Variations on the Theme of Fundamentalism (In Two Movements)

[tealin]

I. Allegro furioso

A Little Background to the 'Cartoon Row' ... it's always nice to have the background information.

II. Dolce

Evangelical Environmentalists ... surely the Apocalypse is nigh.

Comments

[alicey.livejournal.com]

the cartoon row. *sighs* I drew a cartoon for my university newspaper commenting on the cartoon "row" last week and got a steady stream of hate mail all weekend. bleh.

[disneyboy.livejournal.com]

Where did you get that icon? That is HILARIOUS!

[alicey.livejournal.com]

I just found it randomly and decided to adopt it. I can't even remember where I got it from so I can't properly credit it. :D

[disneyboy.livejournal.com]

Can we see your cartoon?

[disneyboy.livejournal.com]

dang - that icon's really sweet, too! I can almost hear the music...:)

[pandoras-closet.livejournal.com]

James Dobson's Focus on the Family called it a "distraction" from abortion and family values.<./i>

*Headdesk*

[disneyboy.livejournal.com]

Ah - finally some more background on those infamous cartoons! And those "EE's" - that is unexpected!
My view of the cartoons can be summed up thus:
-Wanting and working for a society in which one can be creative and expressive and critical (especially in a humorous way),instigating reasoned dialogue about hot-button issues without fear of violent reprisal is a very good thing. Pretending that everybody is already there and throwing a lit match (however tiny) into a giant, seething powder keg, and then expressing surprise, acting like it isn't FAIR that the powder keg overreacted, that it shouldn't be there in the first place (which is true) is naive and irresponbible at best. It reminds me (I realize this isn't a PERFECT analogy) of a bunch of kids who decided to TP and "egg" the house and yard of a neighbor who was an anal neat-freak, and they went ballistic and called the cops! Of course they overreacted and blew it out of proportion. What did they THINK would happen?? All the logical excuses of why the newspaper had every right to publish the strips, and why they shouldn't have offended anybody doesn't mean it was a very good idea.
-That said, certain muslims around the word seem bent on proving they are all a million times worse than the most offensive caricature anyone's ever seen, instead of doing the obvious and directing their outrage at the people who have truly insulted and profaned Mohamed, Islam, and faithful muslims everywhere: the violent, radical warmongers, the amoral mercenaries, their idiot suicide-bomber pawns who do it all in Mohamed's name (I've only heard of one instance in the news so far where somebody pointed this out).
So my point is, everybody is being stupid. And some are violent. So try not to cheese off the violent, stupid people if you don't have to.

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

100% ditto. Hear hear.

[pippins-nose.livejournal.com]

I just saw a headline on Google News that read "Bush Urges World Leaders to Halt Cartoon Violence."

:P

[tawabids.livejournal.com]

BWA HA HA...cartoon violence... *wipes tears of mirth from eyes*

But to comment seriously, yeah, this cartoon thing is insane. In New Zealand they published two of the cartoons in my local paper (The Press, Christchurch) and the whole government goes and berates them for being intolerant and inciting violence. The Prime Minister said this. I couldn't believe it.

People are setting fire to embassies and waving signs that say "Death to those who insult Islam" and two cartoons are in the wrong? The CARTOONS are in the wrong? Before they came out in our newspaper, I would have been against publishing, but now I fully support every Western country in the world putting them to print.

Because nobody has the right to threaten a cartoonist with death because he drew a picture.

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

That is funny in so many ways.

[pippins-nose.livejournal.com]

Oh man. Now I just spotted this one, which creates an even funnier picture in my mind.

"Bush calls for calm as cartoon violence rages"

[(Anonymous)]

Those 'What Would Jesus Drive' t-shirts remind me of a cartoon I saw with the Lord in an SUV, saying, "Hey! This Subaru can seat all twelve of us!"

[disneyboy.livejournal.com]

(wild unabated cackling - good thing I'm alone at work!)

[veronikamg.livejournal.com]

It is scary to live in Norway these days, believe me. I've heard that there is going to be a "burn the Norwegian flag" day in my town on Saturday. I'll do all of my weekend shopping tomorrow afternoon instead. Gnnnrrrghh!! I hate this! Now I can't feel safe in my own home town, because some people behave like Hungarian Horntails and others don't know that you shall not tickle sleeping dragons! (For you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.)

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

I misread this the first time and it led to an image of the Fellowship in an SUV ... which could seat all nine of them, of course.

Being pursued by a black SUV holding the Nazgul.

Cartoon Violence

[(Anonymous)]

NO MORE CARTOON VIOLENCE! Say NO to anvils! Stop misuse of TNT now! But surely Christians working for a better environment -shouldn't- be apocalyptic. It should be contradictory that most -don't-. It's too bad the world doesn't work that way.
Down with giant hammers! Up with "God's green Earth"!
-Gyakutenno

[disneyboy.livejournal.com]

I really like the succinct and imaginative way you summed up this situation (and made a Harry Potter reference! 50 points for Gryffindor!), whereas it took me a couple of big paragraphs to say essentially the same thing. And I think that it's really cool (not for you right now, but the rest of us) to hear what it's like from a person who's in the thick of the storm there (kinda like a war correspondant!), rather than a commentator seated comfortably a million miles away. I appreciate your thoughts. Good luck!

[miss-ida.livejournal.com]

Im from Denmark and i am getting sick and tired of this these days... think its scary in norway?? Everyone is totally upset and afraid these days here...
and evertime i turnt he tv on ...its the muhammed cartoons!

We have debates about it in the school...
and everyone is waiting for the next move...

why are the world so crazy?

[disneyboy.livejournal.com]

LOL! I want to see this cartoon! (but, it goes without saying, not badly enough to draw it myself)

[disneyboy.livejournal.com]

It scares me, even all the way over here in the US, where we're so insulated and unconscious of the rest of the world - this does seem like a gathering storm, not just a fleeting conflict. I have no answer for what's wrong with everyone. I guess true empathy for others is a difficult learned behavior, and doesn't come naturally for most of us, even if we think of ourselves as smart or tolerant or good.