innerhippy

With all the furore concerning the cartoons that were published in a Danish newspaper (that first appeared in September!), can I find them on the interweb? Nope, I cannot. But certainly not for the lack of trying. I'm intrigued as to how a cartoon can be so offensive (I'm sure I'm not alone) and I would very much like to form my own opinion on them. If anyone knows where they are then please say!

The wider issue is a cultural one and slightly more serious. British culture has always used humour as a highly effective method of offering opinions, breaking taboos, stimulating debate, not to mention having a good ol' giggle. Humour is often used to exaggerate a sensitive issue that would otherwise cause offence and should not be taken at face value. That's the way we do things in this reserved country and not only is it very healthy for democracy, it is an essential tool of debate and freedom of speech. Satire is one of the most effective political tools that we have for stimulating debate and accountability – the brilliant The Thick Of It is a perfect example.

If you don't like it, then don't look at it. I wonder how many enraged fatwa'ing Muslims actually read The Satanic Verses? How did Christians react when The Life Of Brian was released? The sacking of the editor from the Danish newspaper after the cartoon's publication was a spineless mistake. It would be a good idea for all British newspapers to demonstrate a show of solidarity and simultaneously publish the cartoons.

Muslims should like it or lump it, but that's the way we do things in our culture. Respect is mutual understanding that may cause disagreement that should provoke only discussion. But instead we get the predictable burning of flags and attacks upon embassies. This shows a contemptuous lack of tolerance that perhaps speaks volumes of their own culture.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 3rd, 2006 at 10:01 am and is filed under Civil Liberties. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.