Comment by matt4077 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by matt4077 | Hacker News Reader

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To a large part the difference is what comedians call "punching up" vs. "punching down" – Making fun of born-again christians is a bit more legitimate because they're 40% of the (US) population and have an insane amount of power compared to the hardcore atheists insulting them. It's quite different from being a muslim in a predominantly christian country being subjected to abuse by the majority.

It's also a bit more legitimate because those radical atheists usually come from within the society they're criticizing. Not always in the sense of having been devoted christians themselves, but just being white and born in the US means you're more of the "in-group" of a white christian than others.

I'd also like to mention that you're operating from a stereotype of "average leftists" that I feel is overly broad. What you see on tumblr (or what you see when someone shares a screenshot that looks like tumblr) is far away from the average. Regarding uber, check this 500-comment threat to see that there are many people on HN critical of their business practices, especially in regards of drivers' rights and wellbeing: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9731963

> It's quite different from being a muslim in a predominantly christian country being subjected to abuse by the majority.

Hm, interesting that you choose the example going that way. Not to deny that Muslims face discrimination in the West, but have you had a look at what life is like for Christians in Muslim countries?

Hell-- even some types of Muslims in places where the other type of Muslim dominates.

I'd never deny the problems christians face in many countries. The Egyptian's use of the "pig flu" a few years ago as a cheap cover for slaughtering the christian minorities' pigs still makes me angry/sad.

But I'd warn against using such (and greater) injustice as an excuse. The idiots responsible for them are not the muslims who live in western countries, and any sort of collective guilt is morally indefensible (especially considering many muslims are in the west precisely because they wanted to get away).

It's also subject to what my father used to say when I tried to excuse a bad grade as "still pretty good considering how the rest did": "When did we start comparing us to others?"

Also, using the example going that way is exactly what I meant with "it's more legitimate (effective...) to criticize your own group".

All you're pointing out here is that Muslims are capable of punching down when they're in power too. This is (a) not particularly insightful, and (b) irrelevant to his US-based examples of punching up vs punching down.

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