A Beheading In France

[Agema]

I disagree with this fellow: I think free speech is absolutely worth a civil war. Most rights are, if the alternative is losing them.

The underlying premise of that Tweet is that people willing to kill when other people offend them means it should be illegal to offend them. The obvious result of this that any group which wishes to not be criticised merely needs to kill people until criticism of them is banned. It is in essence a justification of coercing one's fellow citizens.

As for rights, I like them, and I don't want to lose them, but I think the reaction to their limitation also requires proportionality. Rights can be restricted in small ways that don't necessitate reactions as strong as revolution. If rights of free speech are higher in the USA than Germany, for the USA to decline to German standards would hardly be such an intolerable loss of free speech that it would demand a country convulsing into civil war, because free speech in Germany is patently extremely high.

 

[Gordon_4]

Is this the next stage?

Two Muslim Women Stabbed Under the Eiffel Tower in ‘racist attack’

Two Muslim women have been stabbed under the Eiffel Tower by ‘pair of white female attackers shouting ‘Dirty Arabs’ amid rising tensions in Paris after the beheading of a teacher last week.

www.euroweeklynews.com

Have we finally reached the beginning of the dreaded "Race-War"?

I don't think I'd call it a race war - mainly because Islam is not a race - but I can't think of what you'd call a conflict with Sectarian on one side and non-Sectarian on the other.

 

[Iron]

The underlying premise of that Tweet is that people willing to kill when other people offend them means it should be illegal to offend them. The obvious result of this that any group which wishes to not be criticised merely needs to kill people until criticism of them is banned. It is in essence a justification of coercing one's fellow citizens.

As for rights, I like them, and I don't want to lose them, but I think the reaction to their limitation also requires proportionality. Rights can be restricted in small ways that don't necessitate reactions as strong as revolution. If rights of free speech are higher in the USA than Germany, for the USA to decline to German standards would hardly be such an intolerable loss of free speech that it would demand a country convulsing into civil war, because free speech in Germany is patently extremely high.

I miss Hitchens.

 

[Thaluikhain]

I don't think I'd call it a race war - mainly because Islam is not a race - but I can't think of what you'd call a conflict with Sectarian on one side and non-Sectarian on the other.

"Not racism, Islam is not a race" doesn't really apply when the attacker is yelling "Dirty Arabs" at the victims.

 

[Gordon_4]

"Not racism, Islam is not a race" doesn't really apply when the attacker is yelling "Dirty Arabs" at the victims.

True, Arabs are an ethnic group with like a 99.9% chance of being Muslim, but given this is basically a retaliatory attack for one perpetrated by an Islamic radical I’m going to conjecture that “Dirty Arab” was just the reflexive phrasing rather than anything calculated.

 

[Shadyside]

Off with their heads!!!

 

[Hawki]

Off with their heads!!!

As long as they get to eat cake first.

 

[Trunkage]

True, Arabs are an ethnic group with like a 99.9% chance of being Muslim, but given this is basically a retaliatory attack for one perpetrated by an Islamic radical I’m going to conjecture that “Dirty Arab” was just the reflexive phrasing rather than anything calculated.

More like 93% with mostly Christian minority

 

[Mister Mumbler]

As long as they get to eat cake first.

 

[Trunkage]

View attachment 1291

Stop lying

 

[Gordon_4]

More like 93% with mostly Christian minority

I stand corrected.

 

[Hawki]

I stand corrected.

Oh don't worry, a century ago it was 20%. Give it a few more decades and you'll be correct.

 

[CM156]

I approve of this development. As I said before, drawing attention to the cartoons in the aftermath of the shooting is a good way to convey that terrorism is not only morally wrong, but also counterproductive.

 

[Hawki]

I approve of this development. As I said before, drawing attention to the cartoons in the aftermath of the shooting is a good way to convey that terrorism is not only morally wrong, but also counterproductive.

I appreciate the gesture, but I've got a terrible feeling that this isn't going to end well.

I mean, we've had one beheading, one stabbing, and now this. What's the next ripstoe?

 

[Iron]

I approve of this development. As I said before, drawing attention to the cartoons in the aftermath of the shooting is a good way to convey that terrorism is not only morally wrong, but also counterproductive.

Who is taking bets for the next Bataclan? Last time it was 90, I'm giving it 83 for the next attack.

 

[Gordon_4]

I approve of this development. As I said before, drawing attention to the cartoons in the aftermath of the shooting is a good way to convey that terrorism is not only morally wrong, but also counterproductive.

I think people are very hung up on the World War II stereotype of the French and the more recent ‘cheese eating surrender monkeys’ attitude because they didn’t want in on the adventures in Iraq, and subsequently they forget that culturally France has incredibly strong roots in personal liberty.

So good show.

 

[Secondhand Revenant]

True, Arabs are an ethnic group with like a 99.9% chance of being Muslim, but given this is basically a retaliatory attack for one perpetrated by an Islamic radical I’m going to conjecture that “Dirty Arab” was just the reflexive phrasing rather than anything calculated.

Or it's indicative that the people who did it don't see a significant difference and this is also a racial thing to them? Like, you're sort of making excuses for them saying it was said reflexively when I think it's more likely it's what they meant.

 

[Secondhand Revenant]

I approve of this development. As I said before, drawing attention to the cartoons in the aftermath of the shooting is a good way to convey that terrorism is not only morally wrong, but also counterproductive.

Do you actually think anyone who was going to that level is going to see this and think "Oh no we better stop now?" It's a punishment thing that people do to feel good about it, not something that is going to dissuade people.

 

[CM156]

Do you actually think anyone who was going to that level is going to see this and think "Oh no we better stop now?" It's a punishment thing that people do to feel good about it, not something that is going to dissuade people.

"The Blasphemy will continue until morale improves"

I think people are very hung up on the World War II stereotype of the French and the more recent ‘cheese eating surrender monkeys’ attitude because they didn’t want in on the adventures in Iraq, and subsequently they forget that culturally France has incredibly strong roots in personal liberty.

Yeah, it was kinda a dick move of us to vilify them for not backing us on our illegal war in Iraq.

 

[Secondhand Revenant]

"The Blasphemy will continue until morale improves"

I'll take it as a no, you know full well it's not actually gonna sway them and are in it just for the punishment aspect[/quote][/QUOTE]