Edit | The wayward words of Boyce Watkins

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Posted: 10/18/07

When Boyce Watkins described Fox News panelist Juan Williams as a "happy negro" during a Sept. 26 edition of CNN's "Newsroom," Watkins stooped to the level of the man he came on the show to criticize - Bill O'Reilly.

Watkins, a Syracuse University finance professor, intended to disapprove of comments made by Fox News' O'Reilly regarding the good behavior of black customers at a restaurant in Harlem. His initial criticism seemed reasonable, aside from a comment comparing O'Reilly to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

However, in responding to a comment from blogger and fellow CNN panelist La Shawn Barber about how she and Williams were not offended by O'Reilly's statements, Watkins failed to appropriately articulate why he disagreed with Williams' opinion. Instead, he took a cheap shot at Williams.

Watkins was certainly entitled to say what he thought about Williams on the show. But calling another black man a "happy negro" hardly displayed the kind of intellectualism that Watkins proudly boasts. His talk radio remark actually undermined any of the notable comments he made during the program.

The juvenility of such a comment could easily be forgotten if both the media and Watkins in particular let the incident disappear. Neither O'Reilly's nor Watkins' opinion carries enough notoriety to merit continual analysis and discussion.

Despite the two men's overall irrelevance, the professor - an excellent self-promoter - and cable stations like CNN and Fox News continue to make the non-news an ongoing controversy.

SU fueled the fire, too.

The university released a statement, reported today in The Daily Orange, declaring that Watkins' comments did not represent the university's beliefs. The statement may ease the nerves of parents who now worry about their children majoring in finance at SU, but the public relations maneuver wasn't necessary. Watkins does not represent SU to the public.

Jim Boeheim, Chancellor Nancy Cantor and Greg Robinson are faces people in the Syracuse area can certainly identify. On a national scale, Boeheim may be the only readily identifiable figure.

Granted, Watkins is typically identified as an SU professor by media outlets, including CNN. Furthermore, his screen shot did have him sitting in front of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. However, most people probably know identification alone does not suggest that Watkins speaks for the university.

The public quickly forgets Watkins' specific background. To a national audience, he just looks like a talking head taking part in the screaming contest that typically appears on 24-hour news channels these days.