Intolerance or tolerance in a person depends a great deal on their upbringing and where and when they were brought up.
There was an Irish comedian called Dave Allen who myself and my piers found very amusing. He told many jokes against Catholicism - to me and my friends bought up as Chistians in the 50s he was 'poking fun' at the hierarchy and hilariously funny!
However, my elderly Aunt (brought up in the early 1900s in a very Irish Catholic atmosphere) refused to watch him on the TV when he began appearing during the 60s and 70s onwards.
In the 1980s we took my Mother in Law to see him live, on stage, in Edinburgh thinking she would be amused. She wasn't. And, judging by the radio phone-in programme broadcast the next day in the area where she lives, a great many were offended by his act.
I sometimes think of the Muslim reaction (from, to me, youngish people) on QL to be similar to that of my elderly, Christian, Victorian relatives. In other words attitudes have changed. This doesn't mean disrespect, just a different attitude to the world and religions around us. Taking offence is a personal thing but I tend to associate it (where religion is concerned) with narrow-mindedness and the inability to shrug off what is probably just an irreverent poke at life and the way we see it. It in no way harms anyone! It can only harm people if they take it to an extreme and cause a war over it.
Apologies for lengthy post - got a bit carried away and now must go back and check on my cooking before it burns to a cinder lol
Intolerance or tolerance in a person depends a great deal on their upbringing and where and when they were brought up.
There was an Irish comedian called Dave Allen who myself and my piers found very amusing. He told many jokes against Catholicism - to me and my friends bought up as Chistians in the 50s he was 'poking fun' at the hierarchy and hilariously funny!
However, my elderly Aunt (brought up in the early 1900s in a very Irish Catholic atmosphere) refused to watch him on the TV when he began appearing during the 60s and 70s onwards.
In the 1980s we took my Mother in Law to see him live, on stage, in Edinburgh thinking she would be amused. She wasn't. And, judging by the radio phone-in programme broadcast the next day in the area where she lives, a great many were offended by his act.
I sometimes think of the Muslim reaction (from, to me, youngish people) on QL to be similar to that of my elderly, Christian, Victorian relatives. In other words attitudes have changed. This doesn't mean disrespect, just a different attitude to the world and religions around us. Taking offence is a personal thing but I tend to associate it (where religion is concerned) with narrow-mindedness and the inability to shrug off what is probably just an irreverent poke at life and the way we see it. It in no way harms anyone! It can only harm people if they take it to an extreme and cause a war over it.
Apologies for lengthy post - got a bit carried away and now must go back and check on my cooking before it burns to a cinder lol