Saturday, April 24, 2010

In which Ann Althouse makes sense.

Yeah, go figure.
And as long as I'm disagreeing with Glenn Reynolds, let me say that I disapprove of "Everybody Draw Mohammed" Day, which he seems to be promoting. (Hot Air, Dan Savage, and Reason are actively delighted by the idea.)

I have endless contempt for the threats/warnings against various cartoonists who draw Muhammad (or a man in a bear suit who might be Muhammad, but is actually Santa Claus). But depictions of Muhammad offend millions of Muslims who are no part of the violent threats. In pushing back some people, you also hurt a lot of people who aren't doing anything (other than protecting their own interests by declining to pressure the extremists who are hurting the reputation of their religion).

I don't like the in-your-face message that we don't care about what other people hold sacred. Back in the days of the "Piss Christ" controversy, I wouldn't have supported an "Everybody Dunk a Crucifix in a Jar of Urine Day" to protest censorship. Dunking a crucifix in a jar of urine is something I have a perfect right to do, but it would gratuitously hurt many Christian bystanders to the controversy. I think opposing violence (and censorship) can be done in much better ways.
Uh-huh.

Look, if a bunch of atheists were doing this, that'd be one thing (though the idea -- 'let's be dicks to Muslims' -- is pretty childish).

But it's not. It's a bunch of right-wing Christians, like Reynolds. The same right-wing/Republican/Fox News Christians who freak out every time someone says "Happy Holidays."

Apparently, they don't see the irony.

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