(04-20-2021, 10:36 PM)Michigan Swamp Buck Wrote: This part of your reply to my post - "Why do it? Because you can. It's not about the meme, and it's not about Moe, it's about being able to freely express your opinion in your own country."
Freely expressing your opinion in your own country, of course I agree with that, but doing it just because you can? I don't think I would unless I felt I had to.
If you could publish "offense" cartoons of Mohammad, sure to get extremist Muslims pissed off enough to kill people, would you, just because you could? What purpose would it serve but to cause mayhem and death, give people a chuckle?
Sure, many countries have free speech like the U.S. and everyone with free speech shouldn't have any fear of speaking, but you have a responsibility for what you say. There are a lot of things I could say, like Maxine Waters did in Minneapolis to crowds ready to start a violent riot.
I suggest that we all choose our words carefully when we exercise our right of free speech.
ETA: IMO though, a civilized response from these middle eastern extremists would be publishing their own "offensive" cartoons of Christ or the pope, or of infidel politicians, etc., but we know those types are far from civilized don't we?
I absolutely would.
I'm a strange character. I don't fold to threats. I let folks know right up front that as soon as they threaten me, it's on. No amount of threats or bad behavior will bring me around to their way of thinking thereafter, and I take a particular pleasure in letting them know that at every turn.
So, yes, I would.
I am not responsible for their hurt feelings any more than they are responsible for mine, carefully chosen words or no.
They don't have to listen to me if they don't like what I am saying. If they don't like cartoons published in France, then don't go to France and look at them. If they want to burn their own country down over something someone somewhere else said, more power to them. I'm really fine with them killing each other off over a perceived slight, until there are only enough Pakistanis left to pave over the entire country into a huge parking lot and build a McDonalds in the middle of it.
If they want to come over here and start shit instead, well, then they got Jao Bai Den to deal with!
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Diogenes was eating bread and lentils for supper. He was seen by the philosopher Aristippus, who lived comfortably by flattering the king.
Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’
Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’