Huh

[breezeshadow]

So I've noticed that racism and bigotry is coming back into style, but only very specifically.

If I criticize Israel, then I'm an Anti-Semite.

But if I criticize Iran or Saudi Arabia, I'm just calling for freedom.

If I criticize Christianity, I'm am oppressor.

But if I criticize Islam, I'm just calling for free speech.

If I criticize women, then I don't think women deserve equal rights.

But if I criticize men, I'm just a feminist touting for equal rights.

If I criticize homosexuals, I'm homophobic.

But if I criticize heterosexuals, I'm just calling for equal rights.

If I criticize science, I'm a backwater Bible-touting Christian.

But if I criticize religion, I'm just reasonable and logical.

Honestly. I have seen so many blog posts out there screaming all sorts of generalizations that would be considered racism or bigotry if they weren't aimed at Muslims, men, or heterosexuals. But since they are, everyone just nods and thinks it's a-okay.

It's not.

It stuns me that it's okay -- no, encouraged -- to draw Muhammad with a bomb in his turban, and that we get pissed at Muslims for being mad. How about I go draw Jesus with a bomb in his robes? Oh, you're mad? Why? It's just freedom of speech! And don't give me that crap that Christians wouldn't call for my death; some would.

I am all for freedom of speech. I'm not saying any of this should be made illegal or otherwise. I'm not saying that the extremist reactions are okay. But for crying out loud, these generalizations are getting ridiculous. Extremists do not make up most of the population of any group.

Not all men are sexist, not all Muslims are terrorists who will shoot someone for drawing Muhammad, and not all heterosexuals hate gay people.

Get over it.

Comments

[trickster_tree]

It feels like it’s been ages since we had a big ol’ political discussion, but I do remember how they always end, so I’ll put my caveat here: I respect you and your opinion and anything I say here is only my opinion, not the gospel truth. Sometimes I say things in a absolute tone, but that doesn’t mean I’m trying to change your opinion, just that I’m saying what I believe. (I... think now I will be able to avoid apologizing later? haha.)

I will start off by saying that the counter -ism argument is something that I have a giant horrible overblown “do not want!” reaction to, because my mother trots it out whenever racism is mentioned in my household. I will try to not let this color my statements, but, y’know.

I can’t speak for all of your dichotomies, but for those I know most about – sexism, racism, and heterosexism – I believe that touting the predominance of counter -isms is ultimately harmful because it erases the real effect -isms have on people. If someone has a prejudice against white people, it means that a white person will be uncomfortable in interactions with them. Which is sad! But it does not equate with the massive social apparatus geared towards denying people of color the same opportunities as white people. No heterosexual-hating homosexual can deny marriage to heterosexuals. While hatred in general is unfortunate and arguably morally wrong and leads to bad places, counter -isms do not have the same power as -isms do, and I think it’s important to acknowledge that.

Further, I've never seen a feminist actually spout flaming bile at the whole male gender except in [a] fury sparked by a specific event (in which case I would call into question her intellectual integrity, but I wouldn’t take her literally) or [b] deliberate humorous hyperbole. Maybe I am just reading different feminists than you? But most of the ones I've encountered are about equal opportunities and not crushing mankind under the heels of womyn. (I mean, these sorts of people might exist, but I am not sure where to find them.) As for my own opinion, as a self-ID'd feminist, I will say that all cis men are raised with and live with privilege that they are very often not aware of, and which takes a lot of effort for them to become aware of. Are they all sexist? Not necessarily. But I do believe the majority of both men and women are sexist to a degree thanks to the society they are raised in, and this fact is exacerbated for men by the fact that they aren’t naturally forced to confront it.

There are a few dichotomies on your list that I would not dichotomize as you have, and further that I would not equate with your other dichotomies, but that could be because I'm not very in touch with the issue of hatred of Islam vs. hatred of Christianity or science vs. religion debates or what have you. I don’t feel particularly comfortable confronting those topics because it’s perfectly possible you know more about them than I do.

[trickster_tree]

I would like to be clear that I don't condone or find helpful any form of generalized hatred, regardless of where it is directed. But, more than that, I really don't have more to say than what I already have on the topic, and since I'm not trying to argue you out of your position, I don't think there's any value in hashing things out point-by-point. I know that, when it comes to pragmatic, real-world actions, our politics agree – and the rest is just opinions.

[breezeshadow]

(Yeah I deleted my reply to this. Social anxiety, GO! *cough* )

[trickster_tree]

As the person of the annual journal purge, I'm not going to judge. ;)