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In reply to the discussion: Ben Affleck vs. Bill Maher on Islam: Bill's right. [View all]Ampersand Unicode
(503 posts)The post called out Christian fundamentalists as doing wrong. What I meant to say was that two wrongs don't make either of them right, i.e. it's hypocrisy to call out Christianity for its wrongdoing and give a slap on the wrist to Muslims because "they're oppressed" or "colonialism" or "the Crusades" or some other PC thing. You pick on Christians because of Westboro for the same reason you pick on Muslims because of Bin Laden. Far as I'm concerned, you can pick on Jews for AIPAC too. If they say "Who's AIPAC, is he related to Tupac?" or "I don't give a shit about Israel, in fact I wish they'd shut up and go away because they're making us look bad" you know they're just a regular Jew and not a Zionist. You can still make fun of their holidays and beliefs just like you can make fun of Scientology for believing Tom Cruise was born in a volcano or whatever shit they come up with.
I kind of ranted because this is a subject I feel strongly about. Islam is just as wrongheaded as Christianity and it's wrong to go easier on one than the other because of some historical reason or another. That's what Affleck is doing, that's what a lot of other PC Hollywood liberals are doing, and it seems that's what a lot of other posters are doing here too.
You mock people for believing in Santa Claus just like you mock them for believing in anything supernatural; whether it's called religion or not doesn't matter. You don't "respect their beliefs" but challenge them because they are so ridiculous as to be childish. You especially mock them if "their belief system" has a recent association with flying planes into buildings and killing 3,500 people. Right now the only ones flying planes into buildings and slitting people's throats are Muslims. So, you make fun of Muslims because not only are their beliefs wrongheaded and stupid, but the actions that people who believe in those tenets are taking in the name of them are barbaric and inhumane. And you express disgust with people who continue to remain members of a club that would have murderers as proud and honored members.
What some people are doing here in giving Christianity a slap on the wrist is what Affleck is doing with Islam. You make fun of them for believing in stupid nonsense and for acting on it. You don't stop making fun of Islam or Muslims because it's not, shall we say, kosher. Mocking a person's foolish beliefs and actions is not the same as mocking their skin color or sexual orientation. Calling Muslims, Christians or any other "true believers" ignorant is not the same as calling someone the N-word or the F-word (rhymes with maggot). You're prodding them for what they think and do and not who they are.