This is the best thing you’ll read all week.
Oh? We’re criticizing Ms. Gellar, a woman who was just the subject of a jihadi assassination attempt and who may well be a marked woman for the rest of her life, on niggling matters of tone and style?
And we need to do this now? We need to trot out the smug and absolutely unexamined, absolutely thoughtless vanities of Upper Middle Class Respectability and attack Ms. Gellar for not doing it in quite the way we would have, even as, in all likelihood, she scrambles to find long-term security to protect her life?
For drawing a cartoon?
[…]
This is about class. This is all about class.
This is about, specifically, the careerist, cowardly, go-along-to-get-along mores of the Upper Middle Class, the class of people whose parents were all college educated, and of course are college educated themselves; the class that dominates our thought-transmitting institutions (because non-college educated people are more of less shut out of this industry).
It is a class which is deathly afraid of social stigma, and lives in class-based fear being grouped with the wrong people, and which is more interested in Career, quite frankly, than in the actual tradecraft of that Career, which is clarity of thought and clarity of expression.
This is something I’ve talked about before. Ace spells it out.
This is a woman of immense courage and we must, must all support her or all we hold dear will disappear into the dead zone of islam.
I’m trying to think of another example whereby someone escapes an attack by a murderer, gives an interview to the press the next day, presumably to talk about her harrowing ordeal and is attacked during the interview. And for what? Escaping death? But I cannot think of another example.
The “short skirt” analogy has been beaten to death but in this instance is worth repeating. It would be like a rep from a domestic abuse shelter is brought on the set of a news channel to talk about violence against women in reference to a gang rape of a woman that had occurred the night before and instead of talking about violence against women, the reporter is more interested in asking why the woman would be wearing a short skirt. In other words, why she would bait the men involved in the attack. But of course, that would never happen.
Thanks Kate for bringing this forward to a larger audience although my guess is I’m not the only SDA supporter who also frequents his site. I usually land at Ace’s site once a day, right after SDA of course, for insightful reading. Ace, when not out hobo hunting, has the ability to pen some of the best pieces I have ever read.
I’m pretty sure lots of Valu-Rite was consumed after writing this.
MMMMM….
In principle, these fools are like condoning a born again Christian shooting at some folk who not only don’t attend church, but don’t attend HIS church….just because the shooter has strong feelings about his faith?
Really those 2 jihadis were imposing their religion on others.
Spreading the faith by the sword is a basic tenant of Islam.
These SJW are insisting we surrender…..
A great piece of writing. Thanks.
TRUE. This is a class thing.
The dislike of Sarah Palin, even among many so-called conservatives, is also a class thing.
A liberal recently called her a snowbilly.
However, Ace subtly does what he accuses others of doing here, no?
He points out that he has many big disagreements with Pam Geller ((not Gellar).
WHY?!
Is he not himself unwittingly signalling something here?
Glenn Reynolds’s wife recently wrote a piece on Geller with the signalling phrase “love her or hate her”.
There is absolutely no need to include these kinds of phrases in a full throated defence of Liberty.
Kate never has used, and I expect never will, such weasel phrases.
I think back to my youth as a liberal and recall how other liberals defended the right of George Lincoln Rockwell’s American Nazi Party to hold their intentionally provocative and offensive marches through the streets of Skokie, Illinois, streets with a heavily Jewish population. People did make a point of expressing their distaste for Rockwell and his crew, but liberals of that era were sincere in their belief that if the Nazis were not permitted to march, the freedom of all would be diminished. Similarly, most English people understood the importance, however distasteful they found Sir Oswald Moseley and his British Blackshirts, of giving them police protection as they marched in East London. There is nothing wrong with finding the Apprentice Boys tiresome while insisting on their right to march and drum, even where the neighbours don’t want them.
What has changed is that those who claim the name liberal are nothing of the sort. Their defence of free speech and association has become ever more selective, to the point that it is meaningless.
I don’t remember anyone on the left suggesting, after some nut attacked an abortion doctor, that perhaps abortion should be curtailed. Nor do I remember anyone, regardless of their position on abortion, defending the attacker. The left and Islam are natural allies. They both like to bully any and all opposition into silence and de facto co-operation.
Thucydides said that when a nation separates its scholars from its warriors, its thinking will be done by cowards and its fighting done by fools. While, fortunately, our military commanders remain generally well-educated men and women, we’ve certainly reached the first part of that dichotomy in so far as the vast majority of the chattering classes have no military (or law enforcement, or business) experience. The result is the ongoing rationalization of capitulation and a search for the easy, short-term way out of necessary confrontations. Just because the guys in the brown shirts with the armbands are easily riled doesn’t mean we should avoid riling them.
The other point I’d make is that opponents of free speech are behaving like Geller and company, just out of the blue, decided to do something controversial and for no reason other than spite, sh*ts and giggles mock Islam. You have to be some kind of stupid to miss the entire point of the exercise.
I hate Illinois Nazis!
If Pamela Geller’s words and actions invite violence and murder, then I guess that a scantily clad woman invites rape.
These people are also setting a truly dangerous precedent: don’t mock people who might kill you. I wonder how many other groups could see that and act accordingly?
It could be said the Geller was foolish to hold this event knowing the reaction that would result but then you could also say that of those who take extreme risks to their own lives in war They may be called hero’s but their actions could also be seen as foolish. What should we do then respect them for those actions or criticize them because others disapproved. If enough of us roll over and play dead because we fear that we might anger or offend others, then the other side has already won.
“The symbol of our constitutional unity, to which we all pledge allegiance, is the flag of the United States of America. By whatever legislative method is most feasible, Old Glory should be given legal protection against desecration.”
(emphasis added)
Republican Platform 2012
The silence of ‘free-speech advocates’ is deafening.
Sasquatch said: “These SJW are insisting we surrender…..”
I am disinclined to acquiesce to their request.
I further hold that Canadian Mooselimbs, IF THEY ARE SMART, should be boosting Pamella Geller, throwing money at her and showing up to protect her person at her speaking events.
The alternative is less appealing, shall we say. I wouldn’t want to reflect on what might happen if the current Multicultural regime might find itself politically challenged. Let the NDPee and the Liberals think that they can get power with an anti-immigrant policy, and Mooselimbs will lose their special government pet status in a New York minute. Protected Species to Open Season on a dime.
It has happened before. Japan, WWII. It could happen again.
Nobody wants that. Some think they do, but would barf on their own shoes if faced with the reality. We don’t be careful here, it could happen.
Not being willing to and refraining from insulting Islam and its soldiers is dhimmitude. When in contact with the religion of submission there are no “bystanders”.
It’s good to know that if one of these newsrooms had narrowly escaped an attack themselves, by some deranged gunman, (thankfully taken down by police before he could get inside their studios, just like the two in Texas), who was upset not only by their liberal bias but using their news reports to try and influence the way voters cast ballots, thus perverting the democratic process, that “freedom of the press” would take a back seat to introspection — a full examination by them of their own biases and motives, asking each other on air how they could’ve behaved in such a provocative way and flogging each other in the process. But, um, I doubt that would ever happen.
I find in interesting in the aftermath of these types of attacks, many are quick to assert, it isn’t Islam and blame non-progressives for perpetuating Islamophobia. My answer is don’t yell at them, yell at the jihadists, they’re the ones making the argument their actions are Islamic, taking credit for attacks:
“The attack by the Islamic State in America is only the beginning of our efforts to establish a wiliyah in the heart of our enemy. Our aim was the khanzeer Pamela Geller and to show her that we don’t care what land she hides in or what sky shields her; we will send all our Lions to achieve her slaughter. This will heal the hearts of our brothers and disperse the ones behind her. To those who protect her: this will be your only warning of housing this woman and her circus show. Everyone who houses her events, gives her a platform to spill her filth are legitimate targets. We have been watching closely who was present at this event and the shooter of our brothers. We knew that the target was protected. Our intention was to show how easy we give our lives for the Sake of Allah.”
https://justpaste.it/Anonymous90
What are you whining about Rizwan? Are you suggesting that the Baltimore losers have a free speech right to burn down Baltimore? Are you hinting that free speech is not an absolute?
Pam Geller may eventually be assassinated; you may well be an accomplice.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/isis-appears-threaten-pamela-geller-claims-militants-article-1.2211913
Some numbers to keep in mind when debating free speech. Keep bringing them in. What could go wrong ?
http://rightwingnews.com/democrats/can-muslims-be-american-58-of-us-muslims-say-free-speech-should-be-illegal/
Lost in all this noise is the obvious. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks about Pam Geller, she has every right to express herself.
Lefties ought to remember the words of their own icon – cranky old Noam Chomsky – someone I have little time for but his quote here is apt and to the point:
“If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.”
Nice, but rings pretty hollow because “Ace” is anonymous.
It’s always 5 O’clock somewhere.
I’m not anonymous. I posted the Jyllands-Posten Mohammed cartoons on my blog for the second time just after the Charlie Hebdo attacks. I think I might make it an annual thing.
Can we put this simply without wasting 1000 word essays on an obvious fact – the upper classes with college-tainted(humanities) ideals allow “political correctness” (AKA cultural Marxism)to eclipse any rational moral sense of right and wrong. They have allowed political templates to substitute for absolute moral imperatives – of course they are afraid of peer rejection for transgressing these political codes – but basically they will reject a morally correct position for a politically correct position.
As George Carlin would say, “they’re Fxxked” but I personally think people who swap politics for morals are treacherous and untrustworthy – you all know one folks – don’t turn your back on ’em.
The compulsory straw man; That we must not insult the majority of Muslims by daring to portray their prophet.
Well duh, what kind of retard figures this is possible.
Who today has seen the face of Mohamed?
Who decides if a drawing is an true rendition?
It is all theatre, the violent will chose to be offended when ever it benefits them.
If the “peaceful” members of this death cult are offended by the artwork of a western artist, claiming to portray their great leader, they are idiots.
How would anyone know if the artist actually got it right?
Any action other than that of Pam Geller and co is surrender.
Violent racists who insist upon their right to kill at their perceived offence, deserve only one response, live rounds until they stop bothering rational folk.
Perhaps those on the left would be so good as to explain what in Islam is worth defending.
One can go on and on and on and on about that particular religious dysfunction just as one can complain about the left’s naivety and suicidal idiocy.
But it’s time to articulate that lunacy honestly. I would like to know why freedom of expression and even human life are worth suppressing.
The left must be made to answer for their sycophancy.
What in Islam is worth defending:
There you go.
Time to fight terror with terror. Every jihadist killed will be wrapped in bacon before burial. Spread the word. That should take the wind out of their sails.
What a waste of delicious bacon.
This not new.
At the turn of the last century when the Sudan War was still a recent event…Churchill authored “The River Wars”…it was 3 volumes.
The second edition was 2 volumes….after editing out certain “controversial” parts…such as “How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! ……. the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome.”
The final edition was 1 volume….
The more things change the more they remain the same…..
There I have it. 🙂
But seriously, the left side of the political spectrum is the stumbling block in all of this. One knows what Islamists think and what they do. They can be easily ignored and dealt with if the will was there. That leftists would characterise Pamela Gellar’s actions as unnecessarily inflammatory is beyond the limit and they have the loudest voices. They should be openly treated as the enemy, which is what they are. They should be publicly disparaged for choosing death and slavery over respect for rights and life.