Victor Davis Hanson: Of teddy bears and cartoons

Jewish World Review ^ | 12/06/07 | Victor Davis Hanson

[Jean S]

http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Here we go again. Thousands of Sudanese Muslims took to the street last week to threaten death to a British schoolteacher in Khartoum.

Her crime? She inadvertently committed the felony of allowing her class to name a teddy bear "Muhammad."

The teacher, Gillian Gibbons, has been pardoned by Sudan's president (after initially being sentenced to 15 days in prison) and sent home to England. Yet that happy ending doesn't erase the reaction in the streets of Khartoum. The tired story behind irrational anger in much of the Muslim world remains the same.

Watch out if Westerners somewhere are judged blasphemous to Islam when they draw a cartoon, write a novel, make a movie or discuss history.

In their furious reaction, thin-skinned Muslims may issue death threats. And they expect apologies. Sometimes the offense — like the reporting of a Koran flushed down the toilet at Guantanamo Bay — turns out to be false but still causes riots and murdering thousands of miles away.

Likewise, the reaction to this madness is now stereotyped. Often apologies — not condemnation — follow from contrite Westerners. To prevent a recurrence, Western writers, filmmakers, teachers and religious figures quietly edit their work and restrict their speech — but only when Islam is involved.

[Nuc1]

Once, Great Britain would not have put up with this. Once we would not have either. I am so sick of us kowtowing to these people. I am also tired of them being referred to as a religion of peace.

[isrul]

I wish Vermont teddy bear would create the “Fuzzie wuzzie muzzie bear” for Christmas

[redpoll]

Abused partners in a relationship act this way. The abuser makes threats, acts thin skinned, has a fit over minor and unimportant things, and the victim responds with an apology and a plea for understanding.

As long as we know our role in this drama, we’re all right. Until the day the abuser decides to finally go the distance and kill the victim.

[beckett]

Condescension is also required. The demonstrator who waves a sword calling for a beheading is often excused. The poor guy must not be educated, rather than just cruel and dangerous. "We're so sorry for the little mix-up" is the public Western answer to the shout of "Death to you!"

Hanson's observation reminds me of a galling and comical illustration of it by John "Cougar" Mellencamp shortly after 911. The singer-songwriter-political guru told his fellow Americans that we must regard Osama as our "little brother who made a mistake." He needs love, Mellencamp averred, not discipline.

[neverdem]

bump & a ping

[Tolik]

    Victor Davis Hanson Ping ! 

       Let me know if you want in or out.

Links:    FR Index of his articles:  http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=victordavishanson
                His website: http://victorhanson.com/
                NRO archive: http://www.nationalreview.com/hanson/hanson-archive.asp
                Pajamasmedia:   http://victordavishanson.pajamasmedia.com/

---

I was busy and did not ping in-time to these Hanson's articles - see if you've read them

Revisionism and The Iranian Non-Bomb
NRO ^ | 12-3-07 | Victor Davis Hanson
Posted on 12/04/2007 2:35:23 PM EST by rightinthemiddle

The Looking-Glass War in Iraq
NRO ^ | 30 nov 07 | Victor Davis Hanson
Posted on 11/30/2007 8:20:39 AM EST by rellimpank

A Few Good People(Victor Davis Hanson)
realclearpolitics.com ^ | November 29, 2007 | Victor Davis Hanson
Posted on 11/29/2007 10:55:16 AM EST by kellynla

Good-Guy Tour
NRO ^ | 29 nov 07 | Victor Davis Hanson
Posted on 11/29/2007 8:55:53 AM EST by rellimpank

Of Teddy Bears and Cartoons
NRO ^ | 06 dec 07 | Victor Davis Hanson
Posted on 12/06/2007 8:44:05 AM EST by rellimpank

Thanks to rellimpank, rightinthemiddle, neverdem and kellynla for pinging me.

[Billthedrill]

Common sense solutions from Hanson, especially the part about remaining militarily strong. This is nothing more than primitive bullying and will continue as long as it is successful. And the longer it is allowed to continue the more difficult it will be to stop.

Religion is involved, of course, but only as the cause of generating the grievance, not as the source of the violence. And grievances are easy to contrive where they do not exist in reality. The attempt to address "root causes" in this case is a wasted effort - should those be the focus of efforts at remediation more will be found. The real "root cause" here isn't the grievance, it is the success that results from violence. At a bare minimum that success must be denied, because if that doesn't work the only recourse will be violence in return. That cycle of violence can last for generations.

That's what is at stake here. Toleration of this bullying, negotiating at its behest, and placation of its grievants is not a safe course of action. It is a dangerous course of action because it blurs the threshold beyond which the killing becomes very difficult to stop.

[GOPJ]

Thanks for the ping.

[GOPJ]

In their furious reaction, thin-skinned Muslims may issue death threats.

Finally, someone really gets it.

[GOPJ]

Abused partners in a relationship act this way. The abuser makes threats, acts thin skinned, has a fit over minor and unimportant things, and the victim responds with an apology and a plea for understanding.

As long as we know our role in this drama, we’re all right. Until the day the abuser decides to finally go the distance and kill the victim.

Insightful - now tell us the "right" response. Once we're past "don't apologize"...

[GOPJ]

Abused partners in a relationship act this way. The abuser makes threats, acts thin skinned, has a fit over minor and unimportant things, and the victim responds with an apology and a plea for understanding.

As long as we know our role in this drama, we’re all right. Until the day the abuser decides to finally go the distance and kill the victim.

Insightful - now tell us the "right" response. Once we're past "don't apologize"...

[TheRobb7]

“Weaning ourselves off imported oil and therefore the need to appease those who have it.”

YES

[dsc]

“Weaning ourselves off imported oil”

I don’t know if it’s credible at all, but in the past few days I’ve heard claims both that there are oil fields sufficient to do this in Alaska, and that we have recently given oil-rich islands off Alaska to the Russians for no good reason.