Thanks to Amygdala and Kesher Talk I've been made aware of a blogger named Dr. Dot's violent encounter with proxy anti-Semitism, not to mention the aftermath. Those two have already covered most of the details (and I just deleted about three paragraphs that can essentially be boiled down to Don't Do This If You Don't Enjoy Being Gleefully Stomped By Everybody Within Line of Sight), but what the heck: we note the story all the same.
Including the fact that political affiliation becomes irrelevant in this country in these sorts of situations. I am confident that no regular reader of this blog would have walked away from the incident described by Dr. Dot*, and given the range of political opinion that shows up around here, well...
*Said story, of course, may be not fully accurate; I feel that the principle would still however remain sound. I also will note that some of our readers might not actually actively engage in the stomping - but they still wouldn't just walk away from the problem, which is really the important thing.
You know, this is why I scare my friends with the speaking in tongues and the "the end in nigh" sandwich-board. Because bigotry is not just for Jews anymore -- and never actually was.
Posted by: angua | February 09, 2004 at 05:37 PM
end IS nigh, obviosuly. if someone's end ends up IN night, angua is not responsible
Posted by: angua | February 09, 2004 at 05:38 PM
Because bigotry is not just for Jews anymore -- and never actually was.
No indeed - you only have to read Tacitus on Islam to know that.
Reading Dr Dot's story is on one level horrifying - but on another level, inspiring. *No one* stood by the man who punched her in the face. Complete strangers rallied round to help. People like that vile man who hit her are, fortunately for us all, for our species, a small minority, not a majority.
The danger comes when bigotry is accepted as social norm: when the minority who will react violently have social approval for what they do.
Posted by: Jesurgislac | February 10, 2004 at 03:31 PM