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Offense and free speech
Feb. 8th, 2006 08:40 pmThinking about the whole Mohammed cartoon affair, looking at Mediawatch (which is well worth reading about the whole affair I came across a reference to a recent quote by Stephen Fry at the Hay festival:
People who are offended by anything need to look inside themselves rather than put the onus on the other person; not only is a bad get out clause, it's politically and intellectually lazy to protest and riot over something you haven't even thought about. I have my suspicions that politically the Muslim extremists wanted another 'Satanic Verses' but if you look into what these cartoons are, they are from a Danish kids book trying to help kids undertand all of what Islam is about, and apparently promote understanding between the faiths. Ironic or what?
I was tempted to post the images here; I'm not sure if it's worth the bother of getting attacked but you can find them on Google cache: here and here (notice the posting dates - as Mediawatch pointed out these have been out there since October without this response - why now?) - I believe in free speech but not hate speech; when it goes into violence or hate then it gets sticky - make your own mind up whether this has gone over the line. I don't think it has (and I'm pretty sure the whole thing about Mohammed never being depicted is untrue (like here: http://www.atheists.org/Islam/mohammed-western.gif) , I think there has been artistic depictions in the past, it's a recent thing)
What I'm more horrified is that although quite rightly Abu Hamza is in jail, that nasty little shites like Nick Griffin of the BNP still walk the streets, spreading their hate - he should have been jailed. The only difference I see is that Abu Hamza has had followers go on publically to become violent terrorists, but then again after having one violent run-in with one enlisted army BNP member I know that what's reported is highly selective (the race riots in Oldham, now a predominatly Muslim area and where I was born, a few years back were provoked by the BNP), and there probably are more BNP attacks than you or I know about.
And if you have any Muslim or extremist acquaintances, or have the misfortune to talk to any BNP bigots, please remind them sweetly that on the question of homosexuality, the British Muslim Council, the Taleban, Catholic Church, Al Qaeda and the BNP are all on the same side.
Enjoy your bedfellows, folks!
P.S. I do find it highly funny that the kid who wore the mock-suicide bomber suit (itself funny since suicide bombers don't wear a uniform since they don't want to bring attention to themselves!) was a crack cocaine and heroin dealer...the quote I read today from one of his elders was not to judge him on a youthful mistake and childhood indiscretion. Excuse me but how many kids accidentally become drug dealers?!? It's not exactly a normal childhood is it?
'It's now very common to hear people say, "I'm rather offended by that", as if that gives them certain rights. It's no more than a whine. It has no meaning, it has no purpose, it has no reason to be respected as a phrase. "I'm offended by that." Well, so fucking what?'
People who are offended by anything need to look inside themselves rather than put the onus on the other person; not only is a bad get out clause, it's politically and intellectually lazy to protest and riot over something you haven't even thought about. I have my suspicions that politically the Muslim extremists wanted another 'Satanic Verses' but if you look into what these cartoons are, they are from a Danish kids book trying to help kids undertand all of what Islam is about, and apparently promote understanding between the faiths. Ironic or what?
I was tempted to post the images here; I'm not sure if it's worth the bother of getting attacked but you can find them on Google cache: here and here (notice the posting dates - as Mediawatch pointed out these have been out there since October without this response - why now?) - I believe in free speech but not hate speech; when it goes into violence or hate then it gets sticky - make your own mind up whether this has gone over the line. I don't think it has (and I'm pretty sure the whole thing about Mohammed never being depicted is untrue (like here: http://www.atheists.org/Islam/mohammed-western.gif) , I think there has been artistic depictions in the past, it's a recent thing)
What I'm more horrified is that although quite rightly Abu Hamza is in jail, that nasty little shites like Nick Griffin of the BNP still walk the streets, spreading their hate - he should have been jailed. The only difference I see is that Abu Hamza has had followers go on publically to become violent terrorists, but then again after having one violent run-in with one enlisted army BNP member I know that what's reported is highly selective (the race riots in Oldham, now a predominatly Muslim area and where I was born, a few years back were provoked by the BNP), and there probably are more BNP attacks than you or I know about.
And if you have any Muslim or extremist acquaintances, or have the misfortune to talk to any BNP bigots, please remind them sweetly that on the question of homosexuality, the British Muslim Council, the Taleban, Catholic Church, Al Qaeda and the BNP are all on the same side.
Enjoy your bedfellows, folks!
P.S. I do find it highly funny that the kid who wore the mock-suicide bomber suit (itself funny since suicide bombers don't wear a uniform since they don't want to bring attention to themselves!) was a crack cocaine and heroin dealer...the quote I read today from one of his elders was not to judge him on a youthful mistake and childhood indiscretion. Excuse me but how many kids accidentally become drug dealers?!? It's not exactly a normal childhood is it?
