It's nice to see that I wasn't wrong about the French
I'll be honest. Sometimes I knock the French. Typical American stuff about 'cheese-eating surrender-monkeys' and the like. It's all in a bit of fun (I mock just about every other country in the world too, including my own), and I've always maintained that there are some brave and honorable Frenchmen just like there are brave and honorable (insert any country here). It is my belief that a lot of their nation's problem lies with bad leadership. There are other factors, to be sure, but I do not want to get into a 50 page cultural analysis.
To prove my point, these two guys decide to make a stand for freedom of speech and risk very real personal harm to voice their opinion. Apparently just wearing a Danish flag or a sign that says you support freedom of speech and the press is now a provocation. I guess every nation with that enshrined in their constitutions had better burn the offending documents so we do not violate the radical Islamist's delicate sensibilities.
It was 'nice' to see that not ALL of the Muslim protestors wanted to harm these two men as well. It is too bad the violent usually get their way.
I was going to avoid writing about the cartoon thing altogether. I do not think I can add much, if anything, to what has already been said. These people in France have changed that. In the end, I recognize that the cartoons were offensive, but the people in the Middle East print worse cartoons about Jews and Christians all the time and I find that offensive. It's a two-way street. I also do not think that the current surge towards legistlation banning insulting religion is the way to go. The problem then becomes: when do we stop?
I think J.J. McCullough sums up the whole scenario nicely here and here.
To prove my point, these two guys decide to make a stand for freedom of speech and risk very real personal harm to voice their opinion. Apparently just wearing a Danish flag or a sign that says you support freedom of speech and the press is now a provocation. I guess every nation with that enshrined in their constitutions had better burn the offending documents so we do not violate the radical Islamist's delicate sensibilities.
It was 'nice' to see that not ALL of the Muslim protestors wanted to harm these two men as well. It is too bad the violent usually get their way.
I was going to avoid writing about the cartoon thing altogether. I do not think I can add much, if anything, to what has already been said. These people in France have changed that. In the end, I recognize that the cartoons were offensive, but the people in the Middle East print worse cartoons about Jews and Christians all the time and I find that offensive. It's a two-way street. I also do not think that the current surge towards legistlation banning insulting religion is the way to go. The problem then becomes: when do we stop?
I think J.J. McCullough sums up the whole scenario nicely here and here.
posted by Ranba Ral at 9:18 PM
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