Dear Rick,
OK, perfectly reasonable questions and here's my response
1) The picture by itself is neither offensive nor inoffensive. It's a
picture of a very unpleasant event but so what? That's the world we live in
and there is as little point in being offended by some prat immolating
himself as there is in being offended by a cancer virus. Put simply - shit
happens!
2) The nub of your problem seems to me to lay in the reason behind the
protest. I see it this way. The actual terrorists are not themselves
particularly oppressed. They use other people's troubles to legitimise their
own nihilistic natures. Essentially they hate the West. It's hard for
liberals, who against all the evidence still insist on believing in an
essentially decency in is humanity, to grasp that significant portions of
the Arab world hate us simply because who we are. The liberal "Just World
Hypothesis" depends on the false assumption that if we are disliked then it
must be our fault. That's why the progressives blame 9/11 on the Americans
who to them are not the victims, but the attackers. So where is all this
leading. It's to here. If, as I assume, the burning guy does support the
terrorist movement, or at the very least doesn't support those trying to
eliminate it, then that guy is a much our enemy as are the armed attackers
3)Either as a therapist myself, or even just as a ordinary citizen, I don't
have an objection per se, to people having radically different views to
mine. What I do have is a strong objection to people who want to tear down
the essential free structures of society that permits therapy and therapists
to develop. I have no time for organised, political, religions. I have no
time for religions that want to oppress people. I notice for example, that
the Muslim freedom protests don't include women as being worthy of much
freedom.
4) So, finally, I'd say this. The very act of always empathising, always
understanding, always excusing all forms of behaviours, including behaviours
and attitudes that are actually anathema to liberal thought, in the long run
only serve to aid those who seek to destroy the very society that allows you
to freely express your views. In other words, you become your own enemy!
Crazy old world, ain't it?
Norman
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