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Look, I don't give a shit about holding people responsible for what they believe. What I care about is what consequences might arise from them believing it. -- m.b.f
Fair enough. So do I, for that matter, but truly, the consequences which might arise aren't entirely under the control of those who wish us ill, or who misrepresent what we believe in. We'll have -- are having -- our say, after all.
My point was simply that group identities are not the same as individual ones, and that little good comes of confusing the two.
I would have thought it obvious, but if it wasn't, let me state it unequivocally: I didn't for a moment intend to imply that you'd advocate killing policemen, or support those who do. My point was that demonization is/was far more common on our side of the fence than we generally admit, and is never helpful, regardless of who employs it. I'm not talking about satire, either, or polemics in general, as long as everyone understands that calling folks cute names which seem to encapsulate what we despise about their beliefs or attitudes is always to be taken with a grain of salt.