What does it mean to say one is “sad” about Muslim anti-Western riots?

In a perhaps unconscious sign of where they’re coming from, Powerline writes:

Sadly, the anti-cartoon riots are still going on.

“Sadly?” Would Powerline have written, “Sadly, Hitler continues to threaten European war”? Or “Sadly, the German invasion of Poland is continuing”? Or, “Sadly, the Japanese navy is sending submarines to attack the California coast”? Or “Sadly, the Indians wiped out Custer’s forces at Little Big Horn”?

When a person says he is “sad” about something that someone is doing, it means that he doesn’t want to condemn or oppose the party that is doing the thing that is making him sad. Typically, one says it about a friend who is embarked on a regrettable course of action, or about a politician whom one generally supports but who is doing something that one opposes.

So by saying, “Sadly, the anti-cartoon riots are still going on,” Powerline is letting on that they regard the Islamic world as their friend. However, on the bright side, it is also the case that when someone says he’s “sad” about what a friend is doing, it is often an indication that the friendship is about to come to an end.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at February 19, 2006 11:38 PM | Send