Liam Neeson: Rape, Revenge, and Race Relations

[bennyboy]

This is why I opt out of these conversations early. 16 pages later and no one's really listening to one another or making any real progress in the conversation. It's as if people are more worried about having the last word than having a real discussion. Without naming names, some of you don't seem to be even reading what others are writing. This is all pointless. AF has spoken, most people feel the outrage wasn't justified.

I'm not sure it's that clear a consensus.  It seems to me that the initial weigh-in heavily favored moderation, but among those who really dug in their heels, it's kind of swinging toward the whole thing being racist, and Neeson having made a major error in judgment.

I feel intent matters much more than content.  Someone might be full-on racist but a nice guy.  Or someone might completely spew the nice-guy memes, but be a manipulative viper.  In the end, I'd almost go with a Biblical view-- it is malice itself which is the cancer.

Malice should be the thing most despised by us all-- the intent to hurt, and to do harm.  And I see plenty of that from the left-- a truly disgusting desire to end careers, to silence opposing thought by mob attack.  And the right-- well, real attacks with real guns, and real bodies hanging from trees-- don't think they get a pass.

Where malice is lacking, there should be a lot more tolerance.  If I'm unwilling to try and understand. . . what will be my reward for that behavior when I'm the one under the microscope?