This offends me so much.

Not just what it’s about, but the meme image and that a decent person would so misunderstand what’s at stake.

The offense in the photo is absolutely awful. It’s not just a metaphysical harm. As it says, it trashes the entire shelf.

But metaphysical harm is profound. Much of what makes civilization possible is our mutual respect for abstractions and constructs.

Many of us believe that the particular metaphysical commitment associated with a lot of those things are irrational to hold, maybe even harmful. Nonetheless, to disrespect people who hold those views, especially by singling them out, is to regard them as means rather than ends. Violations of human dignity are among the most awful things people can do it each other.

Add on top of that that it’s an offense directed at Muslims in a western context where they are already a disrespected and sometimes abused or loathed minority, and now it’s also a threat, a hate crime, and ironically a violation of norms of pluralism that western culture is supposed to be about.

I don’t know what level of punishment is appropriate for such a person. Retribution isn’t my value system for civil justice. But in an eye for an eye society, it would seem reasonable to require such a person to spend a month getting their nutrients from eating bug, purified feces, and anything else where their objection is metaphysical and irrational.

I don’t like vigilante justice but where I come from when we were kids if other kids did stuff like this, this is when they merited getting the crap beat out of them.