You in the plaid shirt: more rage please



And in case we haven’t seen enough screaming bullies yet, let us change the scene to Jaipur.

 Indian Muslims shout slogans against Salman Rushdie in Jaipur, Rajasthan, during this year's Jaipur Literature Festival.

It’s Rage Boy again. There’s nothing like religion for spawning Rage Boys.

Salman Rushdie’s virtual participation at the Jaipur Literature Festival was canceled at the last minute Tuesday,  after Muslim groups attending the festival threatened violence if his image was shown.

Mr. Rushdie was scheduled to address thousands of Lit Fest attendees by video conference Tuesday afternoon, after cancelling an in-person appearance.

‘‘There are a large number of people adverse to this link in and around this  property and they have threatened violence,’’ said Thakur Ram Pratap Singh of Diggi, the owner of Diggi Palace, the festival venue. ‘‘This decision is necessary to protect everyone here,’’ he said.

Why? Why have they? Oh, no reason, really. Somebody told them Rushdie is a Bad Man who said something Bad about Allah. Same with Irshad Manji, no doubt. It’s something to do. If you have money you go mountaineering, if you don’t you go to public places and scream yourself purple. The second hobby, sadly, fucks things up for everyone involved; lose-lose.

Mr. Rushdie criticized both the Indian government and Islamic leaders in an interview Tuesday evening with television channel NDTV. While Mr. Rushdie said he has been cast as an enemy of Islam, the real enemies are “the leaders, the Deobandis, the various extremist leaders and their followers, who behave like this, because what they do is to strengthen the extremely negative image of Islam as an intolerant, repressive, and violent culture,” he said.

Exactly so. The Rage Boys don’t do anybody any good in the long run, not even the Rage Boys of Tomorrow. Or rather, especially not them. Better to be a Rushdie than a Rage Boy.

 

Comments

  1. 'Tis Himself, OM says

    what they do is to strengthen the extremely negative image of Islam as an intolerant, repressive, and violent culture

    Unfortunately this is what’s happening. Muslims complain about Islamophobia and then some of them go out of their way to act in reckless, irrational, hateful ways. If there’s enough threats of violence about slights, real or perceived, towards Islam, then non-Muslims are going to think Muslims are violent and intolerant.

  2. Jeff says

    The guy in plaid doesn’t have to yell or look particularly angry. He’s the one with the gun. When the the screamer in front draws someone out in response, then “plaid boy” goes into action. Never underestimate a pack.

  3. Aliasalpha says

    Maybe rage boy should go into metal, he might make a good vocalist for a thrash metal band and he can get his rage out in a healthy & fun way

  4. Egbert says

    He (the guy in the center of the picture) looks menacing in the Crowd, but he would look silly on his own.

  5. astrosmash says

    this is why the “moderate” muslims need to STFU with their thin skinned mewling requests for censorship. they are in no fucking position whatsoever to dare mention the words “respect” and “tolerance”

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