I was questioned yesterday about whether I get any feedback on this site by my mate Enoch and before I could respond to his email in full, I had a comment on my post yesterday about the “terrorists” on my train yesterday. This has expanded into a few more comments, but I also have had a few emails as well on yesterday’s subject. Seems as though my views on assuming that those Arab guys on the train yesterday were terrorists has prompted a bit of a debate…
On one hand, I had people criticising me because I “preach” tolerance but then how I could then assume the worst in people. Then I had the opposite view and had people asking me whether I had considered reporting the whole thing to the police as it was clearly “a dry run”.
My position is that I don’t think every Muslim is a terrorist, but I guess given the mass-media (hysteria?) in our newspapers everyday coupled with the closing of Town Hall in peak hour my mind assumed the worst. I put that down to the human condition rather than any prejudice on my part. I still believe that our government is over reacting and that they are targeting a particular religion simply on the basis that it is “different”. In short, I still believe Muslims are being discriminated against.
And yet, I do acknowledge that there is an extremist element and that in past terrorist attacks all over the world, some of the victims were probably pro or at least cognisant of the issues that Muslims have… it didn’t stop them from being blown to bits though.
Thanks for the feedback too… whether you think I am a nut, or strange, or racist or that I “tell it like it is”, I am happy to hear from you.
6 comments:
What I want to know is why is the font on "Freaked out this morning" different then all the others? Some plan to create plausible denialibility when the story gets picked up???
"Honest officer, how can it be MY writing, the font is diferent!"
;-)
Did you not read my comment in that post?
For some reason, when I send an arial 9pt font email to blogger for posting, it sets it in the font you mainly see on this site.
When I do a post via the Blogger site then I get a different set of fonts and sizes. I have "Large", "Normal" and "Small". Normal size is smaller than my 9pt email posts, and Large (which that post now is) is larger than my normal 9pt size.
Essentially, depending on how i post, I get differing font options...
Thanks for the feedback Oz :-)
Clay, your response has nothing to do with your ideals or beliefs. Your reaction was a simple, justifyable and natural human instinct mate.
Any armchair critic having a go at you can quite frankly go screw themselves.
If I was in your situation, I'd have reacted the bloody same way and any PC idealist who says they wouldn't are quite frankly full of shit.
Nicely said DM, I couldn't agree more.
I don't read the comments until I have one there ;-)And as far as DM's comment is concerned...I agree the reaction was "justifiable"...but Homicide has a similiar judgement available. But mostly I suggest it is NOT "natural human instinct" Sorry...but it ISN'T hardwired into our "humanity" to fear bomb attacks from certain ethnic groups. This is a good example of the REAL terror being installed in life at the moment. For all we know they were simply trying to remember what fruit to get for their book club meeting. I also suggest it is just as easy to be a "UN-pc idealist" as well. "I've seen their evil ways and thats just the way they are!"
So while it was an unsetteling experience, be careful not to let the "horror" of the mass media overwhelm you. Using a similiar thought...am I to greet an unknown man at the park with suspicion boardering on violence because he MAY be a pedeophile? or could it be that he is just a friendly fellow out to enjoy one of lifes simple pleasures of a walk in the park? Fear is what you make it...and frankly anyone who suggests otherwise is full of shit ;-)
Sadly it is an example that the terrorists are beginning to win in their intended goal of making the ordinary joe public fearful that something ccould happen to them whilst going about their normal routine lives. Hell considering where i work the thought crosses my mind somedays about how open we are to terrorism both of a foreign and a theoretical domestic nature, and not just from the i have no doubt ( faith only not any evidence mind ).01% or less of the Islamic world that give so many of the rest a bad name.
Disgruntled customers are my personal biggest worry, we have had incidences of shotguns, rifles, knives and bats being carried openly into offices ive worked at. Fortunately its all been quietly dealt with and the personages in question have left of their own accord before the local or fed cops showed but hey, it gets to ya.
It was a human response to a situation , maybe not a reasoned response but then considering a terrorists stock in trade is fear it was a very human response m8, as fear is not something that is reasoned. ( have a suspicion that thats a very hamfisted sentence, i knew i should have paid attention in english more )
Anyway enough of my Blather im going to go get caught up on the order of the stick, love that cartoon...
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