I disagree with...
...about 90% of what Juan Williams says. But, as the seemingly outmoded saying goes, I'll defend to the death his right to say it. I didn't know he was working for that illiberal, intolerant, tendentious bastion of sectarianism known as NPR. Now that he's been fired for expressing his honest, and might I add, understandable, fear of flying when he sees people in Muslim garb, I am aware of his employment status.
For years I've been saying that feelings aren't good or bad, they simply ARE. Ask any therapist working today, especially those who claim to be liberal and they'll tell you that honest feelings are there for a reason and are not the "feelers" fault. They are what they are and you can either keep them to yourself, lie about them or, God forbid, discuss them openly.
Contrary to popular opinion, I have feelings of my own. Here are some things that evoke an emotional response from me:
1. People on motorcycles without helmets because I've seen the damage that can be done in bike accidents.
2. Children crossing the street without looking either way because I've seen a kid (and had one of my own) hit by a car.
3. Baseballs flying my way because I was hit in the head by one.
4. Angry men because I was hit in the head by a few.
5. Phones that ring in the middle of the night because that's how I learned of my mother's death.
6. Greyhound buses, once again, because I was hit in the head by a suitcase on one of them.
7. Dentists because they have long needles and drills that they want to put in my mouth.
8. Bugs because of a waterbug incident in 1962 that I won't go into here, it's just too icky.
9. Pelvic exams for many reasons, not the least of which is the lack of a nice dinner before the act.
10. My ex who has created an atmosphere in which my children believe that membership in a Hate Mommy Club is the only way to be totally accepted by daddy.
Now, some people may think that my fears are grounded, others may think I'm being totally silly. Nevertheless, an angry man or a large spider will send me running away without hesitation. Justified or not, my emotions are what they are.
And, like Juan Williams, I am most certainly alarmed by people in Muslim garb...on an airplane, at the post office or behind the counter at the local convenience store. I do my best to keep my emotions at bay but the simple truth is that ALL of my fears are learned fears. Something unpleasant happened and I react in a way that nature and the will to live dictate.
I don't blame squirrels for running away when I walk towards them and I don't blame Juan Williams one little bit for expressing his honest feelings about people in Muslim garb. His own life experience, as well as his human will to live, have combined to create a perfectly understandable fear.
Nothing on my list-o-fears comes close to the fear I feel when a United States government sponsored media outlet begins punishing ANY citizen for espousing his own fears, opinions or religious beliefs.
...about 90% of what Juan Williams says. But, as the seemingly outmoded saying goes, I'll defend to the death his right to say it. I didn't know he was working for that illiberal, intolerant, tendentious bastion of sectarianism known as NPR. Now that he's been fired for expressing his honest, and might I add, understandable, fear of flying when he sees people in Muslim garb, I am aware of his employment status.
For years I've been saying that feelings aren't good or bad, they simply ARE. Ask any therapist working today, especially those who claim to be liberal and they'll tell you that honest feelings are there for a reason and are not the "feelers" fault. They are what they are and you can either keep them to yourself, lie about them or, God forbid, discuss them openly.
Contrary to popular opinion, I have feelings of my own. Here are some things that evoke an emotional response from me:
1. People on motorcycles without helmets because I've seen the damage that can be done in bike accidents.
2. Children crossing the street without looking either way because I've seen a kid (and had one of my own) hit by a car.
3. Baseballs flying my way because I was hit in the head by one.
4. Angry men because I was hit in the head by a few.
5. Phones that ring in the middle of the night because that's how I learned of my mother's death.
6. Greyhound buses, once again, because I was hit in the head by a suitcase on one of them.
7. Dentists because they have long needles and drills that they want to put in my mouth.
8. Bugs because of a waterbug incident in 1962 that I won't go into here, it's just too icky.
9. Pelvic exams for many reasons, not the least of which is the lack of a nice dinner before the act.
10. My ex who has created an atmosphere in which my children believe that membership in a Hate Mommy Club is the only way to be totally accepted by daddy.
Now, some people may think that my fears are grounded, others may think I'm being totally silly. Nevertheless, an angry man or a large spider will send me running away without hesitation. Justified or not, my emotions are what they are.
And, like Juan Williams, I am most certainly alarmed by people in Muslim garb...on an airplane, at the post office or behind the counter at the local convenience store. I do my best to keep my emotions at bay but the simple truth is that ALL of my fears are learned fears. Something unpleasant happened and I react in a way that nature and the will to live dictate.
I don't blame squirrels for running away when I walk towards them and I don't blame Juan Williams one little bit for expressing his honest feelings about people in Muslim garb. His own life experience, as well as his human will to live, have combined to create a perfectly understandable fear.
Nothing on my list-o-fears comes close to the fear I feel when a United States government sponsored media outlet begins punishing ANY citizen for espousing his own fears, opinions or religious beliefs.
posted by Meg Kelso | 3:53 AM
6 Comments:
Simple answer I am not afraid of any muslim, I carry a Colt 1911 45 auto.
I agree with you...to a point. Anyone can express what they feel or think. However, he worked for an entity that did not allow for that much freedom of expression. Just like I would expect to be rudely fired if I praised my employer's biggest competitor in public, he knew what he said would bring the hammer down. He's either really dumb or really smart, as the backlash is most likely going to make him rich.
I understand what you say and would absolutely agree with you if it weren't for the types of comments (like retributive justice would have Jesse Helms' grandchildren getting AIDS) that actually ARE allowed. Williams has been a Fox News contributor for years and as such, has every reason to believe that he has been given tacit approval to speak his mind. But you are absolutely right about this making him bigger than ever!
Did you worry when you saw people with overt christian symbols after Oklahoma City, or any of the numerous abortion clinics?
People of all faiths kill others in the name of their "god".
Put yourself in that typical muslim's shoes..the ones you see in the supermarket, or at the airport. Do you think they are happy that their religion forces them to dress like that? Don't you think they would give anything to blend in? But in their own country, they are villified, hated and feared simply because of their religion. I don't fear them, I feel sorry for them and all the blatant racism they must face EVERY SINGLE DAY.
That's a totally different topic. My point was that as well as freedom of religion, we in America have the right to speak our mind. I was at Heathrow airport and watched women in burkas get on planes that would take them from free countries to countries that would stone them to death. I simply did not understand that. As an American, I, too, am villified and hated by people who could stay in their own countries but chose instead to murder thousands of Americans in the name of their own religion.
But back to Juan, he was being honest. In Skokie Illinois, Nazi's were given the right to march in a predominately Jewish area. I doubt that many people would allow the KKK to march amongst muslims in this political atmosphere. As I said before, I don't have to agree with you, I simply have to applaud your right to speak your own mind, and I do. That's my entire point. We have something that Iraq doesn't have, The American Constitution.
By the way, I do not belong to any church, I simply believe in The Golden Rule.
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