Current Events — HabitableZone

Current Events » in reply to Patterns of behavior

OK, now we're back to individual extremists
Mary Anne — (archived)

At least that's more realistic.

If I am afraid to cross the street because I may be hit by a car, that's a real fear and a real possibility. People get hit in random accidents every day.

If I am afraid to cross the street because I think some maniac in a car is going to deliberately run me down, that's still a real fear, but the possibility is far less.

If I am afraid of being run down, but I cross the street without even looking at traffic, that's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The lady with the gallery is afraid she'll be attacked by a Muslim extremist. Yet she stays in her gallery alone. She could be attacked by anybody. She's walking into traffic without even looking first. Hers is an ongoing problem of lax security that has acquired an acute focus.

As far as any news reports have mentioned, there have been no comments and no protests and no threats by any Muslims concerning the art in question. This is a case of self-censorship, a phenomenon that I am quite familiar with because librarians come up against it too.

Her fear is legitimate -- fear is always legitimate -- but its focus is too narrow, and the remedy she took was extreme and equally narrow.

Unfortunately, this is used as an excuse to further demonize Muslims, who, as far as anyone here knows, never made a peep over the display. She should be afraid that her business practices put her at risk. Instead, we see that she's afraid of Muslims, therefore Muslims must be scary.

Regards--
Mary Anne

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