much money for his journalism skills. :rofl:

[Cirque du So-What]

5. Well, that $2M contract may provide a comfy lifestyle

but he still has to look at his mug in the mirror every morning, and I hope he is truthful with himself about what he sees in that reflection.

[Lilyeye]

24. Yeah...after seeing him basically call Michelle Obama an angry black woman...I doubt he'd care.

[Crazy Dave]

2. Everyone's a sellout in the news and entertainment industry

Hell...offer me Williams contract that he's getting now with FOX and I'll make Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck sound like Arianna Huffington.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

4. Juan Williams is NOT liberal!! n/t

[The_Casual_Observer]

6. It natural if you are a shit-the-pants like Williams. I'm just gald I don't have

to listen to his bland "the people (I) feel that...." load of crap anymore.

[MineralMan]

7. I cannot remember the last flight I took that did not have some

identifiable Muslim passengers on it. If you fly in and out of any major city in the US, your experience is probably similar. These days, security screening procedures are pretty thorough. I never worry a moment about anyone on the plane, except, perhaps for the drunk guy a few rows back who is loud and obnoxious. I hate when that happens, but it has never been a Muslim passenger. Odd, that, huh?

[glowing]

9. Actually, I really hate flying with a Rush-like American or babies more than

I care if someone may be muslim...

AND believe it or not there are people from the Middle East or "mulim looking" people who aren't muslim.... some are christians, some hindu, buddhist, or atheist.

[lame54]

8. Read this Juan Williams quote...

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mike-friends-blog/juan-williams-right-political-correctness-about-terrorists-must-end-open-letter-juan

Juan, you probably remember in 1986 when the Washington Post Magazine ran a Richard Cohen column defending jewelry store owners who wouldn't buzz in young black men. It caused such a big controversy that the New Republic ran a bunch of responses to it, including one by you. You might find it interesting to go back and read what you wrote then -- for instance, "Racism is a lazy man's substitute for using good judgment ... Common sense becomes racism when skin color becomes a formula for figuring out who is a danger to me."

[mwb970]

10. It wasn't even skin color that upset Little Juan: it was "garb"! /nt

[asjr]

11. The political and human atmosphere in the last

15-20 years has become foggier and foggier. It has come to the point anyone who makes a statement about anything must think clearly and thoroughly before they speak. If something is said that makes an element of the citizenry pop up and say Hooray or You damn fool all hell breaks loose. The invention of the internet makes it all possible. As soon as the words were out of Juan's mouth half the county was talking about it. Same for Rick Sanchez and others. I am not talking about what is right or wrong about what was said; I am thinking about what we have become as a country. What makes it okay for people like Rush Limbaugh, Beck, Orangeman Boehmer, Tancredo, etc. able to say things out loud over television and get by with it? I've never considered Juan Williams anything but a person who sits on a panel on NPR. On MSNBC Chuck Toad muddies the waters by saying things like The Democrats are going to have to fight back, it looks like the Republicans are making headway. Chuck knows that is not true. Maybe to him it is, but not to me. It is all propaganda. Juan was playing advocate for O'Reilly. Chuck is pandering to his propagandists. It is all BS. I have too many problems with a lot of things at the moment to consider whether political correctness actually has a place in my life. I have become something I never thought would happen. I am now a cynic. Just my 2 cents. Had to get it off my chest. It makes me sad to see what is happening to us.

[Enrique]

14. it's not okay for Limbaugh, Beck, Tancredo, O'Reilly, Williams to say what they say

I would separate out Boehner and Chuck Todd because I'm not aware of anything bigoted they have said.

It seems like you are conflating partisan politics with bigotry, which is unfortunate since those are different things, and to the extent people see this Juan Williams thing as partisan, it will be minimized, which it shouldn't be, because it's not partisan.

[asjr]

17. I do not think I am conflating partisan politics

with bigotry. My main message, and obviously I didn't clarify it enough, is that everything is in doubt. I did not say it is okay for Limbaugh, Beck, etc to say all those things. I should have said IT SEEMS that it is okay for them to say things like they do because their stage allows it. And I know their stage is Fox and whatever for Limbaugh. I am sorry you misinterpreted it but that happens a lot. Please do not paint me as someone I am not.

[Enrique]

18. it sounded more accusatory toward you than I meant it

one of the things I like about the NPR decision is that it helps me be less cynical. So many people have been getting away with blatant Islamophobia, I was getting cynical myself.

[Iggo]

19. Yes.

The invention of the internet means a public figure better be ready for backlash when he starts spewing bullshit.

In fact, that's one of the BEST things ABOUT the internet*!:thumbsup:

*EDIT: Well that and YouTube.

[iamjoy]

12. Do We Forget....

Have we forgotten Barack Obama sharing a story about his Grandmother - who undoubtedly loved him and sacrificed for him, who would never really have been considered prejudiced or bigoted - who once crossed the street to avoid an African American man?

Looking back at the history of the world, all too often people have given in to fear and prejudice of people who are different. This has resulted in persecution, apartheid, slavery, and genocide.

It may not be logical, but fear of people different than us is quite common. It is how we respond to that fear that determines what kind of person we are, or what kind of society we have. Do we listen to our reason, our better selves who know Muslims are no greater risk than any other airline passenger and that African Americans are no more likely to be criminals than Caucasians? Or do we give into our fears and prejudice turning into bigots and justifying our feelings as "normal"? Sadly, there are influential people in society who work to feed our fears rather than our reason.

[OHdem10]

13. If all you ever listen to is Faux News, it is reasonable to be

terror stricken just thinking about Muslims.

[SmileyRose]

15. Mother f*cking Muslims on a mother f*cking plane??

Snort.

"Juan Williams" is that an American name? Let me see that birth certificate.

Juan? I bet they are putting Hannity's yard boy on the TeeVee. That guy can't be American.


Besides that, with all the stress and jockeying for a spot for carry ons, who in sam hell has the time or energy to pay attention to who's muslim looking. (and does anyone have a check off list so I know what to look for).

[Turborama]

16. NPR's codes of conduct forbid Islamophobic rants, Faux news' codes of conduct encourages them

As Rachel pointed out really well here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x518018

[4lbs]

20. Don't people (who are afraid of Muslims on planes) realize that now, after 9/11, they are subjected

to the stringest security examinations?

If I see a Muslim on a plane now, guess what? I feel safe, and have no problem sitting next to that person.

Why?

Because I know that such a person, to even make it to the boarding process, had to have gone through at least a half-dozen security screenings, taken off their shoes, been searched, X-rayed, body-scanned, their luggage searched and made sure that all IDs matched, that they weren't on a no-fly list, etc.


You know who you should be afraid of on a plane? That nervous, fidgety white guy travelling by himself. Why is he nervous? Why is he fidgety? WHy is he travelling by himself? He likely just zoomed through the security process with nary a look from the personnel.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

21. This is the correct answer. -nt

[Turborama]

22. This thread deserves many more than 2 recs

Just sayin'

[Pavulon]

23. No its pretty dumb.. Two years in the 500k mile club and I fear...

children (unsupervised and screamy) and lightweight drunks. Nothing will fuck up you flight faster or more efficiently.

Some kid kicking the shit out of your seat from NY to Denver is torture.

[liberalhistorian]

25. I'm waiting for someone in the lamestream media to

start saying how "natural" it is to be afraid of white guys formerly in the military hanging around big, important buildings (Timothy McVeigh). Or white "survivalist" militia guys (Eric Rudolph, bomber of abortion clinics and the '96 summer Olympics in Atlanta). But I ain't holding my breath, no sirree bob. Because they're more "normal-looking" people, doncha know, more "American" looking. BLECH. Fucking hypocrites.

And would you believe I've had people telling me that McVeigh could not have done OK City on his own, that he was just a "patsy" for the "real" planners and implementers, who were (you guessed it.........wait for it......here it comes now.........whoda ever thunk it.........them there eeeeeevil Mooslems). Right. You just have to shake your head at such blatant and entrenched denial.