A few days ago, I commented on a recent opinion from a Muslim cleric that allowing Saudi women to drive would lead to prostitution, homosexuality, and a lack of virgins in the kingdom.
Now, a cleric in Europe has advised Muslim women to avoid phallic produce such as cucumbers, zucchini, and carrots because they might lead the women into having unclean thoughts. If women do want to eat them, then a male relative is supposed to prepare the food.
I'm not going to tar an entire religion with the brush these two men provide. There are kooks and extremists in every group, especially groups that try to advise people on how to live a 'holy' life. I've heard preachers rail against dancing and instrumental music. I've listened to environmentalists harangue people for the crime of eating meat or eating vegetables that weren't produced using 17th century levels of technology. I've heard politicians of every stripe from multiple countries say things that just make me shake my head. And yes, I've heard pro-gun people say things that set my teeth on edge.
But lately, it just seems there are more of these stories. Maybe I'm just noticing them because I'm paying a bit more attention to the news than usual. Maybe the media is reporting them more. Or maybe there are just more kooks.
But seriously, am I the only one that wonders if some of the conspiracy theories about stuff in the water might be true based on some of the news of late?
1 comment:
I was having this very discussion with Better Half a little while ago. Lance Criminal thinks we're getting paranoid in our old age, but he's not quite 20. He doesn't remember a world where the lunatic fringe was actually on the fringes.
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