Foot-in-mouth disease
Right off the bat, I want to state that I definitely am not a fan of ‘political correctness.’ In fact, I despise it. If ever there was a real threat to free speech, it’s this stupid PC thing, which is nothing more than a thinly veiled gag to control your right to say what you want.
If you don’t like what someone says, tell them so – and why. If something offends you on TV or radio, switch the channel or turn the darn thing off. I mean, the PC police are everywhere these days. You have to watch every thing you say and just about walk around on eggshells, least you offend anybody.
With that said, let’s tackle Helen Thomas’ recent remark – and why she deserved to get fired for what she said.
Thomas didn’t make those offensive remarks while a guest on the Jay Leno show – or even The Daily Show, where you’d expect to hear something outrageous or insulting. No, her comments came following a White House briefing, which she had attended in the capacity of a journalist.
And while it’s true that most journalists don’t pretend not to have a personal viewpoint on a given issue - I believe we do try our best to remain objective in our reporting, and keep our personal opinions out of our copy.
So, for me, Helen Thomas’ biggest sin wasn’t what she said (although, I did find her remarks blatantly anti-Semitic and reprehensible). No, in my book, her unforgivable offense was that her nasty comments showed an outright bias and a total lack of objectivity that any Journalism 101 student would recognize.
After all her years as a noted journalist, she should have known better. And she paid the price for her big, biased mouth. She has ended a long and distinguished career in disgrace.
How sad.
Copyright © 2010, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Shani McManus
That woman was way past her occupational expiration date, and frankly, the presence of the Wicked Witch of the West radiating obnoxiousness in the front row was rather disquieting.
Thanks for the memories, Helen. May you live long and prosper in retirement…quietly.
What part of Poland/Germany does she think Jesus, a Jew came from?
Interestingly, DNA testing has recently revealed that all Jews, whether Ashkenazi or Sephardic came from the same Middle Eastern strain. Every Jew in the world can thus trace their physical lineage direct to Israel, not Poland, Germany, or anywhere else.
Can the Palestinians make the same claim?
“Can the Palestinians make the same claim?”
Actually, by-and-large, yes they can.
It’s no secret that Jews intermarried, fell out of faith, changed faith and converted from the “local population” for 3 thousand years.
The Palestinians lost their chance at a much bigger state in 1947. While Israel MUST and WILL remain a Jewish state, we have to have some respect for the hardship that act created on a local non-Jewish population.
Doesn’t excuse murder, but that understanding HAS to be part of our dialogue — it’s the right thing to do even if it’s hard.
I’ve been hearing that some members of the Washington press have been targets of Thomas’ outspokenness — and even racism — ever since 9/11. Yet no one dared say much. That is sad – why tolerate hate?
The Jewish people have been around since Abraham became Abram, and Jacob became Israel, a lot longer than helen thomas, all I have to say is “Good Riddance” have a nice retirement Helen
Excellent column Shani… Helen Thomas had a reputation for being a self-derving bully ….right up to the end. She outlived a once powerful position.
Today’s Palestinians would have to trace their lineage to the ancient Canaanites to predate the Jews’ claim to Israel. As Arabs have long been migratory, they might just have a hard time doing that. It’s quite possible that the Palestinians came from … everywhere.