L'esprit d'escalier
So last night after sword practice and a goodly quantity of beer, the conversation turned to religion and politics and the subject of the Danish cartoons came up yet again. I think the cartoons are obnoxious and shouldn't have been published, but I don't think I held up my side of the debate particularly well. It wasn't until this morning that I came up with a good analogy to explain my position.

Supposing we're all sitting around the armoury one night, and I crack a joke about one member's dead wife. Everyone thinks the joke is hilarious, except for that member. When he says "Guys, that's not funny," I say "Shut up, it's a free country." While it's true that I'm acting well within my rights, it still makes me a jerk. And the fact that everyone else thinks the joke is funny is also a bit beside the point.

If the guy whose wife I'm mocking gets really irritated and turns around and socks me, it is true that he's wrong to turn the matter into a fist fight. And if I charge him with assault and run around complaining about how he's trying to trample my freedom of speech, I am still within my legal rights. However, that makes me a pretty sucky schoolyard bully, doesn't it?