A Harsh Thing I Should Have Said (Martin Peretz Dept) - The Atlantic
Usually you regret the harsh things you say more than the harsh things you decide not to say. At least, that’s how it usually turns out for me.
Here’s an exception. Earlier this week I wrote an item about an incredible instance of public bigotry in the American intelligentsia. I decided not to push the “publish” button, because — well, I didn’t need to say it. Other people were pointing out the bigotry. I had no special standing as attitude-cop in this case.
But Nicholas Kristof’s column today makes me realize I was wrong. The upsurge in expressed hostility toward Muslims — not toward extremists or terrorists but toward adherents of a religion as a group — creates an American moment that isn’t going to look good in historical retrospect, The people indulging in this kind of group-bias speech deserve to be called out.