So the people building the community center/mosque are douchebags because they don't consider the sensitivities of people who equate Islam with terrorism?
No, people building a muslim community center/mosque in extremely close vicinity of a place that was destroyed by muslim extremists in an attack backed by a muslim extremist in which people come to visit are, in my opinion, tactless douchebags.
As I've explained in another thread. Its not JUST people who equate Islam with Terrorism Its about emotional responses, many of which are natural.
When I say "Fireman" I don't have a giant swelling of pride and admiration, I just think of the guys that put out fires. When I say "Fireman and WTC" I immediately have an uplifting feeling and have the notion of heroism in my head as those two triggers bring me back to the day of 9/11. If I saw a giant fire truck monument with a statue of a fireman walking out of rubble 2 blocks from Ground Zero those two triggers (Being near Ground Zero and seeing the fireman monument) would summon forth that similar emotion.
Likewise when I say "Islam" or "Muslim" I don't suddenly have anger or hatred or think "TERRORISTS!". When I say "Islam and the WTC" then yes, I do have sudden feelings of anger and sadness as those two words act as triggers against each other to cause me to recall emotions from that specific day. If I see a giant building dedicated to Islam while heading or leaving hte WTC then again, those two triggers (being near ground Zero and seeing a big islamic center) would summon forth that similar emotion.
While I agree the notion of thinking all muslims are terrorist is ridiculous, I find it also absolutely ridiculous to suggest that somehow its impossible or unreasonable to have negative emotions or negative views or negative thoughts when you combine both the notion of Islam with the time/place of Ground Zero. I find it COMPLETELY absurd that people are acting like its unreasonable to even ATTACH Islam to 9/11, as if it had
nothing to do with it.
To me, that's what it looks like here. Sure people have a right to protest, but I think they are "slaying dragons". Yes, the terrorists were all Muslim. That doesn't mean mean that all Muslims are terrorists.
Show me the people in this thread saying all Muslims are Terrorists?
All Japanese people didn't believe that Pearl Harbor needed to happen, I wouldn't want a Japanese Culture Center opening up right outside the Arizona 10 years after Pearl Harbor either.
Pearl Harbor was attacked by a nation, not a fringe minority of a religion. The only way to be upset about this is to link this mosque to terrorism.
They were attacked by a nation who was not ruled by a democratically elected head of state and whose people were from a culture of simply doing what their leaders told them. One could equate that to the rather extremely tacit response by the Muslim world in regards to terrorist attacks, such as disagreeing with the attacks on civilians but turning around and stating they support the goals and endeavors of the groups that conduct said attacks. Joe Random Japanese guy had no more hand or affect in regards to the attacking of Pearl Harbor then these people building the Mosque did, but it wouldn't make it any less douchey.
As I've said, my stance is one of four things:
1. Douchebags that know its going to piss people off and don't care, and who are throwing the "out reach" comments out as an abject lie and bull****ting. Mind you, no one says its illegal to be a douche bag.
2. Complete idiots that realize this is going to piss people off, specifically those that are anywhere from relatively neutral to full out negative on Islam, but still build it while telling us that its to "Build bridges" and be "out reach". Meaning they're attempting to "Reach out" to people by doing something right off the bat that's going to piss them off and start them on a worse footing
3. Absolute dullards who are more oblivious than Mr. Magoo and somehow had absolutely zero clue what so ever that this response would happen, and then IS happening, and are continuing on with the project thinking that no one is bothered or upset about it and it will work wonders in "out reach" and "building bridges".
So, please, excuse me and let me restate my comment earlier. They're not douche bags. They may be douche bags, idiots, or dullards...which of those three, I'm sure. What I do know however without a doubt is they severely lack tact.