What on earth is an appropriate response...

[goat starer]

To the kind of events in Paris today?

I live in a city with a 25% Muslim population... I have many Muslim friends... Yet I find myself having terrible reactionary responses these days... And then hate myself for them. It sometimes feels like the world is shaping up some terrible clash of ideologies and I don't share any of them.

[Griffin NoName]

I have no answer. Or none that is satisfactory.

The majority of killers are men so enforced lowering of testosterone levels may be an appropriate answer. I don't think religion is relevant; there's just you are in my band, or you are not and I'll kill you.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Echo chambers also apply, yesterday there was a author on the Daily Show saying that when you share your opinions with like minded people you are likely to radicalize on then whatever those are, in consequence if you have fundies of X denomination and they only listen to fundie ideas they will radicalize even more. Add to that the fact that for the past fifteen years there has been a worsening on the so-called 'clash of civilizations' with terrorist attacks on one end and drones and bombing on the other, and you have a fertile ground for more and more fanatic/reactionary responses on both sides (do you think ISIS is an accident?).

When something like this happens we have to remember that for every crazy fundie there are hundreds of thousands/millions of non fundies who would never think on doing such things themselves, in the same way we wouldn't condone bombing a house full of civilians including women and children to potentially kill one 'terrorist'.

[Darlica]

Maybe  "Je suis Charlie" .

I know some people stand behind the campaign because they want the right to mock Islam.
I stand behind it because I believe in freedom of speech and that whatever you write or draw it should never be used to justify killing you!

And by all means, lets also remember that when Christianity (on which shoulders western culture rest heavily whether we like it or not) was a only 1000 years old religion it was partly a very radical and violent  movement too. Terrorising both it's own believers and "heathens". Not that it in anyway justify what happen in Paris, but it can be a good idea to remember that it has happen before, albeit with swords and daggers instead of automatic weapons, and then it was by "our" hand so let's not play out the Martyr card.

[Griffin NoName]

then it was by "our" hand so let's not play out the Martyr card.

So where does that leave Gaza and Israel?

Plenty of cartoons about Jews, not so sure about their G-d but since there's only one any cartoon of a G-dish creature must coount.

[Swatopluk]

Ultra-orthodox rabbis can get as nasty as their Islamist counterparts (including calls to genocide and detailed fantasies about mutilating babies).
And it's far too easy to find Kristian(TM) guys that share the sentiment. In case of doubt (and opportunity) they have no problem to join against the common foe (non-extremists of all kinds plus of course the godless/atheists*).

*those can be murderous thugs too but rarely join with their religious spiritual kin.

[Griffin NoName]

...........detailed fantasies about mutilating babies).

Well, we have King Herod to thank for that. 

[Swatopluk]

That slander was about 4 centuries later.
But some of those phantasies are from the Old Testament (and commentaries to it)

[Griffin NoName]

That slander was about 4 centuries later.

Later than what?

Last Post

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Herod killed children, two of his own and their mother, and that's it, the whole massacre of the innocents is a complete fabrication, with no evidence to support it beyond the gospel of Matthew.
---
erm... not the last post thread?

[Darlica]

then it was by "our" hand so let's not play out the Martyr card.

So where does that leave Gaza and Israel?

Plenty of cartoons about Jews, not so sure about their G-d but since there's only one any cartoon of a G-dish creature must coount.

That is a can of shit that has been brewing for centuries too. All these conflicts in and about the "holy land".

Regarding the drawings, those who get the worst pounding in the French satirical magazines are French politicians and leaders of the catholic church, French "houshold names", some pictures are very misogynistic some border to racism and some are really good satire...

I don't endorse any type of gender,sexual, religious, racial or ethnic prejudice. BUT I still think there isn't a drawn picture or a written or spoken word that justify killing artist/author/speaker.   

[Griffin NoName]

Agreed. Against killing.

Yes, I was being cheeky about Herod. But. It's the Book of Esther (OT) which we read on Purim in the synagogue and every time his name is read out, the whole congregation hisses. There's also a tradition of wearing fancy dress and having a children's party but I cannot remember why (well, the fancy dress bit). It's about the most fun Judaism gets.

http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2009/12/08/The-Slaughter-of-the-innocents-Historical-Fact-or-Legendary-Fiction.aspx#Article

[goat starer]

On another forum (yeah... I know... Disloyal but you guys don't do a lot of wargaming) a good bloke I know posted a terrible rant against Islam after this event...

I can't believe how succesful these groups are at polarising people and creating a self fulfilling prophesy of war.

[Griffin NoName]

Goat, I agree, and it is awful, but on the other hand.............if it is a wargaming forum, what do you expect

[Darlica]

Off Topic:
Goat, which games do you play?