Emile comments on Offense versus harm minimization - Less Wrong

60 Post author: Yvain 16 April 2011 01:06AM

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Comment author: Eugine_Nier 18 April 2011 02:59:15PM 1 point [-]

Rereading my post, it can be interpreted as saying that all Muslims take that position (mocking not good, but no big objection to just drawing Muslims), which would explain the downvotes.

I think they have more to do with your false-to-fact comparison with a potential American analog.

Comment author: Emile 18 April 2011 04:18:01PM 1 point [-]

I never claimed it was a perfect analogy - I still think it's a better one than the Salmon Pictures.

How would you personally feel about a national "draw Martin Luther King with big lips eating watermelon" day, done by foreigners? I don't expect you'd go out and burn stuff, but I also expect you'd prefer it didn't happen (if this doesn't apply to you you, it probably does to quite a few Americans on this site, I don't even know if you're American). I mean, I tend to be a pro-free-speech bullet biter, but I wouldn't like it.

And many of the arguments that have been made (here or elswewhere) about Everybody Draw Mohammed Day could be made about that too.

Comment author: Eugine_Nier 18 April 2011 04:56:47PM 3 points [-]

I never claimed it was a perfect analogy - I still think it's a better one than the Salmon Pictures.

Well you're right about that at least.

How would you personally feel about a national "draw Martin Luther King with big lips eating watermelon" day, done by foreigners? I don't expect you'd go out and burn stuff, but I also expect you'd prefer it didn't happen

That's precisely the point.

(if this doesn't apply to you you, it probably does to quite a few Americans on this site, I don't even know if you're American). I mean, I tend to be a pro-free-speech bullet biter, but I wouldn't like it.

Well, after the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church's right to free speech, all the major newspapers ran editorials supporting the decision. In fact, this blog post argues that its easier to support free speech for extreme groups like the WBC since you get free warm fuzzies for supporting free speech without having to worry that they'll actually persuade anybody.

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