Life is so strange: we can still remember the very first time we saw Juan Williams on public television, and thinking he was some milk toast-y black guy whose opinions didn't matter much (Which is true if you think about it: until now, has Juan Williams ever said or done anything worth mentioning? Hell, he didn't even do anything now - it was NPR that did something so wrong we're all talking about it). And yet, today, he's the darling of the Right - specifically because he's an old school Democrat and not a "progressive" - after being thrown over the side for ideological impurity. As Bill O'Reilly says, here, Williams' career is now set - thanks to NPR attempting to destroy him. Whodathunkit?
And - wow - who do NPR think they are? Seriously, Juan Williams was a great fit because he was as milk toast-y as they appeared to be. Now, here they come, playing hardball with a guy they probably thought wouldn't fight back - forgetting the thing they hated most about him were his conservative friends - but now he's got a lot of friends, and even worse, they're coming into power, ready to fight. It's just a stupid, stupid, stupid move by NPR, all around.
If NPR soon gets defunded (as Sarah Palin suggests) that'll be fine by us - we stopped watching/listening to them years ago, once we realized they were a part of the NewAge matrix - because anything that forces Louise Hay to dig deeper, into her own pocket, to keep an outlet for her stable of NewAgers open, is A-OK around here. (We'd be happier if Hay just died already, but whatever.)
And if, like Air America, NPR eventually finds they can't survive without sucking on the public tit, all the better. This Juan Williams thing is just the sort of episode that proves why. They weren't ever to have been trusted - or supported - and especially not on the public dime. As we've been saying for years (and even David Mamet eventually discovered - calling them "National Palestinian Radio") underneath that soft-spoken coo-cooing, they're nothing but a nest of NewAge vipers:
And now, in a FOX News frenzy, it appears they've finally gone and bitten themselves to death.
Good riddance.
People listen to NPR to find out what the facts are, and Fox to find out what their opinions should be.
ReplyDeleteFacts are usually boring, and kind of confusing to piece together and make sense of, wheras opinions are emotional! and exciting! and fun to argue about!
SO, each has their place, and I will continue to go to both sources, depending on my mood.
Yea, I used to think so, too - until I watched an episode of FRONTLINE (on a subject I knew intimately) and saw, clearly, how they slanted the facts to fit their preconceived political views. (The formally-liberal playwright, David Mamet, didn't blame NPR for his political conversion - and call it "National Palestinian Radio" - for nothing.) They don't care about facts - nor do they declare their biases as FOX does - which some don't like but, at least, it's not dishonest.
ReplyDeleteAnd isn't it funny they didn't fire the producer who, laughing, let it be known on the JournoList she wished to witness Rush Limbaugh's death?
Once again there's a new call to defund NPR - now with Juan Williams' endorsement - so, if I were you (and, like Juan, enjoy being misled by people you trust) I'd get it now before NPR has to do something it's never faced before:
Honestly competing.
Some people like to read the Economist, others think professional wrestling is real - to each their own.
ReplyDeletePeople listen to NPR to find out what the facts are, and Fox to find out what their opinions should be.
ReplyDeleteExcuse me while I snort beer out of my nose.
A recent Pew study showed that NPR listeners answered 85% of the questions on a quiz about current events correctly, while Fox viewers scored lower (35%)
ReplyDeleteThat's not to say that's there's anything wrong with Fox's brand of punditry - it really is super-entertaining and there definitely is a market for it.
I'm just pointing out that some people actually do consume news for information - for example, I actually do want to find out how the latest China-Japan dustup is going to affect rare earth metals futures, so that's why I listen to NPR
Bill O'Reilly's fulminations over the latest teen dance craze or Glen Beck's most extra-Biblical divine revelations may be fascinating, but I just don't have the time for that stuff
Might you have a link for that recent PEW study? I'd be interested in having that test myself just for fun. I do tend to suspect these studies cited in comments so frequently claiming this group is smarter than that group when my own personal experience is contrary. The people I know who brag about being NPR listeners, yes BRAG about, are actually rather dull on the whole.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of dimes -- you did speak of dimes -- I found one today in the washing machine drain filter. It fit perfectly in the little thing right before the exit hose. Could have caused a problem, but no, and now I'm 10¢ richer than I was earlier.