Day 169
I am convinced that people look for ways to be offended when they really aren't, because that scares other people into not saying certain things.
Have you ever noticed that the people who complain that racial profiling for crime is racist never complain that gender profiling is sexist? How DARE we look at the muslim with a little more suspicion at the airport (which I can't help but do; this suspicion is immediately followed by guilt), but nobody cries foul to the fact that we'd only ever have said suspicion toward a man, and never a woman...
----
On a side note:
And has anybody ever read the Qur'an? I've read small bits, and the muslim God really has no qualm with people spreading His word violently. In fact He encourages it readily. The whole "72 virgins" thing isn't a joke; suicide bombers are doing precisely what their holy book tells them to do. Allah is not kind to the infidel.
Mind you, neither is the God of the Old Testament. I really do feel bad for the Jews and Muslims of this world who want to have genuinely peaceful and tolerant religions, because their holy books are awfully difficult to reconcile with such a notion.
On the other hand, I'm forced to state the obvious: we could always just be kind and tolerant of each other and not bother having to reconcile ourselves with some ancient book.
----
...Why do we assume the man is a possible criminal? I'm pretty sure the reason is that most criminals are men. Plain and simple. And it's ok to say so, and apparently it's ok to make assumptions.
Men, and especially white men, are weirdly enough the only group of people to whom negative sexism and racism can apply with broad social acceptance (here in western Canada anyway). Say a word about black people, and you're bound to offend many. Say a word about women, and god help you if you don't look out. But white men, oh yes, they cheat, steal, lie, and unjustly dominate society!
Have you ever noticed that the people who complain that racial profiling for crime is racist never complain that gender profiling is sexist? How DARE we look at the muslim with a little more suspicion at the airport (which I can't help but do; this suspicion is immediately followed by guilt), but nobody cries foul to the fact that we'd only ever have said suspicion toward a man, and never a woman...
----
On a side note:
And has anybody ever read the Qur'an? I've read small bits, and the muslim God really has no qualm with people spreading His word violently. In fact He encourages it readily. The whole "72 virgins" thing isn't a joke; suicide bombers are doing precisely what their holy book tells them to do. Allah is not kind to the infidel.
Mind you, neither is the God of the Old Testament. I really do feel bad for the Jews and Muslims of this world who want to have genuinely peaceful and tolerant religions, because their holy books are awfully difficult to reconcile with such a notion.
On the other hand, I'm forced to state the obvious: we could always just be kind and tolerant of each other and not bother having to reconcile ourselves with some ancient book.
----
...Why do we assume the man is a possible criminal? I'm pretty sure the reason is that most criminals are men. Plain and simple. And it's ok to say so, and apparently it's ok to make assumptions.
Men, and especially white men, are weirdly enough the only group of people to whom negative sexism and racism can apply with broad social acceptance (here in western Canada anyway). Say a word about black people, and you're bound to offend many. Say a word about women, and god help you if you don't look out. But white men, oh yes, they cheat, steal, lie, and unjustly dominate society!
Comments