Avoiding Offense Means That We Don't Accept

My Friend, The Dutch Filmmaker Theo Van Gogh, Was Murdered In 2004 For Having Been Insufficiently Reverent Toward Islam.

We Had A World Dominated By The Soviet Union On The One Hand, And The Americans On The Other Hand. They Called It The Cold War. But It Wasn't Cold. I Am Someone Who Comes From The Third World. In The Third World, The Cold War Wasn't Cold. Millions Had Been Killed. It Was A Proxy War.

...bin Laden's Quotes From The Quaran Resonated In My Brain: "when You Meet The Unbelievers, Strike Them In The Neck." "if You Do Not Go Out And Fight, God Will Punish You Severely And Put Others In Your Place." "wherever You Find The Polytheists, Kill Them, Seize Them, Besiege Them, Ambush Them." "you Who Believe, Do Not Take The Jews And Christians As Friends; They Are Allies Only To Each Other. Anyone Who Takes Them As An Ally Becomes One Of Them.

It Is Easy To Be Disgruntled If You Are Denied Rights And Freedoms To Which You Feel Entitled. But If You Are Not Coherent, If You Cannot Put Into Words What It Is That Displeases You And Why It Is Unfair And Should Change, Then You Are Dismissed As An Unreasonable Whiner. You May Be Lectured About Perseverance And Patience, Life As A Test, The Need To Accept The Higher Wisdom Of Others.

In The Real World, Equal Respect For All Cultures Doesn't Translate Into A Rich Mosaic Of Colorful And Proud Peoples Interacting Peacefully While Maintaining A Delightful Diversity Of Food And Craftwork. It Translates Into Closed Pockets Of Oppression, Ignorance, And Abuse.