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That something offended religious extremist don't mean that it didn't offended non-extremists too. But if you keep offending them some could become extremist to

That something offended religious extremist don't mean that it didn't offended non-extremists too. But if you keep offending them some could become extremist too eventually. Is that the final motivation?

zobzu 12y ago
the point is that offending someone with drawings is not the same as killing (or jailing!) people who you disagree with. That's the final motivation. It's also called free speech. Anyone can be offended by anything. As an atheist I'm offended so many people choose to believe in a man-made fantasy. But hey, I'm not going to kill them, jail them,or what not. I expect the same in return. You can certainly disagree or make cartoons about atheists tho. I might find them funny or be offended, who cares.
maxerickson 12y ago
Words and other speech are not a reasonable justification for extremism and violence. They might be claimed as one, but they are not. It's also problematic to worry about the consequences of speech like that. What happens when people start warning you that publishing the truth will drive them to extremism? Of course publishers should consider how their speech will impact people, but they should not refrain from publishing just because they see potential for a negative impact.
zaroth 12y ago
If being offended somehow turns someone into an extremist, in reality they already were one. Bombing civilians is one thing, bigoted cartoons are quite another. Claiming a religion demands, and therefore sanctifies, terrorism in response to speech is not just absurdity beyond reason, it's a path to oblivion.
sologoub 12y ago
Living in a given society requires that one either accepts the norms of that society or works with the society to change them. Terrorists work AGAINST the society by use of force to try and elicit a change out of fear. Most times it backfires. The use of the word extremism is not ideal here. One can hold extreme views on the subject and still function normally within a society, provided he or she respects societal views and voices disagreement within societal norms. Terrorists resort to terror and violence to voice disagreement. In western societies personal freedoms are valued higher than a given religion. Islam does not value personal freedoms in the same way, but if Islam is to peacefully fit in with western norms, it has to adapt or continuous conflict is inevitable.
koalaman 12y ago
From my experience it was those things that caused me offense regularly that made me question my own beliefs and eventually abandon those beliefs which weren't rational. I suggest that perhaps a problem with our societies is that we try to hard not to offend others.

zobzu 12y ago

the point is that offending someone with drawings is not the same as killing (or jailing!) people who you disagree with. That's the final motivation. It's also called free speech. Anyone can be offended by anything. As an atheist I'm offended so many people choose to believe in a man-made fantasy. But hey, I'm not going to kill them, jail them,or what not. I expect the same in return. You can certainly disagree or make cartoons about atheists tho. I might find them funny or be offended, who cares.

maxerickson 12y ago

Words and other speech are not a reasonable justification for extremism and violence. They might be claimed as one, but they are not. It's also problematic to worry about the consequences of speech like that. What happens when people start warning you that publishing the truth will drive them to extremism? Of course publishers should consider how their speech will impact people, but they should not refrain from publishing just because they see potential for a negative impact.

zaroth 12y ago

If being offended somehow turns someone into an extremist, in reality they already were one. Bombing civilians is one thing, bigoted cartoons are quite another. Claiming a religion demands, and therefore sanctifies, terrorism in response to speech is not just absurdity beyond reason, it's a path to oblivion.

sologoub 12y ago

Living in a given society requires that one either accepts the norms of that society or works with the society to change them. Terrorists work AGAINST the society by use of force to try and elicit a change out of fear. Most times it backfires. The use of the word extremism is not ideal here. One can hold extreme views on the subject and still function normally within a society, provided he or she respects societal views and voices disagreement within societal norms. Terrorists resort to terror and violence to voice disagreement. In western societies personal freedoms are valued higher than a given religion. Islam does not value personal freedoms in the same way, but if Islam is to peacefully fit in with western norms, it has to adapt or continuous conflict is inevitable.

koalaman 12y ago

From my experience it was those things that caused me offense regularly that made me question my own beliefs and eventually abandon those beliefs which weren't rational. I suggest that perhaps a problem with our societies is that we try to hard not to offend others.