Speak No Evil

 

“Denny went to Catholic school; Denny had tattoos. Even though the Catholics frowned on tattoos, Denny did not seem to resent this.”

This paraphrased from an unpublished manuscript I have been asked to look at.

Something is wrong here. Not just that the Catholic Church does not consider tattoos sinful. Suppose they did. Isn’t the rational response, for Denny, to wonder whether his tattoos were a good idea, and seek to justify them to himself; rather than trying to decide whether he can still tolerate in silence his teachers, his colleagues, presumably his parents who sent him to a Catholic school. and the accumulated wisdom of his ancestors for the past two thousand years?

Noting that nothing in religion is compulsory: nobody is making him do anything. His personal freedom is not at issue.

This seems to illustrate the narcissism and intolerance of our current postmodern milieu. 

You can see how this attitude might lead to violence; might lead to assuming the right to shoot up the school for not conforming to your wishes.

We see it spreading to matters other than morals. Now you can condemn your doctor for suggesting that you are morbidly obese, and your health is in danger if you don’t take steps. That’s “fat shaming.” How dare he?

How soon before doctors dare not diagnose cancer, for fear of prosecution?