Journey to Ixtlan

I wonder about the self-appointed guardians of society. On this topic I am torn philosophically and emotionally. As a good liberal guy, I believe that there is a place for (more) correct thought and action. It is reasonable for a group or society to establish guidelines of respect and tolerance, however, too often the guardians of these behavioral expectations fault in the treatment of the individual in their eagerness to address larger wounds and issues. I've seen this in a convergence of past news items and blogs:

1) An accusation of racial slurs against a school administrator quoting lines from "Blazing Saddles". There are calls for termination of the official.

2) In the Sudan, the calling for a death sentence against a school teacher who named a stuff bear class mascot "Mohammad". The naming was done with the agreement of the children in the class.

3) Musicians are accused of willful harm via cultural appropriation when the musician borrows from other ethnic groups.

The common thread of these items is that the intention of the accused is largely misrepresented by those calling for blood. The acts may be stupid or disagreeable, but the acid response by the guardians of the sacred cows spoke to larger agendas outside of the incident at hand. There is assumed a level of hatred, evil and deceit that is not embraced by the intentions of the accused. The issues at hand seem to be emotional monsters that supersede and overwhelm the actual transgressions of those accused. I find this both very disturbing and very human.