Did you know that being married is like being nibbled to death by a duck?

Friday, February 03, 2006

Cartoon Brouhaha

Muslim anger over cartoons hits Danish companies - I felt the need to say something about the recent publication of cartoon drawings poking fun at Mohammed (considered a prophet by the people of Islam), and that is this: Regardless of your beliefs, I am against "making fun" of your religion. This is not to say that I will not debate a particular belief system (and readily enjoy doing so, especially fraudulent ones like Scientology), but I make a concerted effort not to deface or slander one's belief structure without just cause, and certainly not just for the sake of a laugh (with a strong exception being the South Park episode linked on the Scientology site above. Sad part is, it's all true).

Having said that, although I think it was pretty ignorant behavior on behalf of the newspaper editors that published these cartoons, I also think rioting in the streets as protest is pretty weak. When people deface the image of Christ in a sacrilegious way, you're not going to see me setting fire to random structures that may or may not be owned by those who were disrespectful. The term "lighten up" could be appropriately used here. I don't blame people for wanting to defend their belief system. Quite the contrary, I just think there are better ways of going about it. Like playing Dodgeball.

As always, comments and ideas are welcomed.

8 comments:

Kell said...

Personally, I would love to hear Mr. Twisted's take on Brittney Spears appearing on Will & Grave as a Christian conservative sidekick to Jack.... they are supposed to have an "cooking episode on Jack's tv series" called Cruci-fixin's...

Kell said...

Yeah ok.... Apparently you are the President of her fan club, since you did know how to spell her first name right and can't spell anything else...

Mr. Twisted said...

Yeah, as I tried to avoid anything related to either Britney Spears or Will & Grace, I am *way* out on that. The term "disgraceful" just doesn't seem enough, does it?

Mr. Twisted said...

Just because spell check doesn't work on "Kim Jong Il" means nothing. So put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Wakeandahalf said...

I declare FATWA on your so-called 'lighten up'!

ululululululululululululululululululululululu!

Anonymous said...

Where is my two hog farms worth of pigs? That'll quell this little FATWA...pigs running free thru out the muslim world. Now that would make my heart warm and fuzzy.

Of course I don't know that they have a first amendment in the Netherlands, but I am sure that the EU has something really cute and fuzzy that will suffice. That way we can all draw pictures of deities and not worry about the censors coming over and stopping an individual from expressing themselves. Oh wait, I forgot that we are supposed to be sensitive to everyone and everything and that in fact the slightest hurt feeling is grounds for squelching any expression wahtsoever. Hmmm that sounds like something we hear on the news with greater regularity everyday here in the States. Thoughts?

Mr. Twisted said...

Plane Geek - I don't think it's necessarily that people are too sensitive, it's that they want their sensitive feelings backed up by legislation. If you are offended by someone making fun of your religion or sexual preference or whatever, you have the right to be offended. Where it gets out of hand is when people who are offended want to be backed up by law just because their feelings were hurt. People don't want to take care of their own problems anymore, they want other, more powerful people to do it for them.

Anonymous said...

Twisted..I think people are too sensitive these days. PC and the like were the starting point, and have lead down a dark and perilous path. Think how much the U.S. has changed in the last 20 years especially in the education system. I think that the public education system is the last great bastion of liberalism left in the U.S. where youngsters are "indoctrinated" into the belief that human nature can be perfected. But that is a discussion for another time. When legislation is discussed I believe that it is important to remember this "Government is not reason, it is not eloquence-it is force"