Sensitivity is today's version of the soft despotism that Alexis de Tocqueville worried about in democracies, and it would not have surprised him that the worst of it would be found in the halls of the intellect. Only in American universities, some 300 of them, from 1987 to 1992, did the movement for sensitivity go so far as to enact semi-legal speech codes proscribing offensive speech. These codes provoked the ire of a few free speech heroes on the campuses and, more important, prompted them to mobilize opposition to the codes and to attempts by university administrators to enforce them.
And for a real-life example, see this BBC article (via David T.) about a work of art that was supposed to be shown at the Tate Modern but was pulled because of fears that it would offend Muslim sensitivity. Funny how the art world has no qualms about offending people of other religions.
So what's the difference here? Does the "transgressive" art world have a special animus against Christianity? Or are they just a bunch of scaredy cats? Look at it this way: When you offend a bunch of Christians, all you'll get is a couple of protests--and lots of free publicity--but if you tick off the Muslim community, you're liable to really get hurt.
Pantywaists.
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