Puffin’s Place

Am I the only one who finds it interesting that the Fort Hood shooter was immediately identified as a Muslim but the religion of the Florida shooter has yet to be identified? Recall assorted other outbursts of violence recently and try to remember when the religion of the presumed guilty has been a prominent part of the story. Remember any headlines that said, Christian Timothy McVeigh blows up Oklahoma building? Christian Jeffrey Dahmer boils victims?

But let a Muslim commit an atrocity and two things happen: his/her religion becomes a major part of the story, including soulful interviews with Mosque-mates, and all parts of his or her name are used repeatedly lest we miss a “Mohammad” a “Nidal.”

Yet the same folk in and out of the media who find only the religion of Muslims news and noteworthy would be horrified to see Christian, Jewish, etc. attached to other crimes.

Remember, by the way, how Madeline Murray was always “atheist Madeline Murray”?

Apparently the American way is to identify conspicuously that which we fear and loathe.