Taking Offense
Yes, this liberal atheist loves his country, and, in part, here's why.
This week, the Obama administration and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton clearly and unambiguously dismissed the UN's proposed anti-blasphemy resolutions. It was stated without reservation that there is no right to not be offended by opinions that differ from your own.
At rock bottom, America understands that Freedom of Religion means the freedom to both believe and to blaspheme. Sure, some people just don't seem to get it, especially on the right wing of politics. Take this recent dust-up over a bit on "Curb Your Enthusiasm," a show on HBO:
You can imagine how some Christian groups, particularly the Catholic League and even the Council on American-Islamic Relations are in an uproar over this, but they're not the only ones.
I often listen to Fox News pundits for a laugh. The three I usually catch, in the morning, on my lunch break, and in the evening if Ziztur and I go anywhere are Jamie Allman, Glenn Beck, and Michael Savage. All of these have ranted in the days following this show about, basically, "How dare people offend Christians."
Why do people react like this? Do heathens like us get offended like this? What could we even compare this to? Sketches of Charles Darwin portrayed as an ape? No atheist I know cares about a comedic mockery of any public figure, even people we greatly respect.
I'd like to think that a majority of Americans comprehend this. It's pretty simple, people - nobody has a right to go their whole lives being unoffended. If somebody mocks your beliefs or opinions, explain how they are mistaken. Don't just react in a shocked way and expect people who disagree with you to keep quiet. That may work on some, but keep in mind that there are plenty of people (like Ziztur and I) who will just mock you all the harder for it. And passing legislation against offending people's most ridiculous beliefs is pretty damn close to social evil.
This week, the Obama administration and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton clearly and unambiguously dismissed the UN's proposed anti-blasphemy resolutions. It was stated without reservation that there is no right to not be offended by opinions that differ from your own.
At rock bottom, America understands that Freedom of Religion means the freedom to both believe and to blaspheme. Sure, some people just don't seem to get it, especially on the right wing of politics. Take this recent dust-up over a bit on "Curb Your Enthusiasm," a show on HBO:
You can imagine how some Christian groups, particularly the Catholic League and even the Council on American-Islamic Relations are in an uproar over this, but they're not the only ones.
I often listen to Fox News pundits for a laugh. The three I usually catch, in the morning, on my lunch break, and in the evening if Ziztur and I go anywhere are Jamie Allman, Glenn Beck, and Michael Savage. All of these have ranted in the days following this show about, basically, "How dare people offend Christians."
Why do people react like this? Do heathens like us get offended like this? What could we even compare this to? Sketches of Charles Darwin portrayed as an ape? No atheist I know cares about a comedic mockery of any public figure, even people we greatly respect.
I'd like to think that a majority of Americans comprehend this. It's pretty simple, people - nobody has a right to go their whole lives being unoffended. If somebody mocks your beliefs or opinions, explain how they are mistaken. Don't just react in a shocked way and expect people who disagree with you to keep quiet. That may work on some, but keep in mind that there are plenty of people (like Ziztur and I) who will just mock you all the harder for it. And passing legislation against offending people's most ridiculous beliefs is pretty damn close to social evil.
posted by Flimsyman
at
8:00 AM
2 Comments:
Why do people react like this? Do heathens like us get offended like this? What could we even compare this to? Sketches of Charles Darwin portrayed as an ape? No atheist I know cares about a comedic mockery of any public figure, even people we greatly respect.
What? You don't recall the atheist riots after the episode of South Park parodying Richard Dawkins?
Look, for one, that was hilarious in the best sense. Not only the belly fat stuff, but the dude spraying all over everything was fantastic.
For Christians to be offended at this, seriously, means that we'd have to align with the silly stereotype that is characterized here. Come on, folks, drop the "How dare you offend Christians" act...of course people are going to poke fun at Christians...people poke fun at everybody.
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