Interesting Iranian response

[TheEarl]

A newspaper in Iran is responding to the Mohammed cartoons by running a competition to find the best cartoon that satirises the Holocaust. The prizes will be gold coins, worth about £80. The paper in question has released a statement claiming the competition as an act of free speech.

Whether intentional or not, I think they're making a very clever little point here. A lot of people don't understand why the Mohammed cartoons are causing such a furor and are passing it off as "What can you do, free speech, neh?" This riposte could be seen as quite an adroit way of demonstrating that boundaries should be set somewhere and that this kind of offensiveness, even if it's not actually offensive to the speech's originator, cannot be waved away with a breezy attitude.

Either that, or they're being spiteful and attempting a tit-for-tat.

The Earl

 

[elsol]

A newspaper in Iran is responding to the Mohammed cartoons by running a competition to find the best cartoon that satirises the Holocaust. The prizes will be gold coins, worth about £80. The paper in question has released a statement claiming the competition as an act of free speech.

Whether intentional or not, I think they're making a very clever little point here. A lot of people don't understand why the Mohammed cartoons are causing such a furor and are passing it off as "What can you do, free speech, neh?" This riposte could be seen as quite an adroit way of demonstrating that boundaries should be set somewhere and that this kind of offensiveness, even if it's not actually offensive to the speech's originator, cannot be waved away with a breezy attitude.

Either that, or they're being spiteful and attempting a tit-for-tat.

The Earl

Iran is sponsoring a conference to 'investigate' the scientific evidence on the Holocaust.

(To be read as... give voice to those who say the Holocaust did not happen.)

I would have bought into their 'response' as nothing more than spiteful, small response except for that.

Sincerely,
ElSol

 

[bholderman]

Unfortunately, what they failed to understand is that its been done before and Jews have developed a pretty tough skin.

Besides, I prefer the gun-toting South Park Jesus to anyone...

 

[Purple Sage]

A newspaper in Iran is responding to the Mohammed cartoons by running a competition to find the best cartoon that satirises the Holocaust. The prizes will be gold coins, worth about £80. The paper in question has released a statement claiming the competition as an act of free speech.

Whether intentional or not, I think they're making a very clever little point here. A lot of people don't understand why the Mohammed cartoons are causing such a furor and are passing it off as "What can you do, free speech, neh?" This riposte could be seen as quite an adroit way of demonstrating that boundaries should be set somewhere and that this kind of offensiveness, even if it's not actually offensive to the speech's originator, cannot be waved away with a breezy attitude.

Either that, or they're being spiteful and attempting a tit-for-tat.

The Earl

Go for it! But what I'd really like to see is some lewd cartoons about Lao Tzu. Of course, I'm a Taoist, so I suppose I'll have to make them myself.

 

[elsol]

Let's outrage, ami.

Lewd cartoons of Ayn Rand.

Sincerely,
ElSol

 

[Svenskaflicka]

What about us Swedes? We don't believe in ANYTHING, and we don't care all that much about ANYONE - who should we have ridiculed?

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Astrid Lindgren?












(And don't say "Harry Potter", because he's already been ridiculed so much that I doubt anyone can go any worse.)

 

[Stella_Omega]

Astrid Lindgren?

Moomintrolls?

 

[Boota]

Dueling cartoons is a much healthier way of dealing with the issue rather than bombing buses. Maybe Iran is coming around?

 

[zeb1094]

What about us Swedes? We don't believe in ANYTHING, and we don't care all that much about ANYONE - who should we have ridiculed?

Leif Ericson?

 

[SeaCat]

A newspaper in Iran is responding to the Mohammed cartoons by running a competition to find the best cartoon that satirises the Holocaust. The prizes will be gold coins, worth about £80. The paper in question has released a statement claiming the competition as an act of free speech.

Whether intentional or not, I think they're making a very clever little point here. A lot of people don't understand why the Mohammed cartoons are causing such a furor and are passing it off as "What can you do, free speech, neh?" This riposte could be seen as quite an adroit way of demonstrating that boundaries should be set somewhere and that this kind of offensiveness, even if it's not actually offensive to the speech's originator, cannot be waved away with a breezy attitude.

Either that, or they're being spiteful and attempting a tit-for-tat.

The Earl

Well I kind of like this.
Shoes on the other foot now isn't it? I wonder how many of those newspapers who printed the picture/cartoon of Mohammed will print these cartoons. (Somehow I doubt it. It's politicaly expedient as well as PC to insult those whom Mr. Bush is waging war against, but not his friends.)

Can I qualify for one of those coins? (For my collection of course.)

Cat

 

[BlackShanglan]

Whether intentional or not, I think they're making a very clever little point here. A lot of people don't understand why the Mohammed cartoons are causing such a furor and are passing it off as "What can you do, free speech, neh?" This riposte could be seen as quite an adroit way of demonstrating that boundaries should be set somewhere and that this kind of offensiveness, even if it's not actually offensive to the speech's originator, cannot be waved away with a breezy attitude.

Either that, or they're being spiteful and attempting a tit-for-tat.

The Earl

Who says it can't be both?

I do agree that the issue is significant; in some of the countries whose press members are yelling "free speech!" it is illegal to deny the Holocaust, to denigrate Jews, or to incite racial hatred. To be clear, I think that all of those things are repulsive behaviors only engaged in by those unfit for civil society. However, the double standard being applied does give one pause. I think that there are good arguments for restricting the freedom of press in some areas, and I think that are good arguments against it, but it's difficult to view as wholly fair the argument that one group of people must tolerate what another need not.

I'll add this, as well. When we abuse our freedoms for base purposes, we ourselves make the best argument for having them withdrawn. When "freedom of the press" degenerates into meaning little more than "freedom to single other races or cultures for offensive abuse" - or, indeed, "freedom to take telephoto shots of Britney Spears picking her nose when she thinks herself unobserved" - we may as well give up the freedom. We've already willingly surrendered all of the good it might have done us.

Shanglan

 

[rgraham666]

I'm of the same opinion on these cartoons as the ones that triggered the current spate of riots.

They're in hideously bad taste, serve no useful purpose and are bound to cause a lot of problems.

 

[R. Richard]

One thing that I would urge Literotica members to do is to watch and compare the reaction to the Muhammed and the Holocaust cartoons.

The Muslims reacted with riots, firebombs, deaths, the invasion of foreign embassies and threats to kill Danes found in Muslim countires.

Does anyone want to post a guess as to how the Israelis will react?

My guess is no riots, no firebombs, no deaths, no invasion of foreign embassies and no threats to kill Iranians within Israel. I would suspect that there will be some Israeli rhetoric, but that words will start and end the response.

Comment?

 

[BlackShanglan]

One thing that I would urge Literotica members to do is to watch and compare the reaction to the Muhammed and the Holocaust cartoons.

The Muslims reacted with riots, firebombs, deaths, the invasion of foreign embassies and threats to kill Danes found in Muslim countires.

Does anyone want to post a guess as to how the Israelis will react?

My guess is no riots, no firebombs, no deaths, no invasion of foreign embassies and no threats to kill Iranians within Israel. I would suspect that there will be some Israeli rhetoric, but that words will start and end the response.

Comment?

They're not primarily upset about cartoons; the cartoons are a flashpoint. Sort of like the countries of Europe weren't really that invested in Archduke Ferdinand himself.

 

[SeaCat]

One thing that I would urge Literotica members to do is to watch and compare the reaction to the Muhammed and the Holocaust cartoons.

The Muslims reacted with riots, firebombs, deaths, the invasion of foreign embassies and threats to kill Danes found in Muslim countires.

Does anyone want to post a guess as to how the Israelis will react?

My guess is no riots, no firebombs, no deaths, no invasion of foreign embassies and no threats to kill Iranians within Israel. I would suspect that there will be some Israeli rhetoric, but that words will start and end the response.

Comment?

I would bet that you are correct, then again the literacy rate in Isreal is much higher than in most Arab countries is it not?

You would most likely get the same response as we see in the Arabic countries if you could find a Christian or Jewish nation with the same low literacy rate, then showed them the same type of cartoon. (One showing little or no feelings towards these peoples beliefs.)

No I am not belittleing the people in these coutries. It is a fact that many if not most of the people there are illiterate, and kept that way by their governments and religios leaders. (The better to control them.) They believe what they are taught, unfortunately for them and the world they are taught within a very small scope.

Cat

 

[Colleen Thomas]

For me, anything I find in the Iranian press is already negligible. this is a press that glorifies the actions of terrorists, denies the holcaust ever occured, and links every problem that has best man since the black plaure to a jewish conspiracy.

there is tight state control on what they may print. It would seem then, that exercising free speech, if that is really what this is, would be a first for them since the Shaw was deposed.

 

[McKenna]

What about us Swedes? We don't believe in ANYTHING, and we don't care all that much about ANYONE - who should we have ridiculed?

Norwegians?

 

[Huckleman2000]

What about us Swedes? We don't believe in ANYTHING, and we don't care all that much about ANYONE - who should we have ridiculed?

sorry, the Swedes have no business ridiculing anyone. Except maybe the Finns, but that's almost too easy.

RE: the Iranian paper -
How can it be tit-for-tat making fun of the Jews when the cartoons were Danish?

Plus, it's a bit different when the Iranian government doesn't even recognize Israel. It just seems like an expression of state racism to me.

In Denmark, there's a free press, and the cartoons don't express the view of the government.

That's the difference.

 

[elsol]

Israeli response to the cartoons about the Holocaust...

"You've sent suicide bombers against you fucking shit-heads!"

Sincerely,
ElSol

 

[MasterPhoenix]

Sometimes, I think that the world should just be given a time out to stop and think.

The purpose of those danish cartoons was to incite passions, and well it did. Of course the law of unintended consiquences has taken hold from there. These people have been oppressed for generations, first by Europeans, and now by their own countries. The rage is there, the cartoons were just a flashpoint.

 

[Purple Sage]

You would most likely get the same response as we see in the Arabic countries if you could find a Christian or Jewish nation with the same low literacy rate, then showed them the same type of cartoon. (One showing little or no feelings towards these peoples beliefs.)


Cat

I don't think it's a matter of literacy per se. Most people in Idaho can read, even if they don't do it very often. I think anyone choosing to publish cartoons showing Jesus boinking the (formerly) Virgin Mary in this state would be in significant physical danger. I'm not going to test it, myself, but if there are any volounteers I'd be happy to watch.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Sometimes, I think that the world should just be given a time out to stop and think.

The purpose of those danish cartoons was to incite passions, and well it did. Of course the law of unintended consiquences has taken hold from there. These people have been oppressed for generations, first by Europeans, and now by their own countries. The rage is there, the cartoons were just a flashpoint.

It could be just me, but the rage has gotten old. When your collective response to every single slight, no matter how trivial, is violent, it looses an power to make an impression. That isn't to say acts of violence have lost their power to appall. But in the case of "the Arab Street" the violence and protests have lost any relation to the affront,whatever it might be.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

sorry, the Swedes have no business ridiculing anyone. Except maybe the Finns, but that's almost too easy.

No, I mean, "what beloved Swedish icon should be ridiculed in order to piss us off"?

McKenna, we're ALREADY making fun of the Norwegians..!

 

[zeb1094]

No, I mean, "what beloved Swedish icon should be ridiculed in order to piss us off"?

McKenna, we're ALREADY making fun of the Norwegians..!

As I've said here.