The other day I posted about how an anti-Muslim group got rhetorical traction in their criticism of Islam by suggesting that Muslims are not really ordinary.
It reminded me of the following Daily Show clip, in which it is suggested that the US should not wage war on Iran because Iranian Muslim families are “exactly like an American family.”
What strikes me about this video is that the producers from the Daily Show are playing exactly the same rhetorical game as the anti-Muslim group. They disagree on whether or not Muslims are like “ordinary Americans,” but both groups apparently agree that becoming like “ordinary Americans” is the condition for social acceptance.
One wonders: would it be okay to bomb Iran if some Iranians turned out not to be assimilated to American social norms and consumerist practices?
