Satire Does Not Always Involve Humor. The Most Powerful Satire Never Does.

[teleharmonium]

99. perhaps

Surely there are multiple interpretations of the context that are possible. By reasonable people, even.

I'm a long time atheist. But I'm pretty sure the context I described is how a Muslim in France would have seen it.

That leads me to another thought I've had about this.

As you've probably heard there are some groups of people that object to having their photo taken. I'm not sure if television has been entirely accurate as to the details, but I figure there is some truth in this, whether we are talking about some form of Amish or Mennonite, or people in central Africa, or Australian aborigines.

So if you can humor me in that assumption:

Let's say you run across such a person, and you're in full on tourist mode with a nice new camera, taking all kinds of pictures of cool things on a trip you would like to remember.

In your culture, you don't believe you harm a person by taking their photo. But they feel they would be harmed.

Do you go up right in front of them and take a full on shot without asking ? How about if you ask and they say no, do you still take the shot ?

Don't basic manners and consideration for others come into play here ?

My point is that in interaction with other people, you have some knowledge that your actions toward them are perceived and understood according to their value system, not yours.

Somehow, when you are in an us vs them mentality, and particularly if you consider yourself the rightful occupant of where you are and other people to be unwelcome, this is getting overridden. I'm saying if we could change our minds on this, we would be changing the whole situation in ways that might surprise us.