Losing The Ability To Discriminate

A very sharp commentary from the Telegraph on the uproar over remarks made by Pope Benedict XVI. Comparing reactions to two incidents, the Pope's remarks and a playful slap by Tony Blair's wife, Cherie, on a laughing teenager, they conclude that we are losing the ability to discriminate. Without the ability to separate the important from the trivial, we are losing our ability to deal with either.

The Pope quotes a barbed medieval criticism of Islamic violence in the course of a scholarly discourse, and Muslims all over the world go into uproar; churches are firebombed. The Prime Minister's wife delivers a playful slap to a cheeky teenager, and six detectives rush to question her.

We are living in a world that has lost not only its sense of proportion but also its ability to discriminate.

In the case of Cherie Blair – who aimed a slap at a 17-year-old fencing champion while both of them giggled – it is hard not to conclude that it served her right. In her role as a trendy human rights lawyer, she has helped foster the nosy paranoia that led the Child Protection in Sport Unit to call the police. That said, however, Mrs Blair was clearly guilty of nothing more than a sense of humour.

By contrast, it is not immediately apparent how much blame to attach to Benedict XVI for the worldwide furore over last week's lecture. On reflection, the answer must be: not very much. Presumably, the Pope regrets quoting the Byzantine emperor's opinion that aspects of Islam were "inhuman". Moderate Muslims have been upset by it, and Benedict reiterated yesterday that he was sorry that they had taken offence. But he is even more sorry that this offence has been exacerbated by the deliberate manipulation of his words by Islamic firebrands and their slick media operation.

The media has had a major role in this mess, too. They breathlessly reported the remarks the Pope made, making sure to quote the most inflammatory words without the full context. Then they shoved a microphone in the face of every reliably hateful Islamist they could to get more inflammatory quotes. They have been stirring the pot mightily throughout this incident. Even the murder of an elderly nun is just more grist for the media mill.

Other Links to this Post

1. The Anchoress » A round-up: Pope, Dopes and general prattle — Monday, 18 September , 2006 @ 12:41 pm

2. Hyscience — Monday, 18 September , 2006 @ 3:11 pm

3. Flopping Aces » Blog Archive » Where Are The Moderate Muslims? — Monday, 18 September , 2006 @ 8:44 pm