This line of argumentation assumes that if racists, and in particular Islamophobes, are allowed to have their say, not only will their arguments be easily exposed for the ignorant diatribes they are, but that it will quickly become clear to all that such people are in the extreme minority in the civilized West. In that way, the theory goes, these people will be effectively silenced without resorting to restricting free speech. But there's a problem.
The problem is that it's not reasonable to suggest that the majority of 'Islamophobes' in Europe today are knuckle-dragging throwbacks to the pre-Enlightenment era who are instinctively suspicious of anything with which they are unfamiliar, hence their Islamophobia. The average Islamophobe in Europe today is, rather, a person who has been paying very close attention to the words and deeds of Western politicians and media pundits over the past 17 years. And what he/she has been hearing from those authoritative sources is that Muslims are terrorists with a rather strong aversion to Western people and their 'way of life'.
Obviously that is not true, but it has, obviously, been the dominant narrative pounded into people's heads for almost two decades.
From 9/11 and Osama bin Laden to Saddam Hussein's WMDs targeting London in 45 minutes, to ordinary Iraqis taking up arms and killing US and British soldiers, to the Madrid train bombings, to the London tube bombings, to Gaddafi "killing his own people", to multiple brutal ISIS terror attacks on European soil and graphic beheadings (etc.) in the Middle East, to Assad "gassing his own people", to the Western press informing the European people that among the influx of mostly Muslim refugees, there are likely ISIS terrorists; we have all been provided with enough evidence that could lead an otherwise reasonable person to conclude that Islam tends to produce (in at least some of its adherents) a hatred of all that we in the West hold dear.
So while it's obviously not a good idea that some form of sectarian or race war be ignited in European countries with significant immigrant or Muslim populations (UK, France, Germany, increasingly the Nordic countries and Southern Europe), it's not at all obvious that the rise of nationalistic and anti-immigrant/anti-Muslim sentiment in these countries can be blamed on simple and uninformed intolerance, racism and 'white supremacy'. What is much more clear is that, consciously or not, Western governments and the mainstream media have conspired to create the conditions where major social/sectarian conflict - between 'right wing' and 'left wing' Europeans, between right wing Europeans and immigrants/Muslims (or all of them combined) - is just one 'aggravating incident' away.
But we can all take solace in the knowledge that, if and when things go 'kaflooey', those that created this situation for us will be on hand to tell us - with full authority - who to blame.
Comment: Joe Quinn expanded on the point he makes in this article during a recent episode of NewsReal:
As an essayist and print author, Joe has been writing incisive editorials for Sott.net for over 10 years. His articles have appeared on many news sites and he has been interviewed numerous times by Sputnik News and Press TV. His articles can also be found on his personal blog JoeQuinn.net.
Reader Comments
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As for who is to blame, another popular movie dialogue (V for Vendetta) one only has to look in the mirror.
[Link] Note the pop up directing to the BBC and the labor party.
[Link] end of dialogue, one only has to look in the mirror
For some this is the life that has been created for us. If one can consider movies as an art form, then art is imitating life, and this is the life for some at this time. I guess it is a question of what do you believe?
Just my observations.
With a long-time interest in South Asia, I notice also the India/Pakistan govts and media are likewise ramping up the polarization big-time (and supremacist ideology). People may not be knuckle-draggers, but there's still millions (who think they're "woke") that stay glued to their TVs. Maybe it's just part of the culling plans?
And awareness of the creation, funding, training, and arming of extremists by US/UK/France/NATO is still low.
It seems that in the minds of some people, ideas cannot be allowed to co-exist; 'bad ideas' must be shunned and exiled into obscurity and only 'good ideas' can be allowed to have attention. And if 'bad ideas' happen to be a little too persistent, they must be publicly subjected to a rigged Mad-Max-style "Thunderdome" debating battleground in the media, where the 'right' ideas will 'naturally emerge victorious'. Of course, the choosing of the place of the 'battleground' and notions of which ideas are 'bad' and which are 'good' seem to be a result of the ideological alignment of said people.
It is, in effect, an effort to 'throw the baby out with the bathwater' by attempting to yell and scream about the dirtiness of the bathwater and how it must be disposed of, so loudly that nobody will (publicly, at least) acknowledge the presence of the baby!
Well, eff those fruitcakes.
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Under the guise of "protecting children", the speaker calls, once again, for the acceptance of pedophiles.
If we have the mind-control technology available, we must use it first, lest someone else develop it and use it on us.
What excites me most, about the future, is the brand new car I am about to buy and all the latest features it will come equipped with.
I will be able to travel freely about, wherever I wish to go, with speed and efficiency and with total convenience and comfort, that was absolutely unimaginable just a few short years ago.
And that is truly great.
signed,
King Midas aka 'itchy fingers'
What is all the fuss?
Just do what you're told to do and believe what they say.
It is that simple.
K.M.
"The mystery surrounding the car that crashed into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament has deepened, as police insist it was not being followed by an unmarked police car. Even though CCTV footage shows the suspect's vehicle was tailed by a white van as it sped through heavy traffic before crashing.
As we've already noted, while the suspect may not have been followed by an unmarked police car, he may have been tailed by the security services.
In other words, the 'security services' may have been tailing one of their brainwashed patsies as he carried a pre-planned attack aimed at heightening public anxiety over terror. Ed.
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Did you learn how race and religion rally to condemn others by counteracting every superstitious belief system they think their bred for - and made a self inflicting “my way is the only way” game out of it?
How do you overwhelm by assimilating into a new society? Not the easiest thing for ppl who make sense about it.
They don’t clump together as a metastasizing tumor killing the host.
That’s the problem with big money - big control. Conflict of interest?
Nobody should look ignorant because of ignorant people.
Nobody is wothless.
Remember great things and try to honor that.
I’m speaking of pure things, not religious, not self righteous. If you shut down when you do things the way you want and do it differently you won’t be let down.