Wow! File this one under: what would have been the MSM reaction to a conservative who had made the same un-PC statement?
On today's Morning Joe, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, discussing the way American children have fallen behind children in other countries in academic achievement, and are coddled, handed trophies for non-achievement and protected from stress, said: "stress will be not understanding the thick Chinese accent of your first boss. That will be stress." View the video after the jump.
There's much truth to what Friedman said. But imagine the cries of negative ethnic stereotyping and worse that would have befallen a conservative uttering the same lines. Instead, Mika Brzezinski and Chuck Todd reacted positively, if perhaps somewhat nervously, to Friedman's statement.
Note: speaking of lowering academic standards and rewarding kids for non-achievement, Rush Limbaugh's priceless parody, "New Age Educators," comes to mind [subscription possibly required.]
THOMAS FRIEDMAN: Well you know, Chuck, the world doesn't pay off on effort. It pays off on results. I remember when I was working on "That Used To Be Us," I interviewed a Finnish mother. She's actually a Finnish radio reporter here in Washington, DC. Because Finland usually tops all these [academic achievement] rankings. I said that's really interesting, what's it like to be a Finnish mother in Washington, DC and have your kids in school in America? And she told me a story that stuck in my mind. She said my brother is a professional hockey player in Finland and he's never won a championship. My two daughters are in school here and they play soccer. They've never won a championship either but they have trophies bigger than my brother could even dream about.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: It's so true.
FRIEDMAN: You talk to parents now. It's oh my God, Johnny and Suzie; they're too stressed out, they need time for Facebook and to chill out and do all that. Well, here's what stress will be for your kid. Stress will be not understanding the thick Chinese accent of your first boss. That will be stress.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Wow! Now you're on it, Friedman.
CHUCK TODD: OK, then! There's a wake-up call.
