Internet Responds To Racist Article, Gets Author Fired 1208
In the wake of the Trayvon Martin tragedy in February, many publications posted articles about "the talk" — a phrase denoting the conversation many black parents have at some point with their children to explain the realities of racism. Last Thursday, writer John Derbyshire penned an article titled "The Talk: Nonblack Version," which codified a similar set of lessons he had given to his children over the years. Unfortunately, those lessons turned out to be horribly racist themselves. "The remarkably long list of how to teach children to stay safe by avoiding black people goes on for two pages and Derbyshire contends is a true lifesaver. There is no irony or clarification that, perhaps, this is a joke, no matter how much you may want to find a disclaimer after you’re done reading." Reader concealment writes to point out that the internet and the media vocalized their disgust quickly and at length, and now Derbyshire has been fired from his position at the conservative National Review magazine (the offending article appeared in a different publication called Taki's Magazine).
Re:This seems a bit one-sided... (Score:5, Informative)
One warns about the existence of racism in general, not "all white people". The other said to avoid area where black people live or govern, and to avoid conversation with unknown black people. They're not remotely the same thing with the races reversed, despite many many attempts to pretend they are.
Re:This seems a bit one-sided... (Score:2, Informative)
Because it's not warning about one skin color and not the other. It's warning that yeah, racism exists. It's a warning that yeah, reaching for your wallet while talking to cops as a black person will be read differently by the cops than reaching for your wallet while talking to the cops as a white person.
One "talk" is about how we live in a racist society. The other talk is about how to be a racist.
Re:Few to admit it, but a lot of parents teach thi (Score:5, Informative)
1. NPR receives very little funding from the government. A high estimate would be about 16% for any individual station. By contrast, Catholic Charities USA claims 67% of its funding is through the government.
2. Juan Williams didn't just say something "NPR did not like," he said something incredibly and unapologetically racist. If he had instead said "the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are helping the world and the US in particular because it's stabilizing oil production for US consumption and the count of US soldiers injured and killed is a totally acceptable cost" he probably wouldn't have been fired despite the fact that NPR doesn't usually have people say stuff like that on the air.
3. Juan Williams wasn't just some one-time-guest on Fox, he was consistently an analyst for Fox for three years prior to joining NPR.
Now, if you were to say his conservative views and appearances on Fox News were a factor in his firing, that may hold some merit, but the implication that NPR disagreeing with him was a raw cause is rather inflammatory and not quite accurate.
Bullcrap... RTFA and you'll see (Score:5, Informative)
There is two levels of warnings that parents can give. One is "Don't go to the poor (=black) neighborhoods alone at night" which might be at times unjust generalization but I wouldn't try to crucify anyone for giving that kind of advice. The other level is what this guy wrote... None of the quotes are taken out of context here:
Those aren't necessarily even the most outrageous instructions but there were just so many to choose from...
Re:Few to admit it, but a lot of parents teach thi (Score:5, Informative)
I recall the government-funded NPR recently fired a black reporter after he made a guest appearance on FOX and said some things NPR did not like. So to answer your question: Yes.
You're referring to Juan Williams, and the remarks he made on Fox had nothing to do with blacks vs. whites. Williams made remarks to the effect that he feared for his safety when he saw someone who looked (to him) like a Muslim board an airplane, and that anyone who wears "Muslim garb" obviously identifies themselves as a Muslim first and an American second (if they are American at all). He was fired because these espoused beliefs were in conflict with his role as an NPR news analyst, where he was regularly called upon to comment on the Middle East conflict, terrorism, immigration, and other issues that concern Muslims and Muslim Americans.
Re:Few to admit it, but a lot of parents teach thi (Score:5, Informative)
In the interest of completeness it should be pointed out that one of the kids instructed his buddies to "take him [the victim] down," at which point the victim told them to "Remember Trayvon." It was after that they the beating started and one of the kids reportedly said "this is for Trayvon." The article at the Daily Mail states that the police don't know if the attack was racially motivated or if they interpreted "Remember Trayvon" as a racist remark. So to suggest that this was some kind of reverse lynch mob is a bit of a stretch, which of course does not prevent the Daily Mail from labeling it a 'twisted racial revenge' attack.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2126003/Trayvon-Martin-case-6-youths-beat-man-78-twisted-racial-revenge-attack.html [dailymail.co.uk]
Re:Few to admit it, but a lot of parents teach thi (Score:3, Informative)
NPR gets about 15% of its funding from Government (directly AND through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which is 100% federal funds).
Add to this another 14% from universities (which are mostly disguised federal and state pass-thru money).
The bulk of their funding is from individuals and businesses, and foundations. Foundations and Businesses amount to another 28%, all of
which is a write for the foundation or business, so more money out of the federal pocket.
The individual category is 34% and there is no real way to tell how much of that is a tax write off as well.
So roughly 58% of NPRs budget is from the Government, either directly, or by tax write off which has the same effect on government.
(Totally disregarding the fact that NPR is tax exempt which eliminates corporate taxes which amount to about 34% of income according to Wikipedia).
Re:Few to admit it, but a lot of parents teach thi (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Few to admit it, but a lot of parents teach thi (Score:1, Informative)
Churches:
Funds from Government? No.
Funds from CPB? No.
Funds from Universities: No.
Tax exempt? Not always, but mostly.
Your Troll? Fail.
Why National Review actually fired him... (Score:5, Informative)
As reported in National Review
"Anyone who has read Derb in our pages knows he’s a deeply literate, funny, and incisive writer. I direct anyone who doubts his talents to his delightful first novel, “Seeing Calvin Coolidge in a Dream,” or any one of his “Straggler” columns in the books section of NR. Derb is also maddening, outrageous, cranky, and provocative. His latest provocation, in a webzine, lurches from the politically incorrect to the nasty and indefensible. We never would have published it, but the main reason that people noticed it is that it is by a National Review writer. Derb is effectively using our name to get more oxygen for views with which we’d never associate ourselves otherwise. So there has to be a parting of the ways. Derb has long danced around the line on these issues, but this column is so outlandish it constitutes a kind of letter of resignation. It’s a free country, and Derb can write whatever he wants, wherever he wants. Just not in the pages of NR or NRO, or as someone associated with NR any longer."
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/295514/parting-ways-rich-lowry [nationalreview.com]
Re:Few to admit it, but a lot of parents teach thi (Score:5, Informative)
Like a lot of these types of things, it's really a CLASS issue, not a race issue.
Actually, I disagree. The problem isn't class OR race, but rather culture. "Tribal" can be cultural as well as racial or geographic, and sometimes more so.
Re:Few to admit it, but a lot of parents teach thi (Score:5, Informative)
Have you thought of getting an Atlas? Maybe just browsing google maps?
Here's a helpful starting point: http://maps.google.com/?q=Ireland [google.com]
Now find Tottenham and Paris and be surprised that they aren't in the bit of the map we know as Ireland.
Re:Few to admit it, but a lot of parents teach thi (Score:4, Informative)