On Wed, Aug 17, 2011 at 11:34 PM, PGage <[email protected]> wrote: > No need to apologize, I think this is a valid point for discussion (though > the original post in this thread was about the consequences of making fun of > Islamic terrorists, not regular Muslims). I'm not sure I agree with you, but > I will think about it a bit. I guess examples of jokes about non-extreme > Christians being told on late night television do not readily come to mind, > so my immediate reaction is not to see the double-standard you suggest. > Probably the double-standard I could see is that the Islamic extremists are > more likely to be advocating direct violence (like terrorism, or fatwas, or > honor killings) while Christian extremists are less likely to advocate this, > but more likely to advocate what might be called indirect violence (like > homophobia, misogyny or censorship). While the so-called indirect violence > is still extremely harmful, and has clearly led to pain, injury and > premature death, I guess Christian extremists could have a legitimate gripe > about so frequently getting lumped into the same parallel as Islamic > extremists, who (at least in the modern era) are more likely to advocate > direct violence.
My issue is that when a joke is made about Christianity on these shows, it is constructed in such a way that the extremist stereotypes we have both mentioned are actually indicative of all Christians -- not all the time, but with some frequency. And while comics will be critical of certain Muslims, they are always quick to indicate the actions or thoughts of extremists do not reflect all of Islam. And I believe this happens because we have been conditioned to be afraid, and that fear has allowed this inequity to occur. And that fear is one of many fears we've had thrust upon us in the last decade, and I'm tired of them. I'm not even saying Christians are being treated unfairly; what I am saying is that Muslims are being treated too fairly. The old writer's adage indicates it is his job "to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comforted." Nowhere is the proviso "unless he is afraid" to be found. If the government has deemed this a credible threat, then it is the government's job to protect Mr. Letterman so he can make whatever joke he chooses. He should feel free to be provocative and challenge people, if for no other reason than this: Violent and hate-filled extremists should NOT feel comfortable. Not ever. -- Kevin M. (RPCV) -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
