Toxic positivity. I’m not a fan of “your opinion doesn’t count unless you agree with me” and this is just a social media platform saying the same thing. But I’m grateful for the Return YouTube Dislike browser plug-in/add-on so that you can have some point of reference among perspectives outside one’s own. If a video has 300 likes, you might think it’s a fine video and you’ll watch it thinking “wow 300 people endorsed this”. If a video has 300 likes and 500 dislikes, though, you at least KNOW “oh that’s at least one red flag. I shall invest more effort than usual into being skeptical and mindful, and more effort into thinking critically as well, as I watch this.”
If i see a ton of dislikes on a video whose topic is one of the new reich’s designated scapegoats, the dislike count may in fact be a factor that INCREASES my favorability toward it, because chuds brigading something means it upsets them.
… Depends on your definition of “okay”.
A maximally “good person” would not consider it OK to criticize someone’s religion, but they may criticize harmful activities that individuals perform, even if such individuals use their religion as an excuse to do harmful things–because it is not about religion, but rather about choices and actions.
However, I am admittedly not a maximally good person, no matter how much of a cinnamon roll I do wish I could be… And I draw the line a little further into the gray area, in that the thing that gives me pause is not “it’s a religion” but rather “participation in these activities–” this religion in particular “–strongly correlates with specific marginalized demographics.”
There is a very strong likelihood that dissing islam will also, with proverbial ‘splash damage’, hit people who are also going through a lot of awful shit with government leadership and legislation that somehow manages to STILL be more cruel and more corrupt than a given “global north” or “western” nation state.
So … It’s just awareness of context.
Also there is a chilling effect from all the highly publicized incidents where journalists are murdered for saying something that some individuals whom are Muslim do not agree with.
(although that does not make them look any worse than when israel murders journalists lately…)
Generally speaking, the normative population of christians (using the broadest possible definition in Literally Anyone Who Prays To Jesus) does not, statistically, suffer nearly as much oppression as muslims.
So … due to EXTERNALITIES, mocking islam itself, specifically, feels too much like ‘punching down’ for my liking. It is my hypothesis that there are other people hesitating to talk shit for the same or at least similar reasons. Meanwhile, mocking christianity is quite a bit less like ‘punching down’ because the most corrupt, powerful, dastardly sacks of shit on the planet dress themselves up as christians.
…That said, I do not think anyone has a leg to stand on as far as trying to dictate at other people that they are “allowed” to mock some religions but not others. I for one believe this is a personal choice that one must make for oneself. If you wish it did not happen, the extent of one’s individual influence is to choose not to oneself.