oyuki

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Verbal Deflation

Pope Benedict launched into a scholarly discussion of religion and reason and how acting against reason is to act against god’s will. He started the speech with a historical incident in which a Byzantine Emperor commented to a visiting Persian that the Islamic god via the Prophet has brought nothing but evil because of its conversion by the sword.

Naturally the reaction has been seething and anger. Burning the Pope in effigy. Blind emotion that is further abetted by those in Turkey who have decided to call Pope Benedict Hitler. Which proves Pope Benedict’s assertion of how non-reasoning acts against the will of a caring divinity.

Now really. First there was Bushy McHitler. And now we have Pope Hitler. What is going on here? I’m a Hitler, you a Hitler, won’t you like to be a Hitler too?

Herr Hitler’s name for the past 60 years has been the thermonuclear definition for evil. But this indiscriminate use of his name to label anything some people do not agree with will lead to a devaluation of the impact this name has. Just like using the F-word was the schizz, it meant you were seriously ticked off and everyone better pay attention; now it’s an everyday verb in the common argot. That is where we are going with this casual use of Hitler’s name.

Pretty soon I expect to hear some middle-class woman exclaim, “Oh you are such a little Hitler!” when her Persian kitty Fluffy claws the davenport. That is where we are going with this misuse of such a potent word. And all to score cheap political points in the midst of battles to save Western civilization from a new Dark Age, pathetic.

Update Sept 17, 2006. Western media sources keep chanting in unison with radical Muslims for the Pope to apologize. So far all that Pope Benedict has done is say 'I am sorry you have misunderstood me.' But the seething still continues. I have to ask, again, of the Western media who's side are they serving in this matter? By calling for the Pope to apologize they are telling everyone in the world that violent extortion can get you media support. So instead of reporting on news, the Western media becomes part of the cycle of violence as a fascilitator.

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