Sweet Jesus and hypocrisy

Agent Banana at the Captain's blog

Hypocrisy. Aren't we letting the views of one religious group infringe on our freedom of expression? Not too long ago, some Muslims became outraged about a series of Danish cartoons portraying the prophet Mohammed. We were outraged that some Muslims were outraged. Out of safety concerns or pragmatism, most Western media did not republish the images. We screamed that we were letting "others" tell us what to do. They were limiting the principles of freedom of expression, the very principles "we" are fighting for over there (where?). Some media outlets did publish the cartoons, such as the Western Standard. We bought t-shirts and bumper stickers with the images. This was acceptable. How dare they impose their views and tell us what to do.

Now several months later, an art exhibit in a New York Hotel captures the entanglement of commercialization and religious tradition in a chocolate sculpture of Jesus Christ. The hotel, citing security concerns, has cancelled the scrumptious display. The gallery director submitted his resignation. This time, there will be no outrage that the religious views of some people are encroaching on civil rights. There will be no t-shirts, no bumper stickers. This time, it's Christians and that makes it okay for them to tell us what to do.

Can you imagine what would have followed if the Danish cartoonist had quit cartooning? It's absolutely acceptable to denounce the Muslim reaction to the Mohammed cartoons because, well, we just don't like Islam that much. The religion is radical, backwards, violent, and savage. We aren't Muslim.

And that is hypocrisy.