Listeners Outraged By NPR Interviewing White Supremacist Jason Kessler and Asking Him Which Race is Smarter
Much to the outrage of many listeners, white supremacist organizer Jason Kessler appeared on National Public Radio this morning to discuss his upcoming “Unite the Right 2” event in Washington, D.C., which will serve as an anniversary event marking one year since racists gathered in Charlottesville, VA — an event during which anti-fascist protester Heather Heyer was killed.
Kessler, whose rally is taking place on August 12 in a park right across the street from the White House, claimed to the NPR host that he is “not a white supremacist” and “not even a white nationalist,” even though he ranked the races based on supposed intelligence levels later on in the segment.
Interviewer Noel King asked about his National Park Service permit that lists KKK leader David Duke and neo-Nazi Patrick Little as speakers at the event , which Kessler responded to by accusing her of not knowing “anything about my rally” and added, “I haven’t announced who the speakers are yet to anybody, you’re going off left-wing rumor mills.”
Then the race science talk came into place.
“Do you think that white people are smarter than black people?” Asked King — who fittingly began the segment by warning that “what you’re about to hear is racist.”
“There is enormous variation between individuals, but the IQ testing is pretty clear that it seems like Ashekenazi Jews rate the highest in intelligence, then Asians, then white people, then, uh, Hispanic people and black people,” he replied — basing his “science” on the unfounded work of Charles Murray. “There’s enormous variation, but as a matter of science, IQ testing is pretty clear.”
King responded to the race ranking by saying Kessler “doesn’t sound like someone who wants to unite people,” which he replied to by claiming she “doesn’t respect science.”
As for the response to the segment, NPR listeners, pundits, and journalists took to Twitter to voice their criticisms toward the media outlet for hosting the white supremacist and allowing his gross views to appear on airwaves all across the nation.
Up this morning and aghast to hear @NPR giving white supremecist jason kessler a platform to spew hate and bullshit, and even worse, to hear him presented as a “both sides” against the #BlackLivesMatters movement. How dare they.
— Erica Sackin (@ericajanes) August 10, 2018
Jason Kessler being given an interview on NPR as if white supremacy is a legitimate policy position is a reminder that many of the (white) people making decisions in the media don’t feel impacted by any of this — it’s either entertainment or “news” until it hits their doorstep.
— deray (@deray) August 10, 2018
.@NPR is also telling on itself by presenting #BlackLivesMatter as the ideological “Other side” to white nationalists like Jason Kessler.
Sadly, many in the mainstream media still view black people asking for equality and freedom from police brutality as radical or extreme.
— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) August 10, 2018
Up this morning and aghast to hear @NPR giving white supremecist jason kessler a platform to spew hate and bullshit, and even worse, to hear him presented as a “both sides” against the #BlackLivesMatters movement. How dare they.
— Erica Sackin (@ericajanes) August 10, 2018
.@NPR presenting Jason Kessler as the “other side” of Black Lives Matter is the epitome of what MLK called the white moderate.
He called the white moderate more dangerous than the Klu Klux Klanner.
Seeking justice =\= supremacy. False equivalencies undermine our freedom. https://t.co/Hmi8nt0wxd
— Brittany Packnett (@MsPackyetti) August 10, 2018
This NPR interview with Jason Kessler feels like it will become infamous. This is how it starts. See the inherent assumption? https://t.co/PSMh9OTzgX pic.twitter.com/Mavk8SYib3
— Rachel Joy Larris (@RachelLarris) August 10, 2018
Hey @NPR putting Jason Kessler on the air as a “counterpoint” to Black Lives Matter is uniquely shitty. When one side of an argument is “stop killing us in the streets like animals,” you don’t need to have a guy on to say “well, you are animals.”
— K. Thor Jensen (@kthorjensen) August 10, 2018
Listen above, via NPR.
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