**I started writing this rant this morning but temporarily abandoned it to visit with the family and enjoy the accompanying laundry privileges
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Actually, looking back on my rant, I think that might just BE the crux of my complaint. Though I'm considered "extreme left" by our lovely conservative US standards, I get annoyed regularly with our the tendency of our "liberals" to be cowardly/wishy-washy on a lot of issues.
And, while I generally prefer logic over "learned by wrote" morality, I'm also big on having strong ethics and standing up for what you believe. Maybe it's my rural, southern upbringing, but I do think some things ARE just WRONG and when we think that's the case, there's nothing wrong with standing up and saying so. It seems that increasingly "our side" shies away from things like this because they don't want to be judgmental. But "judging", "making judgment calls", "being judgmental" are not terms that have negative connotations to me. What's wrong with looking at something, considering it, and making judgments (not so different from forming opinions)?
Standing up for what we believe is right and standing against what we believe is wrong doesn't equate us with reactionary thinking and intolerance...It's about calling it like we see it, having ethics and being unafraid of saying that there are just some things people shouldn't do.
How can we push for a "better society" if we can't even admit that we consider some things completely at odds with the way we believe people should treat each other? *** I've read enough about/heard enough stories from victims of Islamaphobic violence to believe that it isn't ENTIRELY a media phenomena. Too many people here have an intense fear/hatred of minorities and mis-direct rage at innocent people. But, to me at least, the media DOES feed it. I believe that yes we should report on these things so that people KNOW what Muslims in this country have gone through for the last decade and are still going through. But concentrating on incidents like this doesn't help. The link I posted above (http://www.islamophobia-watch.com/islamophobia-watch/category/anti-muslim-violence) shows that there are a lot more important/upsetting acts that would more aptly illustrate the problem. Show the REAL harm this causes. Instead they show a relatively minor, sensationalized incident and THEN justify it as important by talking about how it affects "the troops". Maybe they too are scared to concentrate too much on harm done directly TO Muslims and have to make it about ALL of us.
Whatever the case, it goes against my "Don't feed the crazies" rule.
Hope that was coherent...I'm not fully caffeinated yet. ;)
Though I'm considered "extreme left" by our lovely conservative US standards, I get annoyed regularly with our the tendency of our "liberals" to be cowardly/wishy-washy on a lot of issues.
And, while I generally prefer logic over "learned by wrote" morality, I'm also big on having strong ethics and standing up for what you believe.
Maybe it's my rural, southern upbringing, but I do think some things ARE just WRONG and when we think that's the case, there's nothing wrong with standing up and saying so.
It seems that increasingly "our side" shies away from things like this because they don't want to be judgmental.
But "judging", "making judgment calls", "being judgmental" are not terms that have negative connotations to me.
What's wrong with looking at something, considering it, and making judgments (not so different from forming opinions)?
Standing up for what we believe is right and standing against what we believe is wrong doesn't equate us with reactionary thinking and intolerance...It's about calling it like we see it, having ethics and being unafraid of saying that there are just some things people shouldn't do.
How can we push for a "better society" if we can't even admit that we consider some things completely at odds with the way we believe people should treat each other?
***
I've read enough about/heard enough stories from victims of Islamaphobic violence to believe that it isn't ENTIRELY a media phenomena. Too many people here have an intense fear/hatred of minorities and mis-direct rage at innocent people.
But, to me at least, the media DOES feed it.
I believe that yes we should report on these things so that people KNOW what Muslims in this country have gone through for the last decade and are still going through.
But concentrating on incidents like this doesn't help.
The link I posted above (http://www.islamophobia-watch.com/islamophobia-watch/category/anti-muslim-violence) shows that there are a lot more important/upsetting acts that would more aptly illustrate the problem. Show the REAL harm this causes.
Instead they show a relatively minor, sensationalized incident and THEN justify it as important by talking about how it affects "the troops".
Maybe they too are scared to concentrate too much on harm done directly TO Muslims and have to make it about ALL of us.
Whatever the case, it goes against my "Don't feed the crazies" rule.
Hope that was coherent...I'm not fully caffeinated yet. ;)
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