In 1986, Juan Williams participated in a forum in The New Republic regarding a column by The Washington Post's Richard Cohen, who had justified the practice of D.C. jewelry store owners who would "admit customers only through a buzzer system, and [] some store owners use this system to exclude young black males on the grounds that these people are most likely to commit a robbery" (h/t). Defending this race-based exclusion, Cohen argued that "young black males commit an inordinate amount of urban crime," and that "black potential victims as well as white ones often act on this awareness, and that under certain circumstances, the mere recognition of race as a factor . . . is not in itself racism."
Responding to Cohen's argument, Williams said: "In this situation and all others, common sense in my constant guard. Common sense becomes racism when skin color becomes a formula for figuring out who is a danger to me.
Does common sense become bigotry when a person's clothing or religious affiliation becomes a formula for figuring out who is a danger? I would love to see Juan Williams address this statement. I won't be holding my breath, though.
Courtesy of Glenn Greenwald's blog at Salon (recommend reading the entire article):
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/10/22/muslims/index.html
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