The gaffe remains yet the teaching moment is lost.

As I wrote here, one of many unfortunate things in our society is that we are unable to engage in serious conversation about unpleasant things.

When Juan Williams says something awkward (or whatever you choose to call it), rather than forcing a clarification, explanation, nuancing or retraction, he is simply fired. And when NPR New Director Ellen Weiss then makes the mistake of firing Juan Williams just a little too quickly, she in turn is fired by NPR. And in neither case is there any public discussion of what happened, why and so forth. The gaffe remains and the teaching moment is lost.

Likewise with Helen Thomas' asinine Jews didn't have to go anywhere after World War 2 remark. The firing offense for Thomas was not so much anti-Israel or anti-Jewish (or whatever she was) but that she was stupid and rather than bringing out her stupidity, front-and-center for all the world to see it, weep, chortle, and most importantly learn, her employer fired her without any explanation. Once again, another loss of a great learning moment.

••• 

My own experience.

Here's an interesting article on First Look Inside the Proposed Islamic Center at the NYT. Knowing nothing about architecture of and from the Islamic world, I have no opinion of any value to offer. Personally, I am not attracted to the facade shown in the NYT — reminds me of Rem Koolhaas' awful Seattle Public Library. And my opinion about an extremely preliminary sketch is neither here nor there and obviously (true?) design was and is peripheral to the Islamic Center politics.

I was reminded by the NYT article because a month or so previously I ran into a somewhat similar situation — also about the loss of a learning experience, which in that situation was due to the action of a (supposed) teacher and his dean.

The strange experience happened on the TradArch Listserv, moderated by Professor Richard John and hosted by the School of Architecture at the University of Miami. (The School has a program focussing on "New Urbanism." and its dean is, of course, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, the other half of the historically-significant and justly-renowned Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company New Urbanist design firm.)

But since I am trying to keep my posts short, I will continue with the rest of the story in a few days.