Pandagon

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by brianwspencer

I disagree here on this one, because I think that many of these bloggers/columnists/gasbags are the ones responsible for this utterly insane overhyped fear of Muslims, who they now endearingly refer to en masse as "Islamofascists."

If you're able to make one group the bogeyman, then it's easier to turn a blind eye to other religions.

Things like your examples. We don't have to address those because we can say, "LOOK! They fly planes into buildings." [read: LOOK! We bomb abortion clinics and fly planes loaded with bombs over innocent people in countries halfway around the world in the name of good] "LOOK! Their holy book says to kill homosexuals." [read: LOOK! Our holy book says to stone to death any number of people for any number of minor infractions, but we can explain that one away by circumventing it.] "LOOK! We elected one of them to Congress and he will try to institute Sharia in our country, grab your burqu'as ladies!" [read: LOOK! We are misogynists most of the time.]

Now, I don't believe that Christianity is bad by itself, but let's stop pretending that radical any-religion is any less dangerous than radicalism from another religion.

I don't think we're actually in disagreement about this one, though- I agree that right-wing bloggers (with the exceptions of John Cole and a few others) are turning a blind-eye to Christianists. Why? Because they don't want to alienate their readers/listeners, who don't get the difference between Christianists and your average run-of-the-mill Christian. And said that I think the left-leaning bloggers regard radical Christianism as a bigger threat to the US than radical Islamism.

I agree that right-wing bloggers, media gasbags, etc. have happily turned Muslims into the boogey man, but I don't see what that has to do with why left-wing bloggers discuss radical Christianism.

I read an interesting article yesterday on fear and certainty- that the more we're afraid of something, the more we desperately want to be certain about it. Makes me look at gasbags like O'Reilly and think, "chicken."