Incredibly Cringeworthy Interview

Sam Crow · 29-07-2013 06:05PM #1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY92TV4_Wc0

I know its Fox News, but Jesus! The interviewer is so incredibly ignorant, and downright rude. Surely there are more qualified, educated and knowledgeable people who could do that job.

The guy held his cool well, imo. Probably delighted with all the attention he's getting thanks to this video going viral.

Is this type of ignorance/intolerance of Islam widely ingrained in US society, or is this just a case, of a one off moron doing a bad interview?

For those who can't/don't want to watch the video. Its about an author Reza Aslan, who wrote a historical account of the life of Jesus. Its Called Zealot. The interviewer spends the entire 10 minute interview asking why a Muslim man is writing about Jesus, despite the fact he is a professional scholar of religions with a PhD in the subject, and has been writing about world religions for 20 years.

4zn76tysfajdxp · 29-07-2013 06:08PM

Sam Crow wrote: »

despite the fact he is a professional scholar of religions with a PhD in the subject, and has been writing about world religions for 30 years.

20 years. Let's not exaggerate now...

Sam Crow · 29-07-2013 06:12PM

Sam Helpless Equalizer wrote: »

20 years. Let's not exaggerate now...

Typo... my fingers were bashing the keyboard in such an indignant rage, that I hit the 3 instead the 2. Forgiveness please...

RGDATA! · 29-07-2013 06:12PM

funny enough, the host's bio page on fox site mentions that she's a classical pianist, but doesn't mention her religion! i take it that it's a religious affairs based show she's hosting but it seems she's "trying to hide her religion"!

Jonny7 · 29-07-2013 06:20PM

aaaand now his book is a number 1 bestseller, some credit to Fox for their inadvertent hit-job turned advertisement

Cody Pomeray · 29-07-2013 06:22PM

He answered all of her ignorant questions firmly and eloquently, and should have put all her criticisms to bed.

Unfortunately, stupidity is such a relentless foe.

kfallon · 29-07-2013 06:23PM

Is it just me or does anyone else not really bother with random posted YouTube clips that are over 2 min long?

Ilik Urgee · 29-07-2013 06:25PM

kfallon wrote: »

Is it just me or does anyone else not really bother with random posted YouTube clips that are over 2 min long?

Yeah I'm the same. If there's an ad at the start of it I close it straight away.

downonthefarm · 29-07-2013 06:27PM

no wonder they think we are all pig-dogs

SweepTheLeg · 29-07-2013 06:28PM

I turned it off after a minute. I can't handle cringe videos.

Killer Wench · 29-07-2013 06:29PM

No, her beliefs don't represent American perceptions on Islam. Her bias attitude reflects the nature of Fox News and their strange agenda against Islam.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/07/29/206580444/book-news-outrage-after-fox-news-interview-with-zealot-author?utm_source=npr&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=20130729

http://www.amazon.com/Zealot-Times-Jesus-Nazareth-ebook/product-reviews/B00BRUQ7ZY/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

Gummy Panda · 29-07-2013 06:31PM

kfallon wrote: »

Is it just me or does anyone else not really bother with random posted YouTube clips that are over 2 min long?

you have the attention span of a peanut then

Fluorescence · 29-07-2013 06:40PM

Watched the first half and I have to say he is the one with the attitude problem. Yes it was a dumb question to ask, but he kept bring later questions back to, "I am an HISTORIAN. I have a P-H-D and T-W-E-N-T-Y years experience" etc etc even when she was asking unrelated questions.

Sofiztikated · 29-07-2013 06:43PM

How he kept his cool, and was polite to that woman is beyond me.

Duckworth_Luas · 29-07-2013 06:45PM

Typical nerd! Took him 40 seconds to mention he had a PhD!

TheBody · 29-07-2013 06:46PM

That was painful to watch. She was such a gobsh*te.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 29-07-2013 06:46PM

Sam Crow wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY92TV4_Wc0

I know its Fox News, but Jesus! The interviewer is so incredibly ignorant, and downright rude. Surely there are more qualified, educated and knowledgeable people who could do that job.
.

Yes, but they're very unlikley to be working for Fox.

Nodin · 29-07-2013 06:48PM

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

Yes, but they're very unlikley to be working for Fox.

...unless they (a) need money or (b) have no conscience.

AngeGal · 29-07-2013 06:49PM

Fluorescence wrote: »

Watched the first half and I have to say he is the one with the attitude problem. Yes it was a dumb question to ask, but he kept bring later questions back to, "I am an HISTORIAN. I have a P-H-D and T-W-E-N-T-Y years experience" etc etc even when she was asking unrelated questions.

First question

You're a Muslim so why did you write a book about the founder of Christianity?

Second

It still begs the question, why would you be interested in the founder of Christianity?

Third

I want to read you some quotes.

"It's not a historians report on Jesus. It's an educated Muslims."

She seemed determined to focus on him being a Muslim rather than his book, the implication being that he was biased, a pretty serious charge.

FouxDaFaFa · 29-07-2013 06:49PM

Fluorescence wrote: »

Watched the first half and I have to say he is the one with the attitude problem. Yes it was a dumb question to ask, but he kept bring later questions back to, "I am an HISTORIAN. I have a P-H-D and T-W-E-N-T-Y years experience" etc etc even when she was asking unrelated questions.

He's been around a while. I'd say he knew how this interviewer was going to play it before going in.

I think he had to be aggressive in making his point because she would not get off the muslim thing, just kept coming back to it in a roundabout way.

The funny thing is, her point is that he wouldn't be able write an unbiased book about Jesus because he's a muslim. If that is so, nobody would. Christians would be biased in Jesus' favour. Other religions would perhaps be biased against. Atheists should be the "control sample" but would probably be accused of negative bias too. You can't win.

Killer Wench · 29-07-2013 06:52PM

How else was he supposed to address an individual who wanted to dismiss his scholarly background simply because he was Muslim?

Fluorescence · 29-07-2013 06:58PM

AngeGal wrote: »

First question

You're a Muslim so why did you write a book about the founder of Christianity?

Second

It still begs the question, why would you be interested in the founder of Christianity?

Third

I want to read you some quotes.

"It's not a historians report on Jesus. It's an educated Muslims."

She seemed determined to focus on him being a Muslim rather than his book, the implication being that he was biased, a pretty serious charge.

Fair enough. Like I said, I gave up halfway through for sheer redundancy :pac:

Voltex · 29-07-2013 08:46PM

As soon as I saw Fox News I knew where this was gonna go.
Max Keiser on Russia Today is probably its antithesis.

Celly Smunt · 29-07-2013 08:55PM

He has a PHD,jeeeeez we get it.He doesn't half go on.

krudler · 29-07-2013 09:26PM

Celly Smunt wrote: »

He has a PHD,jeeeeez we get it.He doesn't half go on.

Yeah but she keeps asking him the same question over and over. It doesn't seem to sink into her brain that someone with a phd in religions that aren't Christianity should be allowed write about Jeebus.

dr gonzo · 29-07-2013 09:42PM

I have to say fair play to him for not just playing the most obvious card to shut her up, Jesus is a prophet and the messiah in Islam, and is mentioned twenty times more in the Quran than Muhammad. But he didnt say that because his religion had nothing to do with his book, his academic background did.

Thwip! · 29-07-2013 09:44PM

his interview on The Daily Show went better thankfully

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oslV3wlAoF0

omahaid · 29-07-2013 09:58PM

He's doing an AMA on reddit right now I think

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1jal04/i_am_reza_aslan_scholar_of_religions_author_of/

Media999 · 29-07-2013 10:01PM

Fluorescence wrote: »

Watched the first half and I have to say he is the one with the attitude problem. Yes it was a dumb question to ask, but he kept bring later questions back to, "I am an HISTORIAN. I have a P-H-D and T-W-E-N-T-Y years experience" etc etc even when she was asking unrelated questions.

I have seen this video on God knows how many forums today and you are literally the only one ive seen that takes Fox News side.

You cant see how incredibly racist and ignorant Fox is no?

Fluorescence · 29-07-2013 10:07PM

Media999 wrote: »

I have seen this video on God knows how many forums today and you are literally the only one ive seen that takes Fox News side.

You cant see how incredibly racist and ignorant Fox is no?

I didn't take Fox's side. I think it was an utterly ridiculous question to pose. However my first thought when watching was that his response was OTT. He just kept re-iterating the fact that he's got PhDs coming out of his ears. The interview he did on the Daily Show was much better - if he'd given that answer instead to open up with then perhaps the Fox interviewer wouldn't have been so doggedly persuing the Muslim angle. She comes across poorly anyway, I think he could have done better. That said I watched it again and he is much more calm than I would have been if posed with such an insulting question.

FouxDaFaFa · 29-07-2013 11:58PM

Reza Aslan Reddit AMA.

Incredibly Cringeworthy Interview

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