Something rotten (I can't be the first to call it that, can I?)

[scarfman]

Two things about the furore over the cartoons of Mohammad.

scarfwoman notes that the U.S. media is missing the point. They seem to think the cartoons are offensive because they're intentionally offensive images, rather than because to Islam making any image of the prophet is offensive. Remarks like Condoleeza Rice's and some of them on CNN's Reliable Sources show that the U.S. media doesn't understand the true source or magnitude of the offense.

My own thoughts - it's trite because it's true: With great power comes great responsibility. It's one thing to draw and publish a cartoon to intentionally fire people up over an issue. It's quite another to draw and publish a cartoon to intentionally offend an entire demographic. The Danish editor and cartoonist(s) abused their power, and did it against a world demographic whose extremists are known to be dangerous. They trolled the world.

Comments

[antikythera.livejournal.com]

I've said it before and I'll say it again... just because we can insult someone and won't get in trouble for it doesn't mean we should. But we do it anyways, whether it's on the playground behind the teacher's back, or in the media where we play the freedom-of-speech card.