Thanks for this. I have to say, I've been in two minds about this. I absolutely believe in freedom of the press, but I tend to be one of those people that believe that there is a lot of responsibility that comes with living in a free and democratic society. The cartoons weren't even good satire -- they were just hateful and insulting. They also showed a lot more about the ignorance of the cartoonist and audience wrt Islam than anything else.
So I'm kind of torn in my response. Part of me really wants to see more condemnation -- not because I think anyone should be protected from lampooning or because people don't have a right to publish whatever they want*, but because I think that ignorant and hateful behaviour should be discouraged. And part of me wants to say that everybody should be fair game. Except, of course, that we don't allow everyone to be fair game -- if the picture had been one of Coretta Scott King as a crack whore, I think there would have been some outcry based on the sheer offensiveness of the idea. Or something like that. There aren't a whole lot of truly sacred cows in modern society, but the subject of pictorial representations of Muhammed in Islam really is one. Oh hell -- like I said, I've got some mixed feelings about this.
*I do think there are limits to free press. I have no problem with making illegal inciting violence and hatred or pr0n that involves anybody but consenting adults.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2006-02-05 05:27 pm (UTC)So I'm kind of torn in my response. Part of me really wants to see more condemnation -- not because I think anyone should be protected from lampooning or because people don't have a right to publish whatever they want*, but because I think that ignorant and hateful behaviour should be discouraged. And part of me wants to say that everybody should be fair game. Except, of course, that we don't allow everyone to be fair game -- if the picture had been one of Coretta Scott King as a crack whore, I think there would have been some outcry based on the sheer offensiveness of the idea. Or something like that. There aren't a whole lot of truly sacred cows in modern society, but the subject of pictorial representations of Muhammed in Islam really is one. Oh hell -- like I said, I've got some mixed feelings about this.
*I do think there are limits to free press. I have no problem with making illegal inciting violence and hatred or pr0n that involves anybody but consenting adults.