France

[The Rapscallion]

As I've just said elsewhere, if you or I posted up flyers of the same cartoon in the local area and we were found to be the ones behind it, we would be up on a racial hate crime charge. Because it has been done in the press it is seen and what has happened it is seen as an attack on free speech. Double standards for the establishment and the man on the street.

It is a cartoon you imbecile

 

[grecIAN Harris]

As in moving animation or still picture? I had the impression it was a still picture, correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[tavyred]

As I've just said elsewhere, if you or I posted up flyers of the same cartoon in the local area and we were found to be the ones behind it, we would be up on a racial hate crime charge. Because it has been done in the press it is seen and what has happened it is seen as an attack on free speech. Double standards for the establishment and the man on the street.

The frustration with this of course is that we've been through this blasphemy rubbish generations ago with Christianity, as a civilisation we put these Christian zealots back in their box and consequently as I've said Europe became a beacon for liberal values. How we've allowed ourselves to be cowed by a religion (Islam) that takes us back to the pre-enlightenment is beyond me.

 

[grecIAN Harris]

The frustration with this of course is that we've been through this blasphemy rubbish generations ago with Christianity, as a civilisation we put these Christian zealots back in their box and consequently as I've said Europe became a beacon for liberal values. How we've allowed ourselves to be cowed by a religion (Islam) that takes us back to the pre-enlightenment is beyond me.

Because as with most things in life, the balance has gone too far the other way. What, in the not too dim and distant past, was merely seen as being a little close to the knuckle but still acceptable is now seen as seen as racist in the extreme. The extremists have been given an inch or two and now intend to take a mile because of it. We have lost the ability to be able to laugh at ourselves and those around us without having the racism card being thrown at us. There is a line that has to be drawn and that is right and proper but that line has been pushed further back than it needs to and it has been done by those who aren't directly effected by it. This has caused suspicion among the whole world and consequently a lack of understanding as to what is actually an attempt to be offensive, what is an attempt at humour, what is taken offensively and what is nothing more than water off of a ducks back. And all this in a greater multi-cultural landscape.

 

[tavyred]

This has caused suspicion among the whole world and consequently a lack of understanding as to what is actually an attempt to be offensive, what is an attempt at humour, what is taken offensively and what is nothing more than water off of a ducks back. And all this in a greater multi-cultural landscape.

The issue here however is the right to be humorous and offensive at the same time.

 

[grecIAN Harris]

The issue here however is the right to be humorous and offensive at the same time.

There are some on here who won't allow that (regardless how poor the attempt is) and highlights what I'm saying, the boundaries have been pushed so far back to accommodate. Usually by people who aren't actually the butt of the offensive humour, over liberalised Europeans.

 

[tavyred]

There are some on here who won't allow that (regardless how poor the attempt is) and highlights what I'm saying, the boundaries have been pushed so far back to accommodate. Usually by people who aren't actually the butt of the offensive humour, over liberalised Europeans.

With this particular issue the problem is partly down to mainstream Moslem opinion not liberal white Europeans desperate to accommodate. The scum who carried out these atrocities are taking to the extreme the majority Moslem view on the lampooning or even just the depiction of the prophet Mohammed. If Islam like every other religion practised in the West could evolve to being confident enough to accept being satirized then the islamists would be operating in a vacuum of their own making and maybe, just maybe attacks like this would be neutralized.

 

[RaeUK]

... stop being such an attention seeking drama queen ...

I've read many a description of fundamentalist Islamic terrorists, but this has to be the best by far. Sublime.

 

[STURTZ]

Unusually find myself in agreement with Tavy here.

Freedom of speech is a right and an ideal which has been arrived at after a long history centuries of repression, tyranny and dictatorship. It is a cornerstone of our civilisation and to remove it would be counter productive and very dangerous. Of course people should use the right with responsibility but if something cannot stand up to public scrutiny then it isn't worth persevering with.

 

[God]

If Islam...could evolve to being confident enough to accept being satirized.

Quite. You'd think with their unbending knowledge that they were right, they'd be able to shrug off a few giggles from the infidels.