Riots that matter

A popular criticism of the Muslim world is its extraordinary sensitivity - we are, as a group, pretty touchy about certain things. It wasn't always that way, and there are fairly simple historical reasons as to why we are in this period of emotional hypersensitivity when our symbols are attacked.

"Look at those Mozlems," it is said, "They'll riot over cartoons! Tells you something about them!"

*yawn*

Really, it's true, it does tell us something about them, although nothing that isn't so obvious as to be trivial.

That argument aside though, my immediate reaction to claims like this is to say "Look at you Europeans and North Americans! You comfortable, literate, enlightened North Americans. Look at the crap that you riot over!"*

Now I despise all of this sort of boorish violence, and I have argued many times that Muslims ought to be the last people to engage in it. That said, if you're going to be boorish and violent, at least be boorish and violent over something that matters.

*And apparently, they haven't even made it to the final yet.