This is an important point. In this sense, the Brits are victims of something they can’t control, but if the Muslims had a choice, they wouldn’t control it. So they bear some responsibility for their own offense.
It really is a Gandhi and the murder pill scenario—the training which made them offended by pictures of Mohammed is the same training which makes them not want the vulnerability to offense removed.
I’ve got a mild discomfort with Christianity. It’s not the result of personal experience with anti-Semitism or having to deal with obnoxious Christians. It’s actually a bit embarrassing to have the discomfort, when there are so many people who have good personal reasons to dislike the religion.
Born to Kvetch is a book about Yiddish and the culture it’s part of. There’s a chapter about detestation of Christianity—I don’t have as strong a flavor, but I bet I inherited the way I feel. [1]
The thing is, I suspect that the way I feel about Christianity doesn’t actually serve me, but it’s hard for me to really think about it because the idea of giving it up triggers the idea of not being uncomfortable with (ick!) Christianity.
[1] I believe that a lot of emotional reactions are learned by imitation of emotional reactions.
This is an important point. In this sense, the Brits are victims of something they can’t control, but if the Muslims had a choice, they wouldn’t control it. So they bear some responsibility for their own offense.
It really is a Gandhi and the murder pill scenario—the training which made them offended by pictures of Mohammed is the same training which makes them not want the vulnerability to offense removed.
I’ve got a mild discomfort with Christianity. It’s not the result of personal experience with anti-Semitism or having to deal with obnoxious Christians. It’s actually a bit embarrassing to have the discomfort, when there are so many people who have good personal reasons to dislike the religion.
Born to Kvetch is a book about Yiddish and the culture it’s part of. There’s a chapter about detestation of Christianity—I don’t have as strong a flavor, but I bet I inherited the way I feel. [1]
The thing is, I suspect that the way I feel about Christianity doesn’t actually serve me, but it’s hard for me to really think about it because the idea of giving it up triggers the idea of not being uncomfortable with (ick!) Christianity.
[1] I believe that a lot of emotional reactions are learned by imitation of emotional reactions.